To ask how common it is to get letters for old tenants

[Beatinghearts]

Medical looking ones. I would have thought people would change their address straight away.

Very common! You'd be surprised.

I’ve got one that’s marked private and confidential. I’m unsure if I should open it as if an appointment the person might not get it.

I’ve just bought a house where there were many previous tenants as it was a rental property. I receive on a daily basis much personal communication- medical stuff, debt recovery stuff, banking stuff. The house had been unoccupied for a year , so it’s worrying what people forget to do when moving.

Just cross out their address, write "RETURN - NOT AT THIS ADDRESS" on the envelope and whack it back in the postbox.

I still get stuff 6 years on. The debt collection ones, i got so many, for the first 3years, I finally sent a 1 line email to each & they stopped. The opticians & NHS letters still arrive tho.

@Lockheart

Just cross out their address, write "RETURN - NOT AT THIS ADDRESS" on the envelope and whack it back in the postbox.

Yes, I write moved away on the envelope and sometimes phone the company to get data removed.

If someone doesn't use their GP much, medical is one thing that can certainly get overlooked when moving - it took me three years to need to see a GP after I relocated, so I didn't register with one until then. It was only when I was due a smear that I registered where I live now, so I guess any unexpected medical letters for me would have been sent to my old address many miles away.

I get more post for old tenants than for us! We get cor the last 4 lots, and the inhabitants directly previous were here cor years. Not known at this address it but only remember to post it monthly or so

If it has no return address on the envelope it would not be unreasonable to open it to see if there is one inside. Then you can pop it back in the envelope, seal it, write the return address on the front, cross out your address and stick it back in the postbox.

I get post for about 4 different people. I've lived here 11 years

I just moved on Tuesday. (Not uk) I changed my address in the centralized system where it goes to all official places so that is covered. Then the post will automatically re-direct for 30 days. I have to say that I have no clue where else I have registered my address so if it something I have to do manually then it's not done and will do once I find out. But to thankfully I get very little mail since all bills are online.

Well, you’ve just reminded me I moved house 7 months ago and still haven’t deregistered from my old GP / registered with a new one, because I so rarely go - so I expect the new owners have received an invitation for a smear test and motivation of my eligibility for a covid vaccination! So I reckon it must be pretty common. Same with old bank accounts or credit cards which people don’t use, I got those for the previous occupants for years a while ago.

Oh, a sad one though - at my old house I used to get a birthday and Christmas card every year addressed to the person who lived there before the person who was there before me, posted from Australia, “from Nan and Grandad.” I always felt sorry for them, no return address, and no idea that their grandson had long moved on and not bothered to let them know.

im getting NHS letters for a previous owner not the one i bought this house from 11 years ago, and the guy before me had the house for about 10 years so the name on the letter last lived here over 20 years ago
i gave up marking them as not at this address and bin them

I have updated my address with everyone, and yet I have had all kinds of mail sent to the wrong place, including hospital appointments. These things happen. Just return it to sender

We rented our house out whilst we lived in Oz. The tenants left in 2013 and we still get parcels and post for them. They’re friends of friends. But, really? 🙄

My dh missed his vaccine appointment because he’s forgotten to change his address at the GP.
We moved six years ago!!!!

If it's medical there will be a return address.

Each place I have lived it's been at least 3 or 4 different names on mail, and I always returned to sender but there would always continue to be post. Some places it's been more than that.

Pretty much everyone gets this don't they? There's always going to be an address you've forgotten about or a contact that has updated for some reason.

Not everyone is organised with admin like this.

We get loads for the previous residents. We've lived here for two years. Opticians, Christmas cards, overnighted letters from an international bank, what I reckon might be bank statements from a different international bank... They used to come round to collect them every few months but haven't been since covid started. We keep them in a box. CBA to send them back if the previous residents know about it and don't care enough to send their address.

We get hospital letters all the time for previous tenants and we've been here 2 years now. I used to take them back to the reception myself (2 minute walk from the hospital) and I lost count the amount of times I've asked them to change his address. I've stopped bothering now and just put return to sender and stick them in the post box. We still get at least 1 letter a week even now.

I've updated my address with everyone (I think), and recently very important hospital appointment letters were sent to my old address from 5 years ago. Luckily our old landlord is lovely and forwarded them on. When I called the hospital to find out why the letters had gone to my old address, they couldn't explain why they had both my old and new address on the system.

I have updated my address since a house move a year ago but some people keep sending letters to my old address regardless. My hospital consultant is the worst as I have my preference set to paperless (get an email/text to go to the secure online portal to read my letters) but 50% of the time I get the text and 50% of the time a physical letter arrives at my old address and nobody can explain why whenever I ask.

Fortunately its a family member who lives in my old house so they just give me a ring and I pick it up next time I drop shopping round for them but it does annoy me.

Do not open the letter. Especially if you think it could contain any medical information. There should be a return address or contact details on the outside of the envelope so you can report it to the hospital or clinic that sent it. They will need to record this as an incident.