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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Still receiving post for previous owners of our house

27 replies

diamond211 · 08/07/2013 11:08

Our neighbours used to live in our house, but 13 years ago divided up the land and built the house they now live in.
AIBU to feeling that after 13 years they should have had time to re-directed all their post?
We still regularly get their post through our door (with our address on it), some of it junk but some clearly personal.
I alternate between taking it to them (down a long drive past their large barking dogs) and taking it back to post office with a 'no longer at this address' note on it.
If IANBU what is my obligation to keep ensuring that this post reaches them?

OP posts:

ParadiseChick · 08/07/2013 11:11

It's not your obligation at all. Just ignore them or drop them back in the post box with 'not that his address' on it.

newestbridearound · 08/07/2013 11:12

It's not your problem, I personally wouldn't keep going round with it and would just put it back in the post box. Could you ask them to make sure all personal mail has been redirected? Seems crazy to still be getting (non-junk) mail after so many years

JackieTheFart · 08/07/2013 11:14

I'd bin it. 13 years? I'd say if they haven't sorted it by now, they never will.

Ragwort · 08/07/2013 11:15

Are you sure it's personal? Some things look 'personal' but are clearly clever marketing material.

I would bin the junk mail and send anything back with 'return to sender - not at this address' on the envelope.

ChunkyPickle · 08/07/2013 11:20

13 years!

I stop sending on previous renter's post after 6 months (and even then feel resentful that the lazy fuckers can't just pay the 40 quid for a redirect).

No longer at this address and bung it back to the postoffice.

Jan49 · 08/07/2013 11:21

If you're in England, you are supposed to either forward it to their new address or mark it "return to sender" and put it back in a postbox. You could mark it "please forward" and the new address and put it back in a post box. It sounds like they just haven't bothered.

I'm a tenant and after 4 months the agency agreed the previous tenants had had long enough to sort it out and told me to return everything to the sender.

DoubleMum · 08/07/2013 11:24

I still get some christmas cards for the previous owners, and we've been here 11 years. Sadly, since there's no return address they can't be forwarded but you'd think after 11 years someone would have realised!

LiegeAndLief · 08/07/2013 11:28

We've been here 8 years and I have been dutifully forwarding post on for all that time, but have recently given up and started putting it back in the post box marked return to sender. I figured 8 years was long enough. So 13 definitely is! If you sometimes deliver their post they probably just haven't bothered to sort it out.

Iwishitwouldgetwarmer · 09/07/2013 09:31

The previous owners of my house didn't bother to change their address so I used to get lots of mail. A lot of it looked like letters from banks etc. I got fed u of forwarding it on after 2 years so saved it all up and put it in a big envelope and posted it onto them without a stamp on.

Used to get a lot less after that.

HappyAsEyeAm · 09/07/2013 09:36

I'm narked that the previous owners of our house (we moved in three years ago) still have a fair bit of official post addressed to them here. Bank stuff, shares information and school stuff arrives regularly. I forward it to the (the old owners), so I know that they know they haven't updated their addresses with these institutions, but it keeps coming. I have become more tardy with my forwarding though - hopefully they will get the message soon. I chuck all the junk mail and catalogues. So 13 years is more than enough.

MarianaTrench · 09/07/2013 09:40

My own 6 month redirect ran out the other week and at that point I stopped forwarding stuff too. Six months is long enough to get your act together.

Aetae · 09/07/2013 09:50

13 years! If it's real mail (not junk, where they really don't bother managing mailing lists properly so returning to sender won't stem the tide) then you're a saint for forwarding it on for so long. I would have moved on to 'not at this address' and back in the post box about 12 years ago. But then I always pay for a redirect when I move so it pisses me off when other people can't be bothered.

I like iwish's suggestion though :)

MelanieCheeks · 09/07/2013 09:53

13 years really is long enough! However, they live next door. Can you speak to them about it next time you cart a month's worth of post down - explain that you cant keep doing this any more?

Pigsmummy · 09/07/2013 10:18

Just cross out the address on the front and write "no longer at this address" and put in the nearest postbox. No visit to PO required.

This does work, if any post is from a bank or credit card company then they will actually freeze the account, this might force their hand in finally changing address.

As for any Christmas cards , just put them up with yours, makes you look more popular.

Llareggub · 09/07/2013 10:21

Just find something else to worry you. It's not really a big deal, is it?

MidniteScribbler · 09/07/2013 10:37

I'd keep it aside and wait for them to come looking. You can't bin it or open it and you're supposed to return it to sender, but there's no rule about when that I know of. Thirteen years is ridiculous, they're taking the piss.

Purple2012 · 09/07/2013 10:49

We still get post 4 years on. Unfortunately we don't have the previous owners new address but give it to our neighbour who they are still in contact with.

hernow · 09/07/2013 10:53

I had this problem. Years later I started writing on the envelopes "not known at this address for 8 years, please return to sender" that worked quicker than just "return to sender".

MagzFarqharson · 09/07/2013 11:05

you are supposed to either forward it to their new address or mark it "return to sender" and put it back in a postbox.

No you don't have to at all. When i bought my house years ago, I was diligently writing the previous owners' new address on letters and popping them back in the box. I stopped doing this after some of their DCs smashed my garden up, because they didn't like that I'd changed it (yes, really).

The nice police officer who subsequently visited told me to just chuck anything for them in the bin, as it's not my responsibility, it's theirs.

sarahtigh · 09/07/2013 11:44

I am pretty sure disposing of mail is technically illegal

that it should be redirected or returned to sender there is no requirement to do this today I think it is in order to visit neighbours and say that you will no longer be redelivering mail after 13 years, if it does have correct address then obviously that is PO fault not neighbours

Chesterado · 09/07/2013 11:50

We had this but to add to irritation the previous owners had left a string of debts so the mail was all from bailiffs etc. in the end I bought some printer labels and printed out a stack of labels saying' please return to sender FYI their new address is xxxxx'. Worked a treat!

ImTooHecsyForYourParty · 09/07/2013 11:55

You don't have any obligation at all to ensure it gets to them.

Just write not known at this address and stick it in the nearest postbox.

ImTooHecsyForYourParty · 09/07/2013 11:56

I wonder if writing Not This Address. Return to Sender. Addressee moved to might work if it's people looking for them!

ImTooHecsyForYourParty · 09/07/2013 11:57

oh. I see I'm basically repeating what chester said

Jan49 · 09/07/2013 12:26

^you are supposed to either forward it to their new address or mark it "return to sender" and put it back in a postbox.

No you don't have to at all.^

Magz, strictly speaking you are breaking the law if you throw someone's post in the bin. You are supposed to either forward it or mark it return to sender and put it in a postbox. But I don't suppose anyone ever gets prosecuted over it.

If a former occupant gets letters from a debt collector and you don't return them, you may eventually get bailiffs on your doorstep because they won't know the person has moved and they'll assume their letters are being correctly delivered.

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