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AIBU?

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Original poster

To throw away previous owners post?

179 replies

CovidStoleTheRainbow · 06/11/2020 13:23

I haven't. But I want to. It's probably illegal, I will check in a minute.

Moved to this house a year ago, previous owners had 4 generations living here.
For the first 3-4 months I was sending tons and tons of post back with 'return to sender no longer at this address.

It worked for some, but others came again and again. I would write in massive capital letters and still they would keep sending. (What the hell is Whistl and why can't they read their returned post?!)
SO many catalogues (I didn't bother sending them back).

Eventually the previous owner got in touch because her scan date came through the post. Her husband still hasn't changed his address at the doctors because we all got a letter about our doctors changing and he had a letter that looked identical on the outside so if I'm right then he STILL hasn't changed it.

I've returned their post to them 7-8 times.

I made a point of saying "let me know who the companies are and I will call them myself and tell them you have moved."

But even that passive aggressive stance didn't work (I've asked nicely, but now it's just annoying)

And STILL it keeps coming.
I've had post yesterday and today for them.

I want to throw it away.

What else can I do?!

OP posts:
ivykaty44 · 06/11/2020 15:48

Can you pop an elastic band around the mail and take to the post office and ask for their advice

ivykaty44 · 06/11/2020 15:50

Or just leave it out on doorstep for postman?

ChikiTIKI · 06/11/2020 15:52

Might only save you a few seconds, but "not known at this address" is for when you have no idea who they are. "gone away" is for when you know they lived there before but they don't know. Postie husband told me this.

The debt ones.. Not sure what to do about that. Maybe write to the company?

Jroseforever · 06/11/2020 15:53

@ivykaty44

Or just leave it out on doorstep for postman?
They are a delivery service They don’t collect!
Graciebobcat · 06/11/2020 15:56

If you want to be bothered, you can actually open post if the purpose is to redirect it. I did a template letter on the computer for the previous owner's mail (when I was still getting it a few years after they left and had been writing on "return to sender - not at this address since X") and wrote to a credit card company and other financial institutions to say they had moved out x years ago and to update their records. This stopped most of the mail, though I still get the odd thing 14 years after they moved out and I'm afraid it does just go into the recycling now.

TollgateDebs · 06/11/2020 15:58

Had this at two of the properties we purchased. My approach was to identify post chasing debt (which is not difficult) and to ensure the address was no longer connected with this debt, as what they are after is tracking the person down. So I had a number of letters run off, with the solicitor's address for the sellers and made it clear that they would be able to help with forwarding addresses and that generally did the trick. Other post, I marked return to sender and dumped back in the post box, with not known at this address since XXXXX. It took a few months but it stopped.

cheninblanc · 06/11/2020 16:03

We had a letter from the met police with the guys new work oyster card in it congratulating him on his new job!! We'd been there 2 years at that point and he applied for a new job with our address. I sent it back..

Krampusasbabysitter · 06/11/2020 16:04

I bin everything. I did initially write 'Not known at this address' for a few months but after that it goes straight into recycling. Hospital appointments, solicitor, bank letters, etc, I won't make other people's problems mine.

LadyOfTheImprovisedBath · 06/11/2020 16:06

Previous owners at this house re-directed nothing and left no forwarding address - so we kept sending back moved on - left no forward address.

They were friends with our neigbour so they sent them round 18 months after we moved in - what were we doing with the post sending it back - oh give it to them Hmm. Turns out we'd only just sent the DVLA post back as unknown at this address - I think they'd been expecting it. It did stop it all though as after that we had vritually nothing sent here.

Noitjustwontdo · 06/11/2020 16:06

At my last address I still received the odd letter for the previous owner four years after I moved in. I stopped bothering to return to sender after about 6 months and just started binning it all. Not bothered if it’s illegal or not, get your shit together and change your address. I change my address everywhere the first few days after moving. It’s always a pain in the arse but it’s so important.

Can’t believe she still hadn’t changed her address at something as basic as the GP’s after a year, just pure laziness.

