Keep getting mail for previous house owner....

[E65Ross]

I moved into my current house in November 2017 and I'm still getting what would appear to be fairly important mail.....still getting stuff from HM Revenue & Customs, hospital letters (I only know this because it says patient ID just below the address....

On numerous occasions I have returned the letters with the address crossed out saying "return to sender, addressee no longer at this address", and I still get mail coming in from the same people (including customs etc).

It is not exactly a big deal but it's perhaps a bit concerning HM R&C are still sending his mail here....!? I'm not sure I can be bothered to keep going to a post box to return it. What should I do?

Cheers

[Rewe]

I’ve been in my current house for 4 years and still get mail. I just chuck it in the recycling bin now.

[matt666]

Same here, I get mail for the ones before the ones before me. Also from HMRC, I’ve informed them but they still keep sending them. I’ve done my best, they go in the bin now.

[p4cks]

Rewe said:

I’ve been in my current house for 4 years and still get mail. I just chuck it in the recycling bin now.

And it'll continue unless you implement a solution.

The solution being writing 'NATA - RTS' on the envelope and sticking it in a post box, eventually the sender will update their records (it might take a few attempts) and you won't receive any more correspondence for that person.

[Chris Jay]

I had this for a few years, put them back in the post marked 'NO LONGER AT THIS ADDRESS'.

They will disappear eventually.

Edited by Chris Jay on Wednesday 19th June 20:19

[anonymous-user]

Or open the letters and call the sender?

[soad]

garyhun said:

Or open the letters and call the sender?

Data protection etc? You don’t have a forwarding address anyway.

[anonymous-user]

soad said:

garyhun said:

Or open the letters and call the sender?

Data protection etc? You don’t have a forwarding address anyway.

I’ve opened letters like this in the past (utilities and HMRC iirc) and just called up the sender and the problem has been solved instantly.

There’s no need for a forwarding address, just tell them the person does not live where they think.

[Monkeylegend]

You wouldn't even need to open the HMRC letters.

Either that or you could open it and be a good samaritan and pay their tax bill.

[orangesrule]

I'm over 5 years at being in this property and still receive documents and info.

Beggars belief really, i usually just mark as return to sender.

[soad]

orangesrule said:

I'm over 5 years at being in this property and still receive documents and info.

Beggars belief really, i usually just mark as return to sender.

Perhaps pissed off overseas? Just a thought.

Although a French utilities company didn’t haven’t an issue forwarding bills to the U.K. address. Go figure.

[E65Ross]

Monkeylegend said:

You wouldn't even need to open the HMRC letters.

Either that or you could open it and be a good samaritan and pay their tax bill.

I'll pass on that one

[Monkeylegend]

E65Ross said:

Monkeylegend said:

You wouldn't even need to open the HMRC letters.

Either that or you could open it and be a good samaritan and pay their tax bill.

I'll pass on that one

[pghstochaj]

p4cks said:

And it'll continue unless you implement a solution.

The solution being writing 'NATA - RTS' on the envelope and sticking it in a post box, eventually the sender will update their records (it might take a few attempts) and you won't receive any more correspondence for that person.

I worked a summer job in a department to deal with returned mail at one of the big utility companies. They got about 3 sacks per day and I guess there could have been 500 letters per sack. It was crazy, lots of people clearly misunderstood and would put a cheque or cash in and RTS, others were house moves, errors on the system, dodgy landlords or tenants, dodgy people that were avoiding paying etc.

Why is this relevant? The department was set up that summer by us and before then, the RTS sacks were just shredded. There were 8 of us I think and some managed to process one per hour and others 100 per shift of 8 hours but we only worked 24 hours a week I think. I would say the team of 8 processed about 500 per week against the, I would guess, 5000-10000 that was RTS each day. Frightening. I think it was disbanded after the summer but as I was returning to university I can’t be sure.

That might be the exception to the rule but from that experience I always query the use of RTS.

I still get post from the previous owner of this house, lots of formal stuff to do with their businesses and bank accounts but also a winter fuel allowance letter for somebody I have never heard of and as far as I know never lived here. I tried to tell the sender via phone as I considered it possible fraud (is it dfwp, I can’t remember) and they just said RTS!

[anonymous-user]

I used to RTS as unknown, even called the companies a few times, now they are filed in the shredder.

[SEDon]

Got fed up of writing on them as there was so many so bought some 'Return to Sender' stickers off ebay. They've almost stopped now

[edc]

I wrote to Santander on their Facebook page and asked how interested the ICO would be with bank statements coming to my address for a previous owner. I also posted a photo of the RTS scribbled envelope. They messaged me quite quickly and assured me it would stop and so far it has.

[Robbo 27]

Take care because I got into a fight about this.

I sent mail back that was mail coming to my house which was addressed to the previous owner. One day a debt collector turned up, asked me to prove who I was, I showed him my driving licence as I stood at the door. He started giving me some lip saying that I was bound to know where the previous owner now lived, I didnt. He wanted to come in and see if the previous owner was on the property, I said No. My dog was at my side and picked up on this change of tone, she started barking. The debt collector moved his leg back to kick her, I pushed him so hard that he fell back and hit his head. He called the police who told him to move on.

[anonymous-user]

Robbo 27 said:

Take care because I got into a fight about this.

I sent mail back that was mail coming to my house which was addressed to the previous owner. One day a debt collector turned up, asked me to prove who I was, I showed him my driving licence as I stood at the door. He started giving me some lip saying that I was bound to know where the previous owner now lived, I didnt. He wanted to come in and see if the previous owner was on the property, I said No. My dog was at my side and picked up on this change of tone, she started barking. The debt collector moved his leg back to kick her, I pushed him so hard that he fell back and hit his head. He called the police who told him to move on.

He sounds like the worlds worst debt collector
.....

[E65Ross]

garyhun said:

Robbo 27 said:

Take care because I got into a fight about this.

I sent mail back that was mail coming to my house which was addressed to the previous owner. One day a debt collector turned up, asked me to prove who I was, I showed him my driving licence as I stood at the door. He started giving me some lip saying that I was bound to know where the previous owner now lived, I didnt. He wanted to come in and see if the previous owner was on the property, I said No. My dog was at my side and picked up on this change of tone, she started barking. The debt collector moved his leg back to kick her, I pushed him so hard that he fell back and hit his head. He called the police who told him to move on.

He sounds like the worlds worst debt collector
.....

Not the nicest story though. I think if this happened to me I certainly wouldn't show him ID unless he shows me some form of ID.