Legal position - other people's post?

[thismonkeyhere]

Long story short: Useless tossers who perviously owned our house obviously paid Royal mail for 6 months redirection, but during that time then didn't actually bother telling any of the organisations mailing them that they have moved addresses. Stacks coming through to us now, ranging from wine clubs and clothing catalogues, to pensions, credit cards and HMRC!

We have pushed loads back into the system, with 'no longer at this address' written on, but still it keeps coming.

So - legally - what are our obligations? Can we start binning it?

[anonymous-user]

Yeah just chuck it. Ten years later I'm still getting mail for the previous owners of my place. I've binned every bit of mail that's not for me, unless it's obviously for a neighbour, just been put through the wrong door.

This whole "illegal to mess with other people's post" is just paranoia, IMO, if you've got a letter through your door, then who's to know it's gone in the bin? Don't worry about it for more than, oh, 2 seconds, then JFDI.

(I'm not talking about birthday cards or other obvious valuable st, just the unwanted mailshot crap.)

[JustinP1]

thismonkeyhere said:

Useless tossers who perviously owned our house

I glanced at that the first time and read that as Title Deed legalese for running a house of 'ill repute'....

To answer your question though, I've been in the same position. It's a lot less agro just to put it all in a cardboard box. If they don't come back for that cardboard box for a couple of years, it's safe to bin it.

[N Dentressangle]

I take one of 5 approaches, in order of effectiveness and whether I can be arsed:

1. Bin, but this just means the junk keeps coming

2. Write 'return to sender' on it and re-post. Doesn't seem to have any effect - the junk keeps coming

3. Send on to the forwarding address if they're nice people and it looks personal (Last but one owners)

4. If it looks like debt collection / bills / official stuff, open it and get in touch with whoever sent it, asking them to not send any more and make a bit more effort to track the new address down. I don't want CCJ's etc linked to my address, or identity theft (Last owners - thanks guys).

5. Email whoever sent it and ask them to quit it and remove from the mailing list

A combination of those seems to have solved the problem in 3 years or so.

[thismonkeyhere]

JustinP1 said:

I glanced at that the first time and read that as Title Deed legalese for running a house of 'ill repute'....

[LordHaveMurci]

We had this for a long time after we moved into our current home. We sent it on (forwarding address left by previous owner) for a while then started writing 'no longer at this address' & popping it back in the mail. Spoke to our postie about it & he told us to rip it in half & bin it.

[Mutley]

I moved to my house 4 years ago, but I keep getting mail for 1 person, it is statements regarding paying off a debt. I presume that debt is lodged against my property? So how did it not come up in searches etc?
Also, should I be contacting the people to let them know this person does not live here anymore?

[Rick101]

I took what looked to be important stuff round and popped it through their door.

After a year I just bin it.

[jesta1865]

IIRC there is provision under the law for you to open post that is not yours as long as you aren't doing it to cause the person trouble or illegal stuff.

i can't remember the details, but i'm sure one of the real legal people on here have quoted it in the past.

[Wings]

As a long standing landlord, when receiving either previous tenant's mail or mail for name's of people I don't recognise, then for fraud prevention I open the mail, and dependant upon the contents of the mail, I either bin the mail, or to prevent fraud I will contact the sender.

If the mail received is has the correct/my address, then it is neither illegal or criminal for me to open another person's mail, discourteous Yes, but certainly not as in your words a criminal act.

The Postal Services Act 2000 deals specifically with mail being open in transmission, by a person/s intending to act to another person's detriment, and without reasonable excuse of the same.

So any mail received at my address, if correctly addressed, is no longer in transmission, and i will open the same not in detriment to the named person.

Being a landlord of a residential property, can be fraught with danger, particularly through identity fraud and subsequently financial fraud. In the 20 years that i have been a landlord, I have reported my concerns to the Police, HMR&C, HMCS, DVLA, HM Land Registry, BCC, Action Fraud and several of the High Street Banks and Utility Service Companies.

[marshalla]

Wings said:

If the mail received is has the correct/my address, then it is neither illegal or criminal for me to open another person's mail, discourteous Yes, but certainly not as in your words a criminal act.

The Postal Services Act 2000 deals specifically with mail being open in transmission, by a person/s intending to act to another person's detriment, and without reasonable excuse of the same.

