Forwarding previous tenants mail

izoomzoom

I manage the rented property of my friend who is out of the country.

Two months ago, the tenant moved out (after giving notice etc), and about a month ago, collared me on my way home one day and asked if I could collect her mail, and she would pop around mine later.

I did that favour, but now they have popped by my house again, asking if there was any mail. I said there was, but just to knock on the new tenants door and she could just get it. Rented property is 4 houses away, so no great inconvenience and I could see tenants car there, but she wouldn't go there, so asked if I could drop the mail off at the old letting agency in town. I refused and said I wasn't a mail forwarding service, even mentioning royal mail, but that costs she says ....

Am I being unreasonable to refuse to forward / handle