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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To throw away their post?

43 replies

Bobbiepin · 01/10/2017 20:08

DH and I moved house in January and put a redirect on our post for 6 months. Fairly soon after we moved we realised we were getting post addressed to the old owners. A couple of times we got parcels so we contacted them to collect them and gave them the post we had saved for them. We dropped some heavy hints about still receiving their post, although at the time it wasn't a big deal.

About a month ago I had a chat to the post man and he offered to stop delivering their post as they aren't living here any more. He said they had a redirect for 2 weeks but obviously haven't changed their addresses on things.

We have a full shopping bag sitting under the stairs with their post. We don't get much any more and this stuff is out of date. There's so much they must know they aren't getting it at their new place.

WIBU to chuck it? We've not got a shredder and I don't know if there's personal information in it. They obviously aren't coming back for it.

OP posts:

mmzz · 01/10/2017 20:45

Isn't it illegal because it's interfering with the post or something, just wrote return to server on every envelope and put it in a letter box. That way the companies will stop writing to them

angelnix · 01/10/2017 20:47

We still receive post for the previous owners, and the ones before them. We've lived here for 12 years! I've done the return to sender and still am receiving their post, including hospital letters (I did call the hospital about those!) Worse still, the previous owners have decided to not pay their current mortgage, so we've had court papers and bailiff letters sent here which despite putting return to sender and contacting all involved, they are still coming here regularly.

KrytensNanobots · 01/10/2017 20:47

Why are you taking it? Write in big letters on the front NOT KNOWN AT THIS ADDRESS and keep sticking it back in the postbox. It soon stops it.

elevenclips · 01/10/2017 20:50

2 options.

drop the shopping bag of post with the estate agents you bought the house from
write not known at this address and send every item back to sender

Original poster

Bobbiepin · 01/10/2017 20:50

Looks like return to sender is the thing to do, thanks everyone. A job for maternity leave I think.

Tbh we left it until this point out of distraction and laziness. I fell pregnant soon after we moved in and had some horrific morning sickness plus we've been doing a lot of work on the house. It was easier to put it to one side thinking they might come and get it but they haven't and we never got round to dealing with it amongst everything else.

OP posts:

PashPash · 01/10/2017 20:54

Gat to hear you will return to sender.

Whatever you do don't just bin it. If there's debts in those letters the sender needs to know they have moved, you don't want bailiffs to turn up thinking they still live there.

Liara · 01/10/2017 20:54

When I sold my last place the buyers were really lovely and kept taking our post to the estate agent, or offering to bring it round.

I had put a redirect on for 6 months, and changed the address on everything, but some organisations and a whole load of junk mail insisted in sending stuff to the old address.

In the end I just asked them to please put it in the bin.

ArgyMargy · 01/10/2017 21:01

It is illegal to open post addressed to someone else, unless you can show a very good reason for doing so. That doesn't include being nosy or thinking that they wouldn't mind.

Crunchymum · 01/10/2017 21:14

How many letters would you guesstimate is in the bag?

DoJo · 01/10/2017 21:25

It is illegal to open post addressed to someone else, unless you can show a very good reason for doing so. That doesn't include being nosy or thinking that they wouldn't mind.

No it's not. It's illegal to open it with the intention of using the information to the detriment of the addressee. It's not illegal to open it to see if it's worth trying to contact the company to let them know that the recipient isn't getting it.

sizeofalentil · 01/10/2017 21:31

We had this problem - was very annoying as we don't have postboxes anywhere on route to where we go (all a bit of a walk away) so would mean a 15 minute walk somewhere, and back home again, to redirect their post (don't drive either).

Meant we had to save us bag fulls of it and post loads in one go.

We were getting credit cards, bank statements, tax information, student loan demands etc. for over 18 months. Even ringing the banks and informing them that this was no longer the correct address didn't help.

I wouldn't throw the post away as that won't help your situation.

BakedBeans47 · 01/10/2017 21:38

We were still getting post for the previous occupants 8 years after moving in. Returning to sender had no effect so I just chucked it. After opening it too. Given we had bailiffs round for them and prosecutions for unpaid tax demands there is fuck all chance I am not knowing what is in the mail coming through my door all these years on.

Original poster

Bobbiepin · 01/10/2017 21:40

@argymargy I have no intention of opening it, I just wanted to know of it was out of order to throw it away.

@crunchymum I'd guess around 50ish, its a good stack. Its been accumulating since they last picked things up in February.

@pashpash I think that's the only reason (aside from occaisionally being a decent person) that I'd return it all. I'd hope that as we've had nothing untoward in the last 9 months that nothing would happen but baby is due in a few weeks and we could do without that.

OP posts:

Fruitbat1980 · 01/10/2017 21:42

DoJo is spot on. I looked into as we're moved into a renovated house and kept getting lost for a name we hadn't heard of. (Not people wed bought from and not owner before them who'd lived here since house was built) we did return to sender but it kept coming so I researched then opened. It was a share scheme. I figured whoever it was would twig eventually. Anyhow some months later another letter arrived 'to the occupiers' same company asking us to please help they were trying to trace this woman. So we asked around neighbours. Turned out bloke who'd lived there forever (40 years) and dies 5 years before we bought it, had, following being widowed bought a Thai bride over (not knocking- each to their own, it's what he chose). Anyhow apparently they were together a couple of years, then he passed away and house was left to his kids who promptly made her homeless, bungee her a few quid and she went back to Thailand. Was such a scandal at time no one spoke of it hence we didn't know name. Next door but one found an old xmas card address for her and we passed it onto share company. I hope they found her and made her rich 😊

wheresmyphone · 01/10/2017 21:44

Personally I would sort it between what looks like stupid circulars and anything that looks important/personal. I have always done the same for people we have bought from. I like to be helpful.

MadamePomfrey · 01/10/2017 21:45

For 6 months I contacted the previous owners (longer if it looked like personal mail birthday card ect) then did about a year of not known at this address now (lived here coming up to 5 years it’s straight in the bin apart from the brown tax ones that still go back not known. I can only assume 90% is junk as they haven’t missed it for the past 3 years! I redirected for a year and think I have changed everything but I’m sure I have missed one or two I have no issues with people binning mine now!

Scholes34 · 01/10/2017 22:35

Return to Sender - but I think you also have to cover up (best with marker pen) the orange marks on the envelope, otherwise it will just come back to you again.

thenewaveragebear1983 · 02/10/2017 16:47

We get angry bailiffs letters for our previous owner. I've spent ages on hold at various banks, finance companies etc trying to tell them and all they say is return to sender. I've contacted the estate agent we used, and their solicitor, but no one will even pass on the message to this person that they have bailiffs wanting thousands of pounds from them. It's so bloody rude of people- I can guarantee they redirect the stuff that's important to them and just leave someone else to deal with the rest indefinitely.

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