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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To throw this post away

34 replies

PookieDo · 28/03/2019 21:06

Petty annoyance but I moved to a new house 2 months ago now. I set up 1 month redirection with Royal Mail from my old address to give me time to change all my addresses (bank, insurance etc etc)

The couple who lived here before me moved either December last year or January this year - the house was empty a little while. There was a ton of post for them and the HA officer told me I should not open it or give to them should they ever turn up but return to sender in a post box.

2 months later I am still receiving a large amount post for them - at least 1 thing every week day and today I got 7 in one go! I started saving it up then writing on it before posting it back in the letter box but I am totally fed up of doing this. Where do I stand with binning it all? WIBU? They have had plenty of time to change address but I don’t believe it’s all junk - some of it is for their child from the NHS, banks and power companies who are still bloody writing to them despite me dutifully sending it all back (they owe the utilities thousands which I found out when I tried to switch supplier!). How can I make this madness stop

OP posts:
Littlefish · 28/03/2019 21:07

It's only been 3 months. I think you need to continue returning it for a couple more months.

Original poster
PookieDo · 28/03/2019 21:10

Do these companies take any notice of returned mail? Otherwise why would they continue to keep sending it!

OP posts:
InspectorClouseauMNdivision · 28/03/2019 21:17

I've been living in my house for years and still get some mail for previous occupant. Now it's just some promo crap. Used to be bank statements (I assume from the envelop since I have same bank) and stuff like that until about 5 months ago.

Grumpasaurous · 28/03/2019 21:19

12 years.

And still get some mail for the chap we bought the place off.

Only a couple of times a year tho.

Original poster
PookieDo · 28/03/2019 21:20

I might get one of those big red stamps made up so I can stamp all the letters rather than write on every single one!

OP posts:
InspectorClouseauMNdivision · 28/03/2019 21:21

@PookieDo I wish I did that!

happinessischocolate · 28/03/2019 21:22

You want a stamp made up??? How long does it take to write RTS GONE AWAY 😂

Leeds2 · 28/03/2019 21:24

If you know, from the postmark, that the letter is from the NHS, bank etc, could you phone the number on the postmark and tell them that the person has moved (and their forwarding address if you have one)? I know this is a pain for you, but might stop the letters arriving.
I always used to do Return To Sender for the person who lived in my house prior to me, until I received three letters in a week from a local private hospital. I guessed that this wasn't marketing, didn't open the letters but phoned the hospital and explained. Lady said they were going off his old GP's contacts, and she would update his details. I never heard from them again!

BrightonBB · 28/03/2019 21:25

Also register their details on Mail Preference Service - will stop a little bit not all but it is easy to do online.

Original poster
PookieDo · 28/03/2019 21:35

Obviously I am not going to get a fucking stamp 🙄

There are no phone numbers and the NHS ones were quite generic

Today I had both of their electoral register cards to vote (I have registered myself here but got theirs not my own), 2 from a P.O. box in Huddersfield, one from Captial One (which is probably shit) some other thing from P.O. box and a random other couple with no addresses at all (which probably just keep arriving because they can’t go back 😂

I generally dislike these people I’ve never met they let their DC draw all over the bloody walls in biros

OP posts:
Original poster
PookieDo · 28/03/2019 21:36

@BrightonBB

Will do!
I work long hours and have DC and a house to run I could not give a fuck anymore about these people and their bloody mail

OP posts:
Sexykitten2005 · 28/03/2019 21:55

Count yours self lucky. I’ve been here 4 years and still get bailiff visits

Original poster
PookieDo · 28/03/2019 21:57

I am concerned about that if there is a lot of debt which is why I am returning it. I really don’t want that to happen

£6k they owe British Gas!!

OP posts:
Original poster
PookieDo · 28/03/2019 21:57

BG told me this I have not opened any post

OP posts:
RainbowMum11 · 28/03/2019 21:58

I still get post from the people before the previous owners - I know them and they moved around 9 years ago!!

