To think postmen etc should not be allowed to deliver parcels to neighbours without explicit permission

[Czerwonitz]

it's insane in 2026 this isn't a country village in a miss marple

Personally, I think it's fine, but I guess it depends on your neighbours.

Myself and my neighbours both sides work hybrid roles. I try to arrange for deliveries to arrive when I'll be at home, but often they don't arrive when they say they will.

We all take in parcels for each other if we're at home, and it's not a problem at all.

The alternative for all of us is for our parcels to just be left on our doorsteps, but our houses are straight out on to the street with no option for a safe space. We even take parcels in for each other if we notice they HAVE been left in the street, and stick a note through the door to let the other person know.

It doesn't work for everyone, but in some areas it's very difficult to have anywhere to put a parcel and I have no problem with helping a neighbour out when needed, I'll even take them in for neighbours further down the street that I don't even know if need be.

If you know you aren’t going to be in, stop buying items that need delivering to your house!

Some people are disabled but still need to go out to work (this has been my situation - it can be additionally difficult to bring things home as I only have on street parking, sometimes a long way from my house, and can't carry things easily when needing to walk with crutches)

Some people don't have cars (or even reasonable public transport) to get to shops to bring things home.

Some people moved to areas with great shopping opportunities, but then half the shops closed down and so now they can't buy the items they need locally.

Those people still may need to buy things!

Why not just use the lockers which are springing up like daisies everywhere. Quick and safe and your parcels dont get nicked!!

I agree with this.
I actively try to avoid using companies that use Royal Mail for deliveries, but sometimes you just don't know until you suddenly get a message saying they will deliver on such and such day between 9am and 11am. So you duly wait for it, only to get a message at 11.30am saying your parcel was inadvertently sent to a different town 200 miles from where you live and it'll be with you the following day.
So you wait in again, this time they said it'll be between 8am and 10am, but it isn't. It does eventually turn up at 5.15pm. And then they don't knock, so unless you were actively watching the app, they'll take it away again anyway. You know about that as you hear the slip coming through the door, but by the time you get to the door and open it, they have scarpered. Funny how you heard the bit of paper lightly rattling the letterbox but not then actually knocking. And you have to go through it all again the next day too...

I know that sounds ridiculous but that has honestly been my experience with Royal Mail over the last year. On more than one occasion. Everyone else manages to knock at the door at least roughly when they say they will!

So how does someone who works all week purchase something only available online, which in 2026 is most things?
Of course you can have things delivered to your house if you're not going to be in. If you really don't want it going to your neighbours RM can deliver to the sorting office, delivery drivers can deliver to lockers/local shops.

That's the nicest thing anyone has said to me for a while. I actually live in 1955, provincial town and it's lovely, village green cricket, roses around the door. I never lock the door and people are nice to one another.

Why not get to know your neighbours!

We recently had a parcel left on our doorstep by Royal Mail for our neighbour who was on holiday and we were not in when it was left so not asked to take it, parcel was supposed to be signed for no idea who signed for it

You are being hugely unreasonable, redelivering all parcels would be massively costly and delivery prices would go up. Are you willing to pay and extra £2.50 - £5 per redelivery??
Because in addition to the additional delivery rounds the delivery drivers would have to do, all delivery companies would have to invest in extra storage to house all the parcels that couldn't be dropped off.
I'd get a safe delivery hatch if it bothers you so much.

What is clear from this thread is that everyone is different..some are friends with their neighbours and would rather pop round than trek to the sorting office, some think their neighbours (or all strangers?) are sex offenders and would rather risk theft from their doorstep than talk to a person, some would be annoyed to have parcels left in full view of potential thieves.

Whatever your situation, your postie or delivery driver is not a mind reader. Unless you give instructions on what to do they have to guess and mostly the best option is for your parcel to be near your house not miles away in an office. There are plenty of ways to manage this, specify a safe space, specify neighbours to choose or avoid, choose delivery to a locker etc etc. Take responsibility for your own shit.

Leaving parcels with neighbours just sounds wild to me, wouldn't happen in my country. If parcels are delivered to your home (but usually you just get them delivered to a parcel locker in the supermarket so you can pick up at your own convenience, or to the corner shop) you either get a reasonable time frame (within two hours) with courier companies and sometimes a map to follow the van so you can see estimated time of arrival and where it is, or if its the postal service the postie always calls me to check if I'm home or then I put a note in the app saying to just leave the parcel in my designated spot (in the porch). But if you're not there when things are delivered and you haven't designated a spot to leave the parcel they will just take it to the post office (if its delivered by the postal service, not sure about other couriers but you wouldn't pick home delivery if you couldn't guarantee being home at that time so you'd pick parcel locker or shop instead), which is open from 7-10 every day so you can pick up easily when you're able to.

Then leave a not on your door telling delivery drivers to ‘take my shit back, do not leave it at random neighbour’s houses’. Easy!

😂😂😂😂

I had an incredibly rude DPD delivery man the other week. We ask for all deliveries to go in our parcel box, and Royal Mail and all the delivery companies generally do this without any issue. This bloke though didn’t read our delivery instructions on the app and decided I wasn’t in (I actually was). I answered the door when he shoved a non-delivery card through it. He told me very rudely that he’d rung the bell 5 times and knocked 5 times (unlikely - my house is very small) and he’d tried my neighbour. This is what annoyed me the most. Our neighbour is reclusive (or perhaps she just politely doesn’t like us 😄) and I don’t want her to be bothered with our parcels.

It depends on the area. Around here we take in a neighbour parcel and they have taken in mine. I’m the main taker, it isn’t daily or weekly so I don’t mind doing it in December.
There are people who follow the van to steal parcels.

I've never had this with RM. I usually get an email with a day on, the parcel always comes the day before that says. The app never gives anything more than a "7am-5pm" window with no updates anywhere.

But the original poster is complaining about RM leaving things with neighbours.
If you order online and know you won’t be home then delivery companies will inevitably try neighbours if instructions haven’t been left for lockers and safe spaces etc.
From a neighbour’s point of view, some people don’t particularly want to be the default delivery point for every one else who knows they’ll be out but can’t be arsed to make arrangements for their deliveries. I don‘t mind the odd item here and there but it gets annoying when I’m trying to work.

They need to make proper arrangements then if they don’t want it delivered to a neighbour.
As a neighbour who WFH, I’d rather not be frequently interrupted by delivery drivers trying to deliver to people who aren’t in and don’t make the arrangements.

I have a box at the gate for mail and small parcels because our postie is strict and says they are not permitted to leave parcels at the door. My previous postie was happy to do this so he was maybe a rebel.
We have an outhouse that is a preferred safe place now, its actually more open and visible than the front door 😂
I was constantly being asked to take parcels for neighbours by DPD at my old address, I ended up putting a note on the door.

I get a day with a 2 hour window. Perhaps it differs geographically.

Really?

YABU

She thinks her neighbours are on the sex offender register. Apparently.

Had a bit of a tussle with Royal Fail on Wednesday (failed delivery). Ordered a redelivery fro Friday and it came 8pm thursday.

My safe place is the kitchen door (on camera) and out of view of the street so I sometimes direct parcels to be left there. Mostly I watch for them and am out by the gate as the van draws up.

Yes, which is what I meant by, "if you really don't want it going to your neighbours..."
This was in response to a PP saying you should always be in when parcels are due to be delivered, which is impossible for many.