So any mail received at my address, if correctly addressed, is no longer in transmission, and i will open the same not in detriment to the named person.

Delivery is not enough for you to get away with it.

Section 84(3) covers mail which has been received : http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2000/26/part/V...

Again, the offence requires intent to act to the detriment of the true addressee.

[grumpyscot]

Put a sticker on each item with the people's new address and post it without a stamp. Sooner or later, when they've stumped up £1.20for a piece of junk mail, they'll sort it out. Either that, or put it all in a package and post it - again without a stamp!

[B'stard Child]

Took the first 10-12 years to stop 99% of the mail (for the previous owners of our house) combination of return to sender - contacting companies and in the early days dealing with Bailiffs on the doorstep wanting to seize goods to the value of.....

Always a gamble when buying a house from a Building society where the keys were handed back.

It was a mess when we got it but easy to fix things not so easy to deal with the other consequences of previous owners

[HQ2]

Wings said:

Being a landlord of a residential property, can be fraught with danger, particularly through identity fraud and subsequently financial fraud. In the 20 years that i have been a landlord, I have reported my concerns to the Police, HMR&C, HMCS, DVLA, HM Land Registry, BCC, Action Fraud and several of the High Street Banks and Utility Service Companies.

Crikey! They must love you. I look after the affairs of an elderly friend who owns 60 rural properties - I would think in the last 10 years we've contacted the utility companies a few times and none of the others.

As for the post - deal with it until your patience runs out, then bin/recycle.

Fraught with danger

[BobSaunders]

Getting letters from someone that has never lived at the house - so far credit cards, car insurance, loans, benefit reminders, disability information, car tax reminders etc. I just bin it.

Gave up sending it back a long time ago.

[ging84]

grumpyscot said:

Put a sticker on each item with the people's new address and post it without a stamp. Sooner or later, when they've stumped up £1.20for a piece of junk mail, they'll sort it out. Either that, or put it all in a package and post it - again without a stamp!

There is no charge for this
actually there is a charge if you put it in a package
but just redirected to a new address costs nothing

[Cliftonite]

ging84 said:

There is no charge for this
actually there is a charge if you put it in a package
but just redirected to a new address costs nothing

So long as the original addressee's name is still visible.

[stuart313]

I get a fair few debt collectors letters for the previous owner of my house which I bought as a repo off the bank, one even said they had proof that he still lived there, I just bin them after I have had a read. However in the 5 years of living there I have never had any debt collectors or bailiffs knock on the door.

[pork911]

Wings said:

As a long standing landlord, when receiving either previous tenant's mail or mail for name's of people I don't recognise, then for fraud prevention I open the mail, and dependant upon the contents of the mail, I either bin the mail, or to prevent fraud I will contact the sender.

If the mail received is has the correct/my address, then it is neither illegal or criminal for me to open another person's mail, discourteous Yes, but certainly not as in your words a criminal act.

The Postal Services Act 2000 deals specifically with mail being open in transmission, by a person/s intending to act to another person's detriment, and without reasonable excuse of the same.

So any mail received at my address, if correctly addressed, is no longer in transmission, and i will open the same not in detriment to the named person.

Being a landlord of a residential property, can be fraught with danger, particularly through identity fraud and subsequently financial fraud. In the 20 years that i have been a landlord, I have reported my concerns to the Police, HMR&C, HMCS, DVLA, HM Land Registry, BCC, Action Fraud and several of the High Street Banks and Utility Service Companies.

oh behave - what does opening it add over and above mere return to sender - no longer here / never been here? ESPECIALLY when its addressed to a previous tenant?

[Wings]

pork911 said:

oh behave - what does opening it add over and above mere return to sender - no longer here / never been here? ESPECIALLY when its addressed to a previous tenant?

It is not unusual for previous tenants to encourage debt before ending their tenancy. Foreign students are particularly keen on opening UK bank accounts, before returning home. I can recall one tenant, who once he started to receive debt letters from his utility supplier/s, would simply change his (the tenant's name) name, thereby opening a new account with the gas, electric, water supplier.

Any rental property with lots of visual bell pushes and/or mailboxes, is a prime target for fraudsters etc. etc.

The duty of every departing tenant is to redirect their mail, if they fail to do the same, then I am not going to do it for them.