How to stop old tenants post coming to my address

[TheatricalLife]

We are the owners of a house than was tenanted until 2020 (we completed in December 2020 and moved in, they moved out in the October).
Since then, I've not only had post for them, I've had parking fines, debt collection letters for numerous bills, and just now, her bloody tax reminder for her car which is STILL obviously registered here after 5 years. I've even had a collection agent at the door for an unpaid parking fine which went to court. Obviously, I showed proof that we live here now and all was OK, but it's a massive pain in the arse and I never know who is going to turn up chasing her next. I've returned and returned letters as "not at this address", I've written to companies, I've had to provide my personal details to prove I'm not her. I'm absolutely sick of it. How on earth do I get rid of her crap?!

DH got their address printed on stickers and we reposted all letters received, we've had a bailiff at the door at 7am. Countless HMRC final demand letters. Postman said we should just bin the letter dh was not convinced that it was lawful. They are gradually stopping.

I don't even know where ours have gone! They moved abroad and flit back and forwards between countries, but no idea of the addresses.
Sorry you have the same thing, it's so frustrating. However many letters you return to the company, they still chase as obviously they don't automatically believe you that it's an old tenant. I feel like I'll be returning letters forever!

Get a thick, black marker pen and write "GONE AWAY" on the envelope and stick it in a post box. That's what we did and they eventually stopped. We were asked by a couple of senders for a forwarding address but we said, in all honesty, that we had never been given one.

Only a couple of week ago I had a replacement credit card arrive for the previous owner. We'd lived here a calendar year by that point.

I had her forwarding address, which she'd begrudgingly sent to me via the estate agents, when, about 3-4 months into living here, I received a notification that a bill for a phone company had been given to a collections company. I forwarded that on to her, and another one a couple of months later.

By the time the credit card came, I'd had enough. I cut the card in two, and put it back in an envelope to the credit card company with a "not known at this address". Didn't put a stamp on it, so whether it'll actually get there, who knows? I don't care either way. I did keep the card for a few weeks, half-expecting her to come knocking for it when she realised her error, but she never did. I figure 12 months is long enough for her to get her act together.

Otherwise, the only other post I get is semi-regular demands for donations from various animal charities.

I did get a couple of Christmas cards last year. I'll be interested to see if there are any this year.

I had the previous owner register two bloody companies to the address. I just wrote to Companies House and had that removed.

Otherwise, I’ve had to phone up companies and say “they haven’t lived here since X date. Bye.”

Some letters still continue and they go straight in the outside recycling bin.

To handle mail for a previous tenant, Royal Mail advises that you should cross out the address, write "Not known at this address" or "Return to sender" on the envelope, and then put it back in a postbox.

Get some stickers if there's a lot of it.

We've had similar issues with previous owners including bailiffs at the door. I kept bunging letters back in the postbox just writing NOT HERE, STOP SENDING. They did stop eventually.

Years ago in a rented flat I had the previous tenants contact me over a year after they'd moved out asking if I could forward their mail to them it had all long since gone back in the postbox or in the bin!

I've repeatedly done this, but unfortunately it doesn't stop the letters being sent, particularly bills, final notices etc. I assume because a lot of people lie and say they don't live somewhere anymore to get out of paying. The one I had a collection agent round for was a traffic violation that I had returned as not at this address over and over and over. So frustrating.

I had this. I printed a letter (made loads of copies), with the details of the solicitor that handled the seller's sale of the house, the address for the previous owners and it stopped, as they had somewhere to chase the debt! Also returned all mail with the same info.

We had this for a few years as the previous owner's dodgy brother had registered his car to our address and had run up parking fines all over London. I had to write to the DVLA and disuade 3 rounds of balifs (one of whom had been peering in our windows and said that it didn't look like we had a decent enough telly to cover the bill any way!) to get it sorted. It's very boring, but after a year I would just bin stuff.

That's a great idea. Unfortunately, as it was tenanted, I've only got the sellers details. I know the names of the former tenants as the post arrives so often and next doors confirmed it, but nothing else. I know they moved abroad and come back and forwards from what they told the neighbours before they left. Looks like I'll have to keep plodding on with returning the post and dealing with the crap 🙄

I'll try and call the DVLA and see if they have any suggestions about the car registered here.
The agent we had was looking around my cars on the drive (presumably to check the plates to match to the traffic violation) and having a nose through the window as well. It was 8am and I was just out of the shower, braless and in pyjama bottoms trying to get ready for work! To be fair, he was a nice man who was apologetic once I showed him my driving licence and a council tax bill to prove who I was and he made sure for that one I wasn't contacted again. I just keep anticipating someone else turning up now.

Had the same situation as you OP. We bought our house in 2020 and it was rented previously. Whenever we received post for them I would draw a diagonal line through the name and address and write 'not known at this address, please return to sender'. It soon slowed down, although we still get the occasional bit come through

In your situation, I would write letters by recorded delivery to all the major agencies and debtors. State that you are writing this with reference to data protection law, and informing them that the ex-tenant has moved (away with dates of leaving). Ask them to refrain from sending more post or debt collectors to your door, and to check the electoral roll and other credit vetting agencies to verify that you are the occupant. It may work, maybe not but probably worth a go for a few pounds to stop all this hassle on your doorstep.

Mark "return to sender, moved away" on every item and put them back in the post box. They'll eventually get returned to the sender who'll then eventually get the message!

We had something similar. When we higher our current house, only complicated by it having been owned by the daughter of the estate agent who handled the sale. They refused to provide any forwarding address though I have since learned where in the village the many other of their relatives live

Did as you have clearly done, initially took letters down to the estate agent then started returning them as not known at this address

a decade later started opening them and discovered some interesting things which had no business knowing.

Just throw them In the bin 🤷🏻‍♀️

I've got absolutely no problem bunging all their mail in the bin - it's the debt collectors turning up that bothers me!

I had this at a flat I’d bought. The bloke had returned to his own country leaving a mass of debt - utilities, bank loans, you name it. At least £20k worth. I had to start opening the letters - putting ‘no longer at this address’ achieved nothing.
I wrote to all the orgs/debt collectors explaining the situation. Sent them all a copy of my council tax bill and they did all back off.

What really pisses me off, though, is that he could probably return to the UK tomorrow and nothing would happen to him. We should have much stricter regulations/sanctions - we are stupidly soft!
When a dd was working in Oz, a Dutch bloke she knew returned after 6 months away - he was refused entry because of an unpaid speeding fine! Had to fly home again at his own expense!
We should be equally tough!

Oh spill!

I'd also keep an eye on your credit rating, if they are defaulting on loans etc then it will go against the address and you'll need to send letters to Experian etc to disassociate yourself from them.

“Writing in reference to data protection law” - but you’re not so why would you put that?!

I wouldn’t do this OP. The thing about debt collectors is, they don’t give a shit whether the debtor lives there or not. They just want someone to pay, and a nice homeowner is far easier to hassle than someone who did a midnight flit abroad. They’d like nothing more than you just being so frustrated you pay it (which happens, amazingly)

just keep returning to sender. There isn’t anything else you can do. You could open them and phone / write to the companies they’re from but that’s effort and it’s really not your problem.

Debt goes against people not against addresses

Do you really care if some credit card company don’t get paid though? That’s their problem, they’re in the business of lending people money, don’t feel sorry for them.

In my case, writing to about 12 different orgs. certainly did solve the problem - before I actually had any bailiffs coming to the door.