New home owner and strange mail.

stu1892

Hi,
I'm sorry but I wasn't totally sure whether this was the correct place to post.

I have recently moved into a flat and since the sale was completed ive had a load of post.

90% of it not addressed to the previous owner, but to different people at my address all the time.

Thought this was a bit wierd, so i opened a couple and they're regarding debts.
Greenberg Group Limited sent one to Lorraine Charming. Robinson Way & Comp are debt collectors and they're after S McArdle.
That's just two. The rest, i put back in the post. All of which i've seen different names. Everything from offers at Boots to these payment warnings etc.

I'm not worried yet, but i have no idea what to do. Can anyone shed any light on this?

Cheers in advance

Planner

stu1892 wrote: »

Hi,
I'm sorry but I wasn't totally sure whether this was the correct place to post.

I have recently moved into a flat and since the sale was completed ive had a load of post.

90% of it not addressed to the previous owner, but to different people at my address all the time.

Thought this was a bit wierd, so i opened a couple and they're regarding debts.
Greenberg Group Limited sent one to Lorraine Charming. Robinson Way & Comp are debt collectors and they're after S McArdle.
That's just two. The rest, i put back in the post. All of which i've seen different names. Everything from offers at Boots to these payment warnings etc.

I'm not worried yet, but i have no idea what to do. Can anyone shed any light on this?

Cheers in advance

You are unlikley to get any constructive advice, however I guarantee you will get some hysterical posts telling you how you have broken the law by opening someone elses mail (You havent by the way).

Either ring the number and tell them that person doesnt live there any more or write moved away, return to sender on any future missives you recieve.

Burlesque_Babe

just send them all back with no longer at this address.

(and to echo Planner, no you haven't broken any laws by opening their post )

sarah_elton

I moved into mine three years ago and still get stuff.

Nothing to worry about - throw the junk away or return to sender. Anything re debts, call the company and say the person has left and you have no forwarding address - just to stop it getting escalated to debt collection agencies who will subsequently write.

Illegal or not, I've been doing this for the past three years and am not writing this from a jail cell.

stu1892

Thanks for the reply.

The wierd thing is, this is 10 letters for argument's sake and it's 10 different names.

Piggles12345

It is illegal to open other people's post, without a reasonable excuse. See Postal Sevice Act (2000: Section 84, Subsection 3).

However, I think receiving mail addressed to loads of different people at your address is probably fine.

You should write a generic letter to all of the companies just saying that Mr/Mrs/Dr X is unknown at this address.

Planner

Piggles12345 wrote: »

It is illegal to open other people's post, without a reasonable excuse. See Postal Sevice Act (2000: Section 84, Subsection 3).

I rest my case :rotfl:

It isnt by the way.

mlz1413

Def tell debt companies that person is not there as they send relentless amounts of mail and returning it will do no good at all.

It's a good idea to return mail 'gone away' as this does stop some of it.

I've had mail for people who used to live at my address for years and after 3 years of returning stuff I got stroppy with one collection agency - just as well I did as last month (Dec 08) the ex-resident applied for credit to buy something from my address 4 years after they left!!

Piggles12345

Planner wrote: »

I rest my case :rotfl:

It isnt by the way.

"84 Interfering with the mail: general...

...(3) A person commits an offence if, intending to act to a person’s detriment and without reasonable excuse, he opens a postal packet which he knows or reasonably suspects has been incorrectly delivered to him."

Taken from Postal Services Act 2000 (Section 83, subsection 3). Hence, it is illegal to open someone else's post without a valid excuse! However, in this case, the original poster would undoubtedly be understood to have a 'reasonable excuse'.

Planner

Piggles12345 wrote: »

"84 Interfering with the mail: general...

...(3) A person commits an offence if, intending to act to a person’s detriment and without reasonable excuse, he opens a postal packet which he knows or reasonably suspects has been incorrectly delivered to him."

Taken from Postal Services Act 2000 (Section 83, subsection 3). Hence, it is illegal to open someone else's post without a valid excuse! However, in this case, the original poster would undoubtedly be understood to have a 'reasonable excuse'.

No it isnt.

Its only illegal to open someones post if both (a) and (b) cannot be satisfied;

a) Has the opener acted to the detriment of the addresse
b) Reasonabole excuse.

The answer in this case is both yes.

So, to correct you again, it isnt illegal to open someone elses post with or without a valid excuse.

Piggles12345

Planner wrote: »

No it isnt.

Its only illegal to open someones post if both (a) and (b) cannot be satisfied;

a) Has the opener acted to the detriment of the addresse
b) Reasonabole excuse.

The answer in this case is both yes.

So, to correct you again, it isnt illegal to open someone elses post with or without a valid excuse.

One (a legal representative) could argue that it is to the detriment of an individual to open their post without permission.

When I moved house and began to receive strange mail, I was advised by a solicitor not to open the mail, as this could cause problems for me (I don't know what sort of problems) given its illegality, and instead to just return to sender with a note saying 'not known at this address'.