to get annoyed about post for previous owners coming to my house?

[izchaz]

We moved in nearly two months ago and are still receiving 8-10 letters a day (many of which are clearly sucker-list "win big money" scams, not that this is relevant, but I sort of look at this as junk mail) for the previous owners of our house.
They have family nearby who pop round once or twice a week to pick up the letters (and numerous parcels) and apologise for the hassle. The family members have always been very apologetic and polite about inconveniencing us with more mail per day than I receive in a month, but I have had one very grumpy conversation from the previous occupant who (I felt) was accusing me of holding on to a parcel of his because of its value (I had never received this parcel, have no idea as to the value of his mail and was a bit affronted by his roundabout accusation).
Today I wasn't quick enough getting to the door when the postman came, and the dog "opened" one of these letters for me - it's a notification for successful finance on a new phone contract. Taken out last week. This means that they're taking credit in their name at our address. I went a little mental, rang the company providing the credit, explained and insisted they contact the relevant people, which they have promised to to.

So, to my AIBU: would it be unreasonable to take an absolutely hardline policy and either open everything that comes through our door for them in case there's more of this credit fraud going on? Or should I return all to sender? Or should I give them more time to get set up at a new address?

Secondarily: was I unreasonable to ring up the credit company?

Return it all to sender, opening other peoples mail is, I think, illegal.
If you return it with 'not at this address' on it, then the company's will update the databases, if you just give the mail over the company's will be non the wiser they are no longer at the address.

I do believe the phone thing is fraud, and if I were you I would just post all mail and parcels back saying moved out. It does not take long to change addresses. And no you were not wrong to call the credit company.

Tell them that as of x date you do not expect to receive mail which needs collection or they can leave few large letter envelopes and you will send on once a week . They can do a RM redirection for 6 months to include Christmas and then have ample opportunity to inform friends etc they may not have yet.

I don't think you were at all unreasonable to phone the credit company!

I have just got off the phone to an insurance company because after three years I am still getting policy renewal documents for the previous owner of our place.

First time we got one I forwarded to the address they'd left us (cheapskates had only paid for 3 months redirection), second time I returned to sender, this time I've rung the company.

Given what you accidentally uncovered today, I think you've given them enough grace (ordinarily I'd be nice and say give people 3-4 months).

I agree just post it all back return to sender and when they come to collect tell them you have not received any post for them.

It's odd they're still coming round for it they're clearly still using your address keep writing on letters return to sender named doesn't live at this address. If the old remnant come back tell them you've started returning all letters as it was getting ridiculous.

I'd be careful about suggesting a redirect as they can still give out your address as theirs but have it redirected to their current address for upto a year.

If they don't know about redirecting mail I wouldnt put the idea in their head tbh.

They're being cheeky.

You need to tell the local family members to stop calling for the post and, as others have said, return the rest to sender.

you can't have them using your address as it could impact in your credit rating at some point.

Credit rating is attached to person not to address.

I'd return everything to sender, this happened to me a few years back, I got fed up and opened one (carefully) and it was a warrant for their arrest I returned it to sender, about a week later two attractive burly officers turned up at my door and demanded evidence he wasn't at my address and proof of when I'd moved in. Then apologised, and left.

I've been in my house for over ten years and still get post for the previous owners. Ten years of sending it all back 'no longer at this address' and still it comes!

Cheers all. After I'd calmed down and got off the phone I had a bit of a panic that I'd massively done the wrong thing. I won't open anything else (I'm pretty sure that's illegal too), and will just return all to sender. I can't have stuff like this clogging up my house or affecting our household credit ratings.

return to sender as 'person not living here any longer' or 'person not known at this adress'.
most stuff will stop coming in a couple of months.
also make sure previous owner is not on electoral roll for this adress any longer.

Our last owners were terrible for this - redirected some of their mail but not for every surname at the house sort of thing.

Get a black marker, write 'moved away' on every piece of mail and put it back in the post box. And don't receive parcels - when the postie calls, just say 'oh, they don't live here anymore, there must have been a mix-up' and refuse to take the parcel.

Make sure you contact the electoral roll and update your new address, that is usually checked at a credit check so you need to put your new address there.

I have opened their mail before, to contact whoever is sending it. Its not totally illegal in the UK to open mail addressed to someone else, it has to be with the intent to deprive them of something, to cause them harm, that sort of thing. It is of course pretty unreasonable to do it without good reason though.

