Mail Forwarding

Author
Discussion

AndyF52

Original Poster:

241 posts

89 months

Thursday 27th February 2020
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I am a private landlord and after months of hassle I Have finally got my tenant evicted due to non payment of several thousand pounds of rent. This tenant is now asking for any post that may have been delivered to the property. I politely replied that I will be happy to forward any post if he will kindly provide me with a forwarding address, or this is not forthcoming, I will, as Elvis sang, return to sender, address unknown. As you might imagine he is reluctant to provide an address.
My question is, what obligation do I, or perhaps more importantly, my new Tenant have with regards to mail delivered to a previous occupier. Do we legally have to deal with it or simply can we put it in the bin?

WinstonWolf

72,857 posts

238 months

Thursday 27th February 2020
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AndyF52 said:
I am a private landlord and after months of hassle I Have finally got my tenant evicted due to non payment of several thousand pounds of rent. This tenant is now asking for any post that may have been delivered to the property. I politely replied that I will be happy to forward any post if he will kindly provide me with a forwarding address, or this is not forthcoming, I will, as Elvis sang, return to sender, address unknown. As you might imagine he is reluctant to provide an address.
My question is, what obligation do I, or perhaps more importantly, my new Tenant have with regards to mail delivered to a previous occupier. Do we legally have to deal with it or simply can we put it in the bin?
They can and should go to the Post Office and set up a forward.

A500leroy

5,085 posts

117 months

Thursday 27th February 2020
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Friendly postie here. Tenant should set up a redirection but it is expensive. If the mail is posted kindly cross out the delivery address write R.T.S no longer lives here on the front and pop it in the nearest postbox, we'll do the rest.

Alucidnation

16,810 posts

169 months

Thursday 27th February 2020
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Approx £5/month isn't particularly expensive.

A500leroy

5,085 posts

117 months

Thursday 27th February 2020
quotequote all
Alucidnation said:
Approx £5/month isn't particularly expensive.
Depends on the context, a fiver a month to redirect 200 letters isnt expensive, fiver a month to redirect 2 letters is.

Stoofa

958 posts

167 months

Thursday 27th February 2020
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A500leroy said:
Depends on the context, a fiver a month to redirect 200 letters isnt expensive, fiver a month to redirect 2 letters is.
Not if one of those letters is informing you of a lottery win......
I've never left a property without putting a forward on for 12 months. So what if all you get is junk, there is bound to be something you've forgotten, someone you haven't spoken to in ages. I like to cover a festive period as that prompts people to make contact etc.

As for OP - they request to have mail forwarded and won't provide you with an address to forward to.
As you said, tell them to speak to Post Office and Return to Sender on anything that comes through.

AndyF52

Original Poster:

241 posts

89 months

Thursday 27th February 2020
quotequote all
Thanks for your replies. From my experience with Tenants who don’t pay rent, the majority of subsequent mail is from Debt Collection Agencies and for that reason they are reluctant to have mail forwarded by the Post Office thinking that the Debt will somehow disappear and not follow them to a new address.
I have no goodwill left for this individual who spun me a pack of lies for over 8 months and I have no desire to further tell him what to do, since he ignored all my polite requests to pay rent.

My question really addresses what my legal obligations are in this matter, not what the ex Tenant should do, because he won’t follow the sensible route as has been suggested above. My thoughts are that by asking for a forwarding address, i have made “reasonable steps” to have the mail forwarded. If he is not prepared to provide an address, then the post goes in the bin.

lewis87

361 posts

202 months

Thursday 27th February 2020
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If they have not put in a redirection with Royal Mail, just write that he has gone on all the post and put it in a post box or bin it.

Wings

5,811 posts

214 months

Thursday 27th February 2020
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As a LL myself, I always open former tenants mail, and any other mail correctly addressed and delivered to the rental property. All of the same mail, is then forwarded back to the sender's address. There are also occasions where I might insert a covering letter, the same raising any suspicious concerns I might have, ie. senders being Banks, DVLA, HMR&C, HMCS etc. etc..



markyb_lcy

9,904 posts

61 months

Thursday 27th February 2020
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Alucidnation said:
Approx £5/month isn't particularly expensive.
It is when only about 20% of the mail actually ends up getting forwarded, as was my experience.

A1VDY

3,575 posts

126 months

Thursday 27th February 2020
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Get him round to pick it up at an alloted time. Have someone in a car nearby watching and when he leaves carefully without arousing suspicion follow him back to his address. It may be he doesn't go back immediately but he will eventually.
You have his name and now his new address to pursue him for the rent he owes..

BertBert

18,955 posts

210 months

Thursday 27th February 2020
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The new tenant (or you as LL) can quite safely put the mail in the bin.

As a tenant (of nearly 4 years), I still get loads of post for previous tenants. I've long since run out of interest in writing RTS on the envelopes and putting them back in a post box.

Bert

CoolHands

18,496 posts

194 months

Thursday 27th February 2020
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He owes you, fk him. Ignore and bin. Can’t imagine why you would help him.

martinbiz

3,047 posts

144 months

Thursday 27th February 2020
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CoolHands said:
He owes you, fk him. Ignore and bin. Can’t imagine why you would help him.
This

The front some people have is amazing, he does you out of a few grand and then asks you to help out! Tell him A get a redirection set up and B go and do one

fooman

193 posts

63 months

Friday 28th February 2020
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Do you need their new addresses to start your own claim against them? I'd let them pick up post then follow them home for a few thousand. Otherwise they can GTFO it's their problem no legal need but I'd probably RTS mail for a while (for the senders sake) before just binning. Actually if they owed me money I'd be opening mail too first to see if there was anything that would help me.

Oldandslow

2,405 posts

205 months

Friday 28th February 2020
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I'd forward it on but it's going to be pricey for the ex tenant. A few hundred per item until your debt is cleared, in advance.

BertBert

18,955 posts

210 months

Friday 28th February 2020
quotequote all
Oldandslow said:
I'd forward it on but it's going to be pricey for the ex tenant. A few hundred per item until your debt is cleared, in advance.
You mean bin it then biggrin

Silverage

2,023 posts

129 months

Friday 28th February 2020
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I moved in to my current house over 11 years ago, and I am still getting a couple of letters a month addressed to the previous owners. I used to RTS them at first but I’ve long since lost interest in that and they just go straight into the recycling now.

I’m sure most if not all of it is just marketing stuff but surely these companies would realise that they’ve been sending stuff out for over 10 years with no take-up on their marvellous offers and give up?