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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To get rid of previous owner's post?

38 replies

justfoundout2014 · 07/09/2014 17:04

We moved here 18 months ago. We have always had lots of post for the previous owners (told us they didn't get it redirected) and the woman used to come and get it once a month or so. Fine - she was friendly and apologetic and kept saying she was sure she had contacted everyone now.

We still get a fair bit - some looks like junk, but some is marked private and confidential and we also get payslips for the son. None has been collected since May. I have quite a big pile - about 40 items. I want to get rid of it, but really don't want to sit writing 'not known at this address' on it all. I have a lot on - h moved out, working f/t etc. How bad would it be to rip and bin it, and then write the above on subsequent stuff as it comes and repost?

And yes, I know I could have done it in the time it took to write this, but I'm not in a doing mood, and something on another thread reminded me of this .

OP posts:

MyCarHasBrokenDownAgain · 07/09/2014 17:10

Any chance you could print a sheet of 'no longer at this address' labels out and stick labels on the lot and shove them back in a post box?

AMumInScotland · 07/09/2014 17:12

Legally, I'm pretty sure you're not allowed to just do that, however annoying it is. Just scribble "No longer at this address" on each and bung them into the box. The 'real' ones should slow down pretty quickly once you start doing that, as they won't want to deliberately send important stuff to the wrong address.

McBear · 07/09/2014 17:18

I'm possibly a bad person but when I had this, I binned it and if it looked interesting I read it! I know it's frowned upon/unlawful but it didn't make any difference to anyone.

The difference there is that no one came to collect it. If she's not been since May I'd assume she's died and bin it.

Pinkje · 07/09/2014 17:18

I think RTS is enough. In big enough letters. (Return to sender)

Comito · 07/09/2014 17:21

Bin it. If they wanted it they would have arranged a redirection. We still get post for the wankers previous owners of our house who left six years ago and it all goes straight in the bin.

CSIJanner · 07/09/2014 17:22

I'm still RTS 6 years after moving in. It's sheer laziness on the previous owners part.

Icimoi · 07/09/2014 17:23

Binning it is technically theft - don't do it. Just scribble "Not known" and shove everything back in the postbox. You won't have to do it much longer.

meran · 07/09/2014 17:24

I would return to sender. Otherwise you're going to keep getting letters for the previous tenants

McBear · 07/09/2014 17:24

Just seen your username! Hope everything is going well with your recent situation. I actually thought of you the other day.

Comito · 07/09/2014 17:26

It's not theft and it's not illegal.

NinjaPanda34 · 07/09/2014 17:27

We still get mail for the folk who live here (and worked from home). We put it all in a big envelope and put their new address on it, but no stamps so they have to pay for it when they pick it up from the post office. It'll stop soon I'm guessing!

HauntedNoddyCar · 07/09/2014 17:28

Binning it illegal.

And to pp who said they should have set up a redirection, our redirection has been a total fucking shambles from day one.
I have received less than half of my post.

missbluebird · 07/09/2014 17:29

Just give it your postman he will take it back to delivery office and get it sorted.

Comito · 07/09/2014 17:34

I stand corrected:

www.findlaw.co.uk/law/criminal/other_crime_and_justice_topics/500355.html

However, I do maintain that the chances of you actually getting into trouble for this are vanishingly small.

Original poster

justfoundout2014 · 07/09/2014 17:36

Hmm, mixed responses. Will probably go for the abbreviation suggested above. I sincerely hope she isn't dead - she is in her early 40s I'd say, though the idea made me laugh for some reason.

McBear. I'm having good and bad days, and this weekend trying to enjoy some time to myself as h has taken the dc to see his dps.

OP posts:

MinesAPintOfTea · 07/09/2014 17:37

After 18 months they have had plenty of time to change their addresses with companies. Bin it or scribble rts and pop in the post.

AnyoneForTARDIS · 07/09/2014 17:40

Im still getting previous tenants mail 4 years on and previous tenant vacated this place when he actually died! youd think his widow would have informed them all.

if theres a return address I write RTS, person dead!

it junk/no return address I throw away.

CaptChaos · 07/09/2014 17:41

Our postman told us that, after 6 months, we should just throw away and mail from previous occupants. I checked this with the local depot manager and she agreed.

Bin it.

McBear · 07/09/2014 17:41

That's good news. I hope more good than bad. You're very strong!

I bet IF you throw them away, she'll come round the very next day!

specialsubject · 07/09/2014 17:43

if you are still getting payslips for the son, he is either incredibly lazy or something dodgy is going on.

you'll have to take action, so start returning to sender. it is effort but it does work.

AwkwardSquad · 07/09/2014 17:46

I agree with specialsubject. You don't want the previous occupants to be associated with your address, so it is worth the effort to keep returning to sender until they get the message.

DoJo · 07/09/2014 17:51

Comito - that link you posted doesn't necessarily show that it's illegal as in the OP's case, she isn't intending to act to the previous owner's detriment, she just can't be arsed to keep dealing with her post. I feel the same about our previous owners and chuck away a lot of their post as they made no effort to redirect, didn't leave a forwarding address, and actually opened our redirected post before they left, so I hardly feel inclined to go out of my way to do any more than throwing their junk mail in the bin (although I'm probably doing them a favour on that score!).

Hudsoncolly · 07/09/2014 17:59

I had a problem with the people I bought my house off they didnt like what I did to the garden, so smashed it up. I was surprised by their actions, as i was popping their undirected mail round every week.

The nice young police officer told me that I should just put their mail in the bin as it wasn't my problem. That's the official, legal point of view.

Comito · 07/09/2014 18:05

DoJo, yeah, I agree. My point was more that I was wrong to say it wasn't illegal. It IS technically illegal but as the link says, proving the intent is tricky.

insancerre · 07/09/2014 18:06

I now bin it after 3 years of posting it back marked return to sender
I now read it before binning it

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