Could be illegal but wwyd?

[Mollychristmas]

This might sound awful (and illegal although I can’t see how anyone would know!) but what would you do in this situation?

We’ve had some Christmas cards delivered to our house addressed to the old owners. This is the first year we have got them so I imagine the old owners redirect has ended. (We have lived here just over 2 years)
From feeling the weight and how flexible the cards aren’t I think a couple might have money/gifts cards/letters in them.
Now for the AIBU, would you open them and hope for a return address?
Or would you just chuck?

I am of the mind to open and see if there is a return address, if not I would donate any money and chuck the cards, DH thinks that’s awful not to mention illegal and we should just chuck them even if there is money etc in them.

We don’t know the old owners new address but I suppose the estate agents might do something although having been over two years now I don’t know if they would or even could help (data protection et al) and it seems a huge amount of hassle for a few Christmas cards. The cards don’t have a return address.

What would you do?

Jesus... All that and none of us will ever know what was inside the mystery Christmas cards

@DadDadDad - Prosecutions are undertaken by Royal Mail - cut to the chase and give them a call - you will get the definitive answer from them.
If you don't like the answer provided seek it from the lawful authority that prosecutes the offence.

I'll bet neighbours have a mobile number for the old occupiers - mine do and we passed post onto our neighbours when we first moved into our house.

Open and reseal with tape and ask the estate agents to pass them on

Why all the fuss? Just 'not known at this address' and put in the nearest postbox.

I cannot believe that someone would put money in Xmas card without realising recipient had moved house 2 years ago.

I sent a card containing a round robin letter and pictures of my kids to my husband's Uncle Barry this year. He had moved and not told us, the fool. The new occupants of his house opened the card, copied our address from the letter onto the envelope and sellotaped everything back together then returned it to us.

I am sure any reasonable person would be grateful they had taken the time to return the card and contents to us, so that we were aware of the change of address and could contact other family members to trace Uncle Barry.

However, I reported them to the police for the shocking crime of opening someone else's mail and they were prosecuted and are currently serving two years inside.

Anonanonanonanonanon

I got into trouble opening a letter to someone who used to live at our address, by my mum i was a child! it was a letter all about someone's housemaid's knee

It is NOT ILLEGAL to open post not addressed to you, unless you then go on to commit fraud or theft etc.

Umm... it definitely is illegal to open post not addressed to you. I can’t believe so many people dont know this! It would also be illegal to throw out post not addressed to you- it’s someone else’s property

The appropriate thing to do it write ‘not at this address’ on the envelope and post it into a post box or hand it to your post person

FFS I would just open it. So what if it's illegal - who the hell is going to find out (in the real world, not on Mumsnet!) and more importantly, care?! It's hardly the Great Train Robbery.

@NotBeforeCoffee

It definitely isn't illegal to open post addressed to someone else unless you intend it to be for their detriment.

Section 84 of the Postal Services Act 2000 refers.

We’ve been getting Christmas Cards (with round robin letter) for the people who lived here for 17 years now. The people who lived here before us emigrated somewhere and we never met them, house was vacant when we viewed. So no idea where they went.

First four years I did the whole return to sender thing, then I got the arse year 5 and 6 and chucked them in the bin. Year 7, thought screw it opened it in case there was an address in it but there wasn’t.

8-17, they are now my imaginary friends which DH thinks is hilarious.

Year 18 they didn’t send one this year, and I’m weirdly hoping they are ok.

I get post at least 4 times a year for a lodger who lived at my house for a year in 1957.
I always write 'Not known at this address for over 60 years' and return to sender on the envelope and post back. It has never stopped being sent though. I confess I did open once to discover the lodger had the grand total of £1.03 in his saving account. No idea how much that was in shillings and before 60 years of interest.
Feel bad now I could be criminalised by someone who would be well over 80 years old, if still alive, who didn't leave a forwarding address and left owing £4 in rent (cost of the monthly mortgage payment in them days)
At least the Christmas cards stopped coming about 20 years ago though.

You are supposed to return the letters to the post office - put them in the post office with no longer lives at this address on them and let them sort it out.

@BabyDereksToes THANK YOU

Literally who cares??? Who would EVER know
If you say return to sender - but there’s no return address
Or you say ‘Not at this address’ but don’t give the correct address, the chances of it finding its way to the correct place are minuscule
And even if it does, what an absolute waste of resources. You literally might as well have thrown it in the bin, and saved yourself and everyone else some time.

If you take - what is likely just a round robin Christmas card -to the POLICE (are people for real with this suggestion?!) honestly you need to get a grip and get some perspective about the police cuts and the time they have

And if you go to citizens advice like pp are suggesting for legal advice
You need to find a hobby because you have too much time on your hands

That's your local police stations' 2020 Christmas do fund contributions kicked off then

But you sounded anxious about it so at least you don't have to worry now. And hopefully the police gave you some kind of receipt as proof if someone does knock on your door, because they won't believe you, and if there's no paper trail... Anyway, happy 2020!

I'm gutted that you didn't just open it, was dying to know what was in it.

SHE'S POSTED IT ON FGS

10 pages and you had the address anyway. Just wasted 10 minutes of my life reading the most pointless thread ever.

OMG this post is ridiculous! I would just open it. It’s addressed to my home and the previous owner was an arse so unless I see something sentimental in there he can jog on and whistle for it. Or is that just me 😁

Anyone else have opened it and kept the money? Be honest

Over 20 years we moved into our current house.
Still get letters he has an OBE and I was sick of putting correspondence back in the post last year a card came through with no return address on the envelope .
I opened it and read one of the saddest messages ever.
The lady had written that her husbsnd of 36 years had left her out of the blues telling her at the weekend and left
She wanted to inform.the former occupants as they had introduced them.when they were singles she wanted to thank them but was heart broken at his betrayal .It was one of the saddest notes i have ever read

I would have opened them and if there was cash inside I probably would have kept it...