Legal requirement to send mail?

[ashleyman]

The guy who owned the place before we did cheaped out on a 3 month mail re-direct. We had NO post for the first month, then our own post started to trickle to the new address once everyone was updated.

After 3 months we were getting 4 or 5 letters a day addressed to the old owner. I had the new address but it was filed away and I was just stacking the letters up in a corner. Eventually we got a court summons dropped off, I refused it but the guy insisted I take it even though I had proof the man wasn't here anymore.

I decided I'd had enough and opened a few of the letters, the guy was in MASSIVE amounts of debt, was accumulating parking tickets like nothing I'd ever seen before. Then the bailiffs started showing up looking for him and again I was having to prove I wasn't the man they were looking for.

It's all gone quiet now, Croydon, Sutton and Kingston council are still sending car park fines, the debt collectors are still sending invoices, HMRC have just sent a tax return letter. DVLA sent the car tax reminder. - I only know these things as I'm getting the same post but addressed to me or matching up the addresses on the back with old letters.

We started off by doing RTS or not known here but they just kept coming. Now we just throw them in the bin.

EDIT:

Just to add, I spoke to the postman about it but he said that RM had a obligation to get the letters through the door they were addressed too and not just to the person. There's no way I could set up a re-direct you just to have live with RTS and hope the companies get the message.

Edited by ashleyman on Friday 15th April 09:02

[StratosGirl]

ashleyman said:

It's all gone quiet now, Croydon, Sutton and Kingston council are still sending car park fines, the debt collectors are still sending invoices, HMRC have just sent a tax return letter. DVLA sent the car tax reminder. - I only know these things as I'm getting the same post but addressed to me or matching up the addresses on the back with old letters.

We started off by doing RTS or not known here but they just kept coming. Now we just throw them in the bin.

That sounds like a nightmare!

[LordHaveMurci]

We had a word with our postie & he actually stopped delivering most of the unwanted mail, he told us to tear in half & bin anything else.

We still get the odd letter after 13yrs but very little.

[Spx]

There are three streets with the same name near me. I get the post of the guy who has a neopolitan mastif prowling the garden, the postmen aren't stupid and the dog knows me well now.

[StratosGirl]

Spx said:

There are three streets with the same name near me. I get the post of the guy who has a neopolitan mastif prowling the garden, the postmen aren't stupid and the dog knows me well now.

I bet.

[Escapegoat]

Why not write to the guy, telling him you're fed up with these letters and insist (as much as you can) that he contacts the sender and updates his address?

At the same time, inform him that when the next letter arrives you will tell the sender his new address yourself.

[357RS]

Escapegoat said:

. . .tell the sender his new address yourself.

You have a problem not of your making that includes bailiffs and having to prove who you are not.
The above is a simple and (hopefully) permanently effective solution.

I would.

[StratosGirl]

We have come to the conclusion that yes, we will have to provide some sort of forwarding address but hopefully his conveyancing solicitor's details will do. Thanks all.

[ashleyman]

Still getting letters addressed to the old tenant even after sending them all back with RTS.

Yesterday was a new experience, some guy came round looking for the previous tenant as he owed money on his TV license. The fella didn't get that he didn't live here anymore and wouldn't go away after we told him multiple times who we were, that we now lived here and we didn't know where the other guy was (lost the bit of paper) so had the door firmly slammed in his face. Saw him about 5 minutes later walk off down the road...

[SVTRick]

Gather them all up once a month and drop the lot back in the post box
I do this with all unwanted letters, junk mail, pizza menus and estate agents flyers etc etc etc.
Anything other than genuine mail gets dropped back