But I have opened 'official' letters before, you know, ones that come in her Majesty's envelopes, and when I contacted the govt department, they were fine about it and didn't accuse me of any wrongdoing, they were happy to be informed that they had the wrong contact details. I don't think its unreasonable after many many years to try to correct wrong information.

Suggest they take out a Royal Mail redirection.

Then return everything that still arrives to the sender, as this will then alert the senders not to keep sending it. If the former occupants still want to hear from those people or companies they can contact them themselves.

I agree with the others. Get a pen and write no longer at address and pop it back in the post. Do not accept anymore mail and give it to the family. You are just making a rod for your own back! Tell them any mail which comes in future will be sent back to the sender.

Oh golly we had this for a year when we moved in. Not using the address for nefarious purposes but SO MUCH MAIL for the people who had left - and what seemed like nearly all their family and friends too (at least 4 different names/surnames)

I had to keep writing 'not at this address' and posting handfuls of it. I got sick of it and eventually it all piled up near the front door on a cupboard.

One day I took it all in a fit of rage and dumped it in the recycling bag.

a week later.... you can guess who turned up, back from a year overseas and wondering if there had been any post for them.

I actually LIED. I never lie. I honestly never, ever lie except in the most extreme of circumstances, probably a few times in my life - and I just smiled and said no, not much.

The truth was that there had been about a tonne of it and I had returned most of it but honestly I didn't have the time to provide this service, they were uncontactable and it was awful. They didn't speak much English anyway.

I still feel bad about it now.

we had masses of post for the previous owners for years. They never set up a redirection with the Post Office, and in fact left us a load of pre-printed labels with their new address to forward on their post! We did that for about a week, then Return to Sender for bloody years, then binned the post eventually. (The guy also left the phone number on his CV on LinkedIn, I enjoyed telling those who'd rung up to speak to him about job opportunities 'no, J hasn't lived here for 6 years', which would surprise them. Mean, I know, but they left so much rubbish in the loft and shed (6 trips to the dump) and all this post, I just got fed up.)

You could tell them that after x date you'll be returning all post to sender. They should have sorted it out, either by a redirection or by telling people their new address. I think you were absolutely right to call the credit company. Personally I'd be inclined to "let the dog open" every piece of post that arrives before resealing it and returning it to sender or contacting the company if it appears to involve your address being used illegally. What a cheek, accusing you of holding on to a parcel.

I moved this year and still get post for the previous tenants. For 3 months I passed it on to the letting agency who forwarded it to the new address. Then I got fed up and also realised that some of the post was from debt collectors and clearly the previous tenants weren't dealing with it. The first time I 'accidently' opened their post it was from debt collectors who planned to call round in person the following week to collect. With the agreement of the letting agency, I now return everything to sender giving the sender the agency details as the agency is allowed to give them the new address.

Oh gosh Jan we had debt letters at our old house, for years.

One time I did open it and it said they were sending bailiffs round

The number of times I called the company and explained that it wasn't us, and would they stop sending letters...but they wouldn't stop for a long time.

We had loads of stuff for the previous owners for at least 5-6 months after we moved in over 6 years ago. Now it's dwindled down to the Tesco Clubcard stuff for one of them, but I don't have an address to forward it, and keep writing "not at this address" and returning.

Tesco clearly don't check returned items, because this stuff is still arriving.

I've been at my place for 3 years and still get more mail for 2 sets of previous tenants than i do myself, i have sent loads back and it keeps coming.

I once got what looked like a vehicle log book, and a hand delivered bailiff letter.

I agree with others to return to sender or refuse it if you're there when the postman calls. It does sound as though they're still using your address, so I'd rather know that mail is getting returned rather than them redirecting and continuing to use your address.

I've had this with the previous tenants here. LOADS of post coming through from phone companies and similar (didn't open any, most of these places have it written somewhere on the envelope).

Had a knock at the door once talking about TV licencey stuf. He told me that I'd bought some TV equiptment the previous week. I told him I hadn't. He said, 'aren't you XXXX?'

I explained they'd moved out about eight months before.

Got pissed off after that and 'returned to sender' all of it.

She came round a while later to get her post. I told her there wasn't any. She got a bit and stormed off slamming gates and all sorts.

No more post after that though.