Opened previous owners mail

[justalittlelemondrizzle]

Since buying the house almost a year ago we have recieved all the old owners mail. Everything from car insurance and bank statements to birthday cards and junk mail. I've been returning everything to sender and for the last couple of months letters have greatly reduced and have almost stopped. It was my birthday the other day and today a birthday card came in the post. I didn't look at the name on the envelope as it was clearly a birthday card so just opened it like a giddy child wondering who it could be from. Well it wasn't for me but the previous owners son and £50 fell out. I'm not sure what to do. I have no forwarding address and I can't return this to sender.

[MaidOfStars]

Put it in a charity jar.

[MaidOfStars]

Unless you're living on beans on toast, in which case, spend it.

[SweetieDrops]

Could you look for the previous owner on facebook and contact them that way?

[MaidOfStars]

^Oh yes, that.

[pippinandtog]

You could keep it to one side for a while, in case the sender happens to be in contact with the intended recipient and realises that he's moved: he might come to your house for the money.
Maybe after a few months, you could donate it to your favourite charity.

[MyKingdomForBrie]

Ask the estate agent to forward it? I would re-seal it in an extra envelope, include an apology note and ask for them to forward it on. If they don't have a forwarding address I would put it away safely resealed and keep it - fairly likely someone will come knocking for it when the sender speaks to the son/old owner.

[Lighteningirll]

It's your payment for being nice and sending all their stuff back, they should have paid for redirection. I would spend it on a nice family meal out/takeaway and I wouldn't hesitate.

[SlimCheesy2]

Or ask your Real estate agent if they have a forwarding address.

We had to do that as the previous owners would not tell us where they went. (Which made sense when all these bailliffs turned up at the door looking for them).

[NightWanderer]

Just keep it, that's what most people would do.

[LondonStill83]

Keep it!!

[Pinkheart5915]

They moved house and forgot to tell somebody that sends there son £50 on his birthday the new address, it's not really up to you to forward there post or track them down on Facebook, ask the estate agents.

I'd pop it in a charity tin next time your out.

[justalittlelemondrizzle]

Good idea sweetiedrops. I will have a on facebook but from previous nosying, I don't think owners on there. Don't know the sons name as it's addresses to Mr Surname

Yes Lightening. They clearly made no effort to redirect their mail. It's taken months for it all to stop because I've made the effort to return to sender.
We moved and I phoned all my companies and changed my addresses during the process. It's not difficult

[Kitsa]

I would keep it but I'm horrible and stony broke.

[justalittlelemondrizzle]

I am pretty skint so the thought did shamefully cross my mind

[RaeSkywalker]

I'd put it in a drawer for a couple of months and see if they ask for it.

I feel your pain- we've had pension letters, letters from HMRC, letters from the DVLA (about overdue car tax!), bank statements, Christmas cards, and rugby World Cup tickets. I don't understand how people can be this disorganised.

It has got a lot better since we refused delivery and returned the World Cup tickets to sender. Maybe it was the kick up the bum they needed!

[justmyview]

It's a criminal offence to open someone's mail

I'd hand it into police as lost property & it'll be returned to you (after 6 months?) as unclaimed property

[MrsWorryWart]

Am I the only one who can't believe their son receives £50 for his birthday off someone, yet the previous owners didn't feel the person was important enough to tell!?

[justalittlelemondrizzle]

I didn't opened someone else's mail on purpose justmyview. We've lived here a year and ill obviously presumed it was a birthday card for me.
If someone is close enough to send £50 why do they not know their new address

[Iliveinalighthousewiththeghost]

It's all very strange. If they're sending them £50 in a birthday card. You have to assume they're pretty close to the previous owner. However. Not close enough to know about the change of address which has been nearly a year. Not like it was last week.
Of course the thought came to your mind to keep it. Who's mind wouldn't it come to.
And it's fate that the money came through your door.

[justalittlelemondrizzle]

Wow autocorrect really screwed that last message up

[MatildaTheCat]

We've lived in our house almost 14 years and I still get mail on an almost daily basis. If it looks important I open. Last year there were two letters informing the old owner he'd won the premium bonds so I did a lot of googling and found an email address. He replied, thanked me and I sent it on ( abroad).

Recently I got two speeding penalty notices from France in his name which annoyed me very much so I sent a snippy email asking what he wanted to do. No reply. I binned them so the fines will be going up. I hope they find him. Yesterday I opened a letter informing him that an investment had matured...in the bin it went.

I'm just staggered that people are so stupid. In your case I would ask the EA to forward it with a note asking them to redirect their mail. After that bin it all. Up to you if you open it first out of pure nosiness.

I'm aware I will now get hoards telling me I'm in the wrong. I don't care.

[ChocolateTeacup]

You bought the house a year ago, if they cba to sort out telling people their new address by now then that's their problem. I would keep it and forget about it

[LonnyVonnyWilsonFrickett]

I'm hardcore about binning the previous owners' mail (they didn't half take the piss with 'important Amazon deliveries' when we first moved, and we're still getting mail four years later) but I think I'd try quite hard to get £50 back to a kid...

[justalittlelemondrizzle]

Oh no its not a child. Previous owner was quite old. His dc are all adults

[ThereIsIron]

I'd just keep it