Moved to my new place many months ago, but I still keep getting post addressed to people that no longer lives in the address. I usually just send them back through the postbox but some of them get delivered back to me. I don’t fully understand how this system so I’m a bit irritated that this happens. Am I allowed to open the letters to see where they came from just so I can reach out to whomever sent it to tell them the addressee no longer lives in the address?
7 comments
Are you crossing through the address and marking the envelope “return to sender” in big letters?
Print out a pile of address stickers saying “NO LONGER AT THIS ADDRESS. RETURN TO SENDER.
Lived in my house for 5 years now and I still get letters for the previous owner from the same sender .. first year I crossed out the name and wrote that they didn’t live here any longer but another one would show up a few weeks later.. no now I just bin them
Yes. It’s not Illegal in the uk to open them under most circumstances and opening them to find the sender is legitimate.
On a practical level, get a marker pen and you’ll be able to cross out your address.
I think if it’s still visible then it may get sorted automatically and redelivered. (I am not sure if the postie is allowed to not deliver it if it’s got as far as their bag)
You need to mark it as “Return to sender” otherwise it’ll just get delivered again.
Fun tip. Tear up the envelope a bit and RM put it in a plastic bag that says “this was damaged by our machines”
I used to do this with school reports when I was a kid
Cross out your address so they can’t read it to send it back.
Open it. You are not breaking the law by opening mail delivered to your address. Depending on who the sender is, inform them that you moved in on X date and the person on the letter no longer lives here.
There are certain types of writ and warrant that are enforceable against the address regardless of who lives there. For example the enforced fitting of a prepayment meter. If you ignore mail the first you’ll know about it is the bailiffs knocking on the door and by then it’s too late.