To refuse to keep sorting their post.

[poppybuns]

Moved into our new house a month ago.

The sellers said they hadn't had time to sort a redirection out so could I pop any post that comes for them to another house down the street.

It's been a month and they still get a lot of post. They obviously don't want to pay for the redirection. It isn't really an issue for me to take it to the neighbour but they clearly aren't changing their address as it isn't just junk mail that's coming, I'm pretty sure today's post is a new bank card as I can feel it in the envelope. There was an NHS appointment letter last week too.

How long do I keep this up for? is it unreasonable of me to start returning to sender, they've had a month to sort it.

I'd give them a time limit and stop doing it. If they aren't good at life admin that isn't your burden to bear. We get all sorts of people's post here. Putting RTS doesn't work, it still comes years later so we just throw it out now.

Well I haven't taken the latest post to the neighbour, maybe I'll keep it here for them and when they come to neighbour to collect their post they'll have to come knock on the door and I can tell them I'm not prepared to keep sorting it for them

That seems a bit pointless, you'll just have it cluttering up your house. Why not do as people suggest and put a large note on one of the envelopes that you will be now be returning all mail to sender so they need to sort out redirection

It's so annoying when people do this! Definitely tell them you're stopping asap.

We dropped post next door for the previous owner for about two months then began returning to sender. 14 months after we moved in they claimed they'd had a parcel sent here by accident and could I forward it? There was no parcel so I didn't respond. Two months from this and they've finally set up a postal redirect.

It sounds like a combination of laziness and you being cheaper than redirect.

Return it all. They'll get the hint.

Why on earth are you taking it to them? Get them to come and collect it.

You are not their post person.

Put it on the side if they haven’t collected it in 4 weeks just it.

@Longsleepneeded

If you know their new address, put it all in an envelope and post it without a stamp. They will have to pay the postage to receive it, maybe they'll realise how annoying it is for you.

@Longsleepneeded does that work? Posting with no stamp? We still get the odd bit of mail for previous owners - had some trouble pre-covid with parking fines which resulted in bailiffs . We contacted EA who gave us their new address and asked us to forward stuff on. I refused as it was nearly 3 years down the line and told them they simply needed to update DVLA with their new address

I have lots of large envelopes at home so will try this if any more post comes through for them

It isn't no good at life admin, it is entitled skanks getting someone else to do their work.

Last warning - redirect or bin. Plastic crate outside, chuck it all in there and leave to get wet/stolen.

Did you buy/rent the house via an estate agent/letting agent?

The people who lived in our house before only redirected their mail for three months. No forwarding addresses (they went their separate ways). I kept doing the return to sender thing and it kept coming. I then forwarded it all in to the agent who must have quickly got sick of it and given them a talking to about updating their address with the senders as it ceased dramatically.

Why would you want their bills and banking habits linked to your address? Return the card to the bank

Depends if they were good sellers and just haven't got round to this yet - or maybe they have requested and Royal Mail haven't processed it yet, I know they are not v reliable during the pandemic- if so I wouldn't mind at all. However if they took the piss during the buying process then they are probably taking the piss now too.

I aim to be generally kind unless I have proof the person is an arsehole.

I would explain that due to the pandemic you are not comfortable at the increased infection risk this involves. I would therefore explain that I would make one further post drop in six weeks time and in the meantime if they want to continue receiving the post they may like to arrange redirection. I really like the idea of returning bank post to the Bank as this should help you avoid any accusation of fraud

@Billandben444

Might all be above board but so many opportunities for fraud here that I'd stop immediately. Return anything official to sender (gone away) and stuff the rest in a carrier bag in case they come knocking. How can adults who manage to buy/sell and move house not understand about redirection?

Exactly my thoughts.

By facilitating this you might cause yourself stress / hassle. Eg IF they're in debt and companies are writing to them, the companies will assume they're at the property because nothing is being returned. You could end up with bailiffs.

I'm NOT saying this will happen, or that they are in debt, it's an example of how facilitating this might cause you grief.

When we rented our LL expected us to redirect all of his mail to his parent's address, because he bought a buy to let and moved to Australia.

So we had to write this address on every single piece of post and put it in postbox (which wasn't even nearby). In the meantime, our balcony was unusable and boiler kept going off.

We just stopped doing it eventually and put all the post in a kitchen drawer for him. He got very arsey with us when he didn't get a letter from the bank. There was other entitled behaviour from him, I think some if it was due us being Asian.

I’d hang onto it until they came to collect, then have a conversation about making sure their redirect was set up because you don’t want their post to keep arriving. Better to have the conversation face-to-face, rather than a note through the door.

We were perfect tenants, passed a rigorous inventory at the end, that we had to pay for.

We have been in our house almost 6 years. Every year a Christmas card and round robin letter from the USA arrives and I feel sad for the sender who clearly isn't on our seller's priority list at all!

The seller is still local as far as I know but not sure how to contact her.

I have done some internet sleuthing and messaged some of the people mentioned in the letter without success.

If I pop it back in the post with a note would it actually be sent back to the USA or just binned?

Redirection services exist for a reason. It’s not at all on for them to expect you to do this instead indefinitely and for free when you aren’t even a friend!

If you want to be helpful, they can meet you half way. Instead of you collecting it all and making trips to another house, put it all in a plastic bag and do nothing with it until they come to collect it at a time that suits you. Then lump them with the lot. Eventually, when they miss important things, they’ll stopped being such cheeky buggers.

even without redirection, only the seriously skanky don't bother contacting banks etc to tell them new addresses. With luck they'll get fined by something to do with their car and will learn that they are not so special after all.

Do what I done. Put a sign on your letter box or door telling the post man or woman please only post mail for (insert names of you and people you live with)

My sign has been destroyed in the rain but the post man told me he remembers only mail for me and DH

@Susanthepig

I’d drop to the neighbour but take my time to do it. 6 weeks or so. They’ll soon get the message.

this is what I was about to suggest.

OT, but I'm surprised Royal Mail charges for the redirect. In America, the USPS will do it for free for a year because they make a bloody fortune selling the change of address data to companies that want it for marketing, charitable solicitations, etc.

When I've moved I have asked the new people of I could leave a few stamped address A4 envelopes and ased to pop them in the post when they get full. This usually gives me about good amount of time to get things changed and they catch the overspill. No one had said no

Return everything to sender, in case your address is being used fraudulently.
If you're afraid of reprisals, blame your "house sitter" who was staying...

(My sellers had Avon delivered here, collected deliveries from previously arranged "safe" place, then said I'd stolen them)

I would be worried about fraud - especially with banking info coming to you. When this happened to us I sent it on for 4 weeks then I printed off stickers staying "Return to sender, no longer at this address" and popped them back in the box. It quickly dies down after that.

I always give previous people the benefit of the doubt and will forward mail for ~2 months. After that it goes back in the postbox with "no longer at this address" in black sharpie. The post stops soon enough.
I think you have 2 options OP
1: take the current load to the neighbour with a note saying all post delivered after X date will be returned to sender.
2: just start returning to sender. They'll get the hint soon enough.