NoMoreFlowers · 06/11/2020 16:07

It might not be their fault. When I moved house, I paid Royal Mail to redirect my post to my new address, but it only worked about 80% of the time

ticktackted · 06/11/2020 16:10

I sympathise, I've been here 4 years & it was a big annoyance for the first 3! Anything that return to sender didn't work for, I emailed the companies or used their web forms to tell them. I've got it down to specsavers, 1 bank & 1 Christmas card now! Last emails to bank & specsavers may have worked as it's been a while...

Mischance · 06/11/2020 16:12

Do you have their address? Send them a letter asking them to pay to have their post redirected by the PO from X date, and tell them that anything received after that will be binned.

CovidClara · 06/11/2020 16:14

They are a delivery service
They don’t collect!

They do now www.royalmail.com/collection
Although maybe not old post- ours would take it and has done before

LadyOfTheImprovisedBath · 06/11/2020 16:14

Can’t believe she still hadn’t changed her address at something as basic as the GP’s after a year, just pure laziness.

Could be the GP reverting to old address - though sounds unlikely.

I had that with a pension company - we'd stopped with relatives between houses so I'd change my address to theirs as agreed with them - and got a re-direct from our old house.

Then we got new house and re-directed again and immediately updated everyone and got conformation of changes. Then 6 months later one company reverted to older family address. Family got a bit nasty about it with me though I did everything I should have.

I did get it changed again as soon as possible again- but their marketing department obviously didn't update the addresses as frequently - as I got the statements but they still got marketing letters for a while.

TibetanTerrier · 06/11/2020 16:18

@shitinmyhandsandclap
Opening someone else's mail is allowed in certain circumstances under the Postal Services Act 2000. It is only an offence if you open someone else's mail 'without reasonable excuse' or if you 'intend to act to another's detriment'

That's true but, according to the man at Royal Mail, when you know the recipient no longer lives at your address and that all you need to do is return marked "Moved Away", you are not considered to have a "reasonable excuse" to open their mail.

CambsAlways · 06/11/2020 16:20

I still get Christmas cards to the previous owner and we have lived in our house for 15 years! I used to return to sender every year until last year when I chucked them

Junjulaug · 06/11/2020 16:21

Agree with pp. tell them to come and collect it on x date and after that it’s going.

We had a dreadful neighbour, and sadly shared the same surname. When we moved we paid for Royal Mail redirection......but it picks up the surname. I have had SO much delight in binning all his mail. I think it’s called Karma.

MustardMitt · 06/11/2020 16:21

I’ve got enough of my own post to throw away to not want to bother having to parcel up our previous owners post. I did it for the best part of three years. It’s been 14 years now and everything goes in the bin. If it was important they should have arranged a redirect or changed their address.

(Best one was a car declared SORN at our address....when they not only hadn’t lived here for some years but we also have no off street parking).

Trixie18 · 06/11/2020 16:23

I bin all mail that's not addressed to myself or my OH.

MagentaRocks · 06/11/2020 16:24

I still get stuff for the previous owners after 11 years. I just bin it now. I used to give it to a neighbour who still sees them but it is the same stuff so i figure if they can’t be bothered changing their address after 11 years I can’t be bothered taking it to a neighbour.

grenlei · 06/11/2020 16:24

Chuck it away.

I did the return to sender stuff for about the first year, then started putting it in the bin - especially when some of the stuff I'd returned came back!

I still get post for the previous owners occasionally. I've lived here since 2001!

LittleMissLockdown · 06/11/2020 16:25

That's true but, according to the man at Royal Mail, when you know the recipient no longer lives at your address and that all you need to do is return marked "Moved Away", you are not considered to have a "reasonable excuse" to open their mail.

Out of curiosity what did the man at Royal Mail suggest you do if you continue to get mail despite returning it to sender and marking it moved away?

Member984815 · 06/11/2020 16:25

We had a neighbour who had the same name as my husband first and last ,they moved out 16 years ago and we got a christmas card every year that was for them , I moved last year and it followed me to my new address

EL8888 · 06/11/2020 16:30

I would bin it by this point. They have had lots of opportunity to resolve it. Plus they could have paid to forward it before they left