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?

Id just take them to the estate agent and they can deal with it.

It takes a few minutes to call the estate agent and ask. If local they might suggest that pop them into the branch and the old owner pick them up.
We did mail redirection for a few years but not now

We just cross out the address, scrawl "not known at this address" and put them back in post.

I think that until delivered, post is the property of the Post Office (the Crown probably ultimately).

I'd open them. Keep the money. Deny all knowledge of receiving the cards. What can they do? Prove it? I doubt it!

Their fault if they didn't pass their new address onto family and friends.

For twenty years in our previous house we got a card To Mum, nothing else.

Royal mail ignore return to sender, so if you write that without deleting the address the letters will just keep coming back to you!

Why haven't you just called the estate agent already? It takes 5 minutes If they don't have a forwarding address, then try another way like other PP have suggested

Royal Mail - ‘not known at this address’.
RM have resources & technologies to deal with this, & the agency most likely to resolve this promptly.

Why haven't you just called the estate agent already? It takes 5 minutes If they don't have a forwarding address, then try another way like other PP have suggested

That's a lot of effort when the bin is in the kitchen.

“For twenty years in our previous house we got a card To Mum, nothing else.”
God, Tilly, how sad. What a sad story must have bern behind that.

Open it and give the contents to charity then.
Problem solved.
Karma restored.

Hand in to the police?

Fucking hell as if they haven’t got enough to do.

Don’t hand in unwanted Christmas cards to the police please.

Just open them. Why the agony.

Don’t hand in unwanted Christmas cards to the police please.

They were too busy to attend when my flat was broken into, perhaps they were working on tracing senders of Christmas cards?

Just give them to the estate agent. What a fuss.

Nobody sends cash through the post any more.
What utter nonsense. Of course they do. Perhaps you don't, but plenty of others do.

I'd open it in a second (as I always do, 6 years after previous owners left). They can't be very close if they do t know they've moved.

You lot are all very honest! I'd probably keep any money tbh. 😈

Nah I'd keep it as well. Cost of my inconvenience 😜

Jesus Christ, just open the bloody card. Even if it is illegal, who’s going to report you?

It's not illegal to open mail addressed to others for the purpose of redirection or contacting the senders to let them know that the previous owners have moved.

I think contacting the estate agents or donating the money is a good idea.

personal.help.royalmail.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/5156/~/ive-received-someone-elses-mail

If you’ve received mail which has your address, but not your name, this is because we deliver to addresses rather than names. If this does happen, you can put a cross through the address and write 'Not known at this address' or 'No longer lives here' and put it back in a letterbox. Where possible, we’ll return the item to the sender hopefully allowing them to update their records.

If you’ve received a ‘Something for you’ card that’s not in your name, we recommend you dispose of the card and once our retention period has ended we'll return the item to the sender.

If you’ve received mail which isn’t in your name or your address, we're really sorry we've made this mistake and inconvenienced you. We'd like to get the item to the intended recipient as soon as possible and would greatly appreciate your help. Please post the item when you can, you won't need to apply any postage, we’ll then process and deliver it to the correct address.

It it unlikely to be possible for RM to return it to the sender in this case though. Also outside the remit of this thread, but IME companies never respond to "return to sender" messages and only stop sending stuff if you write to them and ask them to stop sending stuff.

And even then it starts up again a couple of years later

We have had post for the previous owners of our house who moved 2.5 years ago. Quite a bit after their re-direct ended and then odd bits over the last year or so. All has gone back in post box with 'Not known at this address since . Please return to sender'. Recently we had a letter arrive and could see from way letter was in envelope that it was a parking fine (envelope was almost transparent when held up to the light). I sent it back with 'Not known at this address' etc on. Week or two later we receive another letter. Opened it as thought it was same letter sent again. No it was another fine from a different date. Sent it back again underlining on envelope that person named was not known at my address and date from.
I then received ANOTHER letter last week with details of a further fine. I have had to resort to contacting the sender to try and explain that not only has the person moved but they are obviously not aware where they are parking/driving is illegal and will keep on doing it.

Maybe I should contact estate agents and see if they can pass a message on if I keep getting fines. I'm just worried it will get passed to a debt collection agency and I'll end up with bailiffs at the door? I can easily prove I am not him but would give the neighbours a good gossip.

Forward them to the real estate agent with a note on the envelope saying maybe they have their new address and pop back in the post.

Write moved [date] on the unopened envelopes, cross through the address but in a way that it is still readable and stick in a post box. Certain people at Royal Mail are designated/permitted to open and deal with such returned post.