AIBU to do nothing after receiving a letter for the previous owner

[Onemoret1me]

I came home tonight to find a handwritten envelope that had been posted through Royal Mail, signed for delivery.
we hadn’t signed for it, it was just through the letterbox and had my address but no name in

opened the letter and it’s a letter addressed to the previous owner, a male who must be at least early 60’s ( not lived in the house for approx 7 years)
the letter is from a potential child of theirs saying they’ve been informed previous owner may be their biological dad and asking if he would get in touch

The letter is signed with first and last name but no contact number or address

would I be unreasonable to do nothing? I feel if I start trying to see if I have previous owners forwarding address still then I’m sticking my nose in something that doesn’t involve me.
equally, I feel if I do nothing then this person will assume previous owner has received the letter and chosen not to reach out.

what would you do, if anything?

LOL you do realise we can click the 'edited' button and see your (lovely!) original response don't you?

That’s way too much to do nothing with, you shouldn’t have opened it for one thing but as someone has gone to the trouble of sending it signed for and it’s obviously important I’d either take to a post office or try and get the address of the person. Some poor person (the sender) is out there wondering what will happen next.

Of course you should help

If i didnt feel comfy forwarding it id return it saying not at this address for 7 years

I always thought that the post office would ask for even just a postcode as return address and put it on the envelope so the post office can return it to sender if they can’t deliver it.

The letter was NOT addressed to the previous owner! The envelope had no name on it at all, it had only OP's address. So how was she supposed to know that it wasn't for her? The confusion is that OP said it was addressed to the previous occupant, but she also says the envelope had no name on it, just her address. When she says "addressed" she means that the letter inside was written to the previous occupant. As in, they addressed him.

For the many replies who say OP shouldn't have opened the letter,

1. The envelope had only OP's address. It had no name at the top of the address at all.
2. Inside, the writer addressed the former occupant.

OP, call me suspicious, but I'm wondering if this someone's way of trying to find out who lives there now. With a first and last name, they may assume you will try to find them on social media, and then they know who you are. Maybe it's a dodgy person who knows the house and therefore thinks it would be easy to burgle. They may want you to find them on social media, so that they can see if you're a man or a woman, if you live alone, if you have a big dog etc. Even if they don't know the house, if they can get you to contact them on social media, they can still glean a lot about you. Especially if you post when you're going on holiday....or you have your birth date on Facebook, as many do. Big piece of info for someone looking to commit identity fraud.

It's quite an ingenious way to case a joint, if you think about it.

I would chuck it away and give it no more thought. If it's genuine, the person shouldn't have been so weird about it. No name on the envelope? No address or email or phone number from the writer? Get out!

This is what I’d do. I’d forward it to the estate agent with a little covering note saying ‘we bought (address) seven years ago through you. I have received the following letter; if you have contact details for the previous owner please ensure they get it - please don’t return it to me as I am unable to be involved further’

Not your problem. And even if you, personally, were the long lost parent to this person ….. you’d still not be able to do anything?!!

I am an adult adoptee who has been involved in a reunion process. You might send a signed for letter to someone but never without a name on the envelope. That is just bizarre and would defeat any desire for discretion. Also, no return address??? Sounds like a trouble maker to me and I wouldnt do anything. If it is legit and they don't get a response maybe they will do some proper research on the address.

You shouldn’t have opened it. I received a letter at our old house for the previous owner handwritten and had no idea where to forward and no address to return. I did look for the person on facebook and sent a message but got no reply

The. Letter. Had. No. Name. On. The. Envelope.

Exactly; sounds like a troublemaker. They want the current resident to get in touch with them on social media so they can see her photos and whether she has anything worth stealing, when she's going on holiday, if she's a man or a woman, whether she lives alone, has a big dog, etc.

I wouldn't touch it with a barge-pole. Straight in the bin.

The no name on the envelope or return address suggests they could be trying to shame someone, primarily. There is also no evidence the 'real child', if there is one, wrote it.

If the house move was 7 years ago, the 'paperwork' will be in your email inbox, not in the loft. You only need the name & address of the seller's solicitor, which will be on the sales memo from the estate agent and other docs too.

Yes sorry. I saw that straight after and came back to correct myself.

wow how unkind to do nothing. Unimaginable to me.

Put it back in the post box with not known at this address written on it

.

If there are no contact details then if the previous owner is the right person this potential child must’ve already been known to them and they would have a way of contacting them.

I would put it back in the post with your address crossed out and write ‘return to sender’ and then the post office can work out whether or not they can track it back with the special delivery.

I can see a misguided relative doing this tbh.

I would put the letter in a fresh envelope with the old envelope details (your address) on it, "not known at this address" and bung it baxck in a post box.

We moved home a little less than seven years ago. Apart from the odd email to and from solicitors and estate agents to confirm small details everything was done on paper. Like OP l have a file full of copies of the conveyancing stuff and the contracts. And l doubt the solicitor would get involved without charging. All OP needs to do is write NK at this address and put it back in the post box.

They might charge the seller. They wouldn't charge the op.

An estate agent definitely wouldn't operate a mail forwarding service.

I would return to Royal Mail, if it was a 'signed for' letter they may have some tracking information.