Sexykitten2005 · 29/03/2019 09:43

After a year of RTS I opened every envelope and phoned the company in question advising I had done a full year of RTS. Mine also owed all her utilities a full 12 months money (I guess that’s how long her landlord took to kick her out. If I had to phone the same company twice I would inform that the next call would be chargeable and that stopped most of the sensible ones. Now it’s just several debt collectors who are insistent I must give them all my details and I MUST know her forwarding address. She did a flit I know nothing!!!

Problem with RTS is you have to write the address on the front because no one checks that tiny address on the back of the envelope. That’s what’s time consuming

UtterlyUnimaginativeUsername · 29/03/2019 10:09

We've been in for 2.5 years and still get the previous owner's payslips every fortnight. My eyes could compete as Olympic gymnasts now from all the rolling.

Prequelle · 29/03/2019 10:11

It's been 12 months here and I'm still getting all their post including some eyewatering debt letters - yes I opened them because we have had debt collectors rock up at the door multiple times now

Despite me showing my ID at the door, these debt collectors want me to send a copy of it plus my council tax bill to their office. They can fuck off.

I've found the woman on Facebook and told her that I'm sick of the shit and I'm sick of her STILL opening accounts to this address. She was apologetic Hmm

killpop · 29/03/2019 10:15

Been in my house nearly 6 years and still get mail for the previous tenant. Accidentally opened one the other day (waiting to hear from DLA and brown envelopes keep teasing me!) to see she's now able to make contact to arrange her pension payments! I was pretty confused til I noticed the name 😂 I return anything that has a return address, but have been known to pop anything that doesn't (Xmas cards eg) through the door of her new house.

Stinkytoe · 29/03/2019 10:15

Another person who’s had baliff visits for previous owners. Absolutely horrible experience.

InspectorClouseauMNdivision · 29/03/2019 10:17

I would never show my ID to debt collectors looking for previous tenant! Only to the ones from court.
I haven't even given my name when dealing with them in previous flat and just directed them to estate agent.
Luckily haven't had to deal with this after I bought. Not sure where would I direct them now.

ShartGoblin · 29/03/2019 10:18

I've been in my house a year and I'm still getting piles of post every day! It's so annoying. Mind you the bailiffs turned up the other week for them so I suspect they did a runner.... it does explain how I got my lovely house for such a bargain price though so, on balance, I can live with it.

Prequelle · 29/03/2019 10:23

inspector I never thought I would either but when they're banging on your door and ringing up and speaking to managers hasn't helped it's kinda something you rest your laurels on ha

JollyAndBright · 29/03/2019 10:38

Writing ‘return to sender’ or ‘not known at this address’ and putting a letter back in the post doesn’t mean a letter is immediately sent back to the sender.

Royal Mail have a special office where all ‘RTS’ post is sent to, it is then sorted and eventually returned, but it can take up to SIX MONTHS to get back to the sender.

We had the same problem you have and a family friend works for RM and told us we are better sticking an adhesive label over the address on the front of the letter and writing the return address over it and putting it in the post, that way it is treated like a normal letter and is returned straight to the sender.

igotdemons · 29/03/2019 11:00

When we moved into our last rented house before we bought, we had sooooo much post for the previous tenants, it was unbelievable! Even after a year we were getting post for things like their car insurance renewal (said so on the envelope), letters from a bank, hospital etc. All the kinds of things you’d prioritise if you’d just moved house, let alone a year later! 🙄 The one thing that really annoyed me though was that they’d get promotional mailings from Age UK almost every week. After a year of sending them back with ‘RTS no longer live here’ etc. they were still coming thick and fast so had to send an email to them in the end and eventually they stopped! 😠

We still get the very occasional piece of post for the previous owners of our house now, 6 years on. The one thing that always makes me smile to myself though is that every Christmas without fail since we moved in, we’ve had a Christmas card from ‘Sally and Paul’ (not their real names!) for them, which includes a round robin style newsletter, full of really tedious bollocks like their schedule of grandchildren babysitting, adult kids jobs etc. The kind of thing that would only interest the writer iyswim. Anyway, in the actual card they always put something along the lines of ‘Hope you and the boys are well. Haven’t heard from you in a while’ etc and then sometimes a question or two about something specific. I’m presuming from this that in 6 years the previous owners haven’t contacted this couple, nor told them where they now live and I like to think it was to get away from receiving their tedious round robin every year! 😂