Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Landlord opening my post

21 replies

Foxandthehound · 29/01/2019 18:00

Not an AIBU, more of a WWYD.

I live in a ground floor flat. There's one flat above mine and we share a communal front door. There are more flats but they use a separate front door. Their front door is right next to ours. There is no clear numbering on the doors, the postman often gets our post mixed up and puts them through the wrong doors. The landlord lives in the flat next door to us, so through the other communal door. Multiple times he's received our post and has opened it. After he opens it he always brings it round, but he tells us what the letter says so he reads the whole thing. He says he didn't know it was ours.

We've over paid a utility company just short of £100. He has knocked on our door to say he has opened our post and we've received a cheque of the expected amount from said utility company. He didn't bring the post round. I asked where the cheque was. He said he will bring it round when he has the time. I have no idea why he couldn't bring it round when he come round, I didn't challenge him on it.

Wwyd? This is becoming more regular and he's becoming quite reluctant to hand over the post!

OP posts:
Almostfifty · 29/01/2019 18:02

Phone the police. It's a criminal offence to open other people's post.

PawPawNoodle · 29/01/2019 18:02

If it were me I'd call the company up and ask them to cancel the cheque ( Grin ) and see if they can debit it directly into your account instead as you are concerned over the safety of your post.

AlwaysSunnyInLiverpool · 29/01/2019 18:04

What does he say when you've asked "why did you open my post"?
Why didn't you say "why didn't you bring the cheque as well?"

If he claims to not spot it wasn't for him, tell him "this keeps happening, you know it's a problem, please check the names on mail before you open it".

Move2WY · 29/01/2019 18:04

No don’t phone the police. But i would put inwriting that it is a criminal offence to open other people’s post and take that tound and ask for the cheque at the same time.

You’re giving him too much power.

WoogleCone · 29/01/2019 18:05

He'll bring it round when he has time? Not right then as he was stood at your doorstep?
I'd be going to the police too actually. That's not cool at all.

AlwaysSunnyInLiverpool · 29/01/2019 18:05

Plan B: post something to yourself with a post it inside saying "Hi Bob. Can you stop opening our mail please?"

FamilyOfAliens · 29/01/2019 18:06

Do you think he’s stolen the cheque, OP?

Purpleartichoke · 29/01/2019 18:08

We occasionally open neighbors post by accident. If you are going through a big pile, it’s possible to simply not notice the letter wasn’t meant for you until the seal is broken.

That doesn’t sound like what is happening. If he has a check, I would go knock on his door and demand he hand it over.

Then ask your carrier to do a better job with delivery.

GalacticChickenShit · 29/01/2019 18:09

And buy a bloody sticker with your house number on to put on the door. You can get them for about 29p in Home Bargains.

RevRichardWayneGaryWayne · 29/01/2019 18:12

Get some numbers on your door to stop it happening in future.

Ge seems very passive aggressive, does he have any grievances with you?

Either way I agree with others, go round and ask for it- no reason it shouldn't be close at hand so " dont have the time" shouldn't be an excuse - but I'd still try to be polite. Hes still your neighbour and land lord.

theworldistoosmall · 29/01/2019 18:13

Mail diverted elsewhere for a while if you don't want to confront him about it.

alfagirl73 · 29/01/2019 18:13

There's something dodgy with this. If you open someone else's post by mistake then you tend to realise immediately, shove it back in the envelope and give it to the correct recipient with an apology for the error. You don't read the entire contents of the mail and pass on the information to the recipient - but not pass on the actual mail! It's very strange, extremely concerning and a criminal offence.

wigglypiggly · 29/01/2019 18:18

agree with others, tell LL that you are going to put a sign on your door, tell him not to open and read your post anymore, ask for the cheque now and remind him that if it happens again you will seek legal advice.

WetWipesGoInTheBin · 29/01/2019 18:20

It isn't a criminal offence to open other people's post and read it- I've done it. Due to a housemate moving out and their bank statements then new bank card being sent to the house. As I banked with the same bank I phoned them to say that it had arrived, they moved out a longtime ago and I had destroyed the bank card rather than post it back to them.

It is however a criminal offence to open someone's mail for your own gain.

Almostfifty · 29/01/2019 18:20

See, the first time he came round saying he'd opened it by mistake, I would have smiled and asked him to be a bit more careful.

The second time I would have been extremely snippy, and told him not to do it again. If he had, I would have told him the next time, I'd contact the police.

Just because he's your landlord doesn't mean he gets to snoop into your private life. Go and knock on his door and ask him for your mail.

Foxandthehound · 29/01/2019 18:24

He's naturally a very intimidating guy. I'm 19 with a 17 month old (I'm young I know) and dp is 23. I'm slim build and only 5ft tall. DP is only 5ft 5. Our landlord is this 6ft + and is very strong looking. With him being both our landlord and neighbour as well, we want to do nothing but keep him on our good side. I'm shit with confrontation anyway.

I don't think he's stolen it, and if I don't get it back soon I will certainly go round there. I just find it very unbelievable to mix up my post that much. As I said, his front door is also communal so everyone who lives behind that door has their post chucked through the same letterbox. He must read whose letter it is or he'll be constantly opening other peoples letters who share a front door with him!

OP posts:
snowball28 · 29/01/2019 18:34

There’s no way you can mix up that many letters especially when he knows it’s a problem! He’s opening them cause he wants to, I’d shop him to the police tbh CF of the highest order!

AlwaysSunnyInLiverpool · 29/01/2019 18:34

Then you need to put a number up and complain formally to royal mail - it's simply not acceptable to continue like this. Fraud risk alone here is ringing my alarm bells.

You need to tell your landlord you're doing it, and why.

Make the number removable so it doesn't damage the door (not metal with screws etc) so there's no problems when you leave.

Beeziekn33ze · 29/01/2019 18:41

AlwaysSunny - What you said, clear numbers on door and let the post office know it's happening.
OP - Are you or your partner ever in when the post is delivered? A word with the post person might help, especially if you also put your surname on the door.

HJWT · 29/01/2019 18:41

Get your partner to go nock on now and ask for it ?? Why wait for him to bring it ?? Put a sticker on the door with your flat numbers on it !

Almostfifty · 29/01/2019 20:58

Fox, I'm smaller than you and I'd do it. I would have done it when I was 19 too. Just go and knock on his door and ask him calmly for your post. He's not going to do anything to hurt you.

New posts on this thread. Refresh page
Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.

This thread is closed and is no longer accepting replies. Click here to start a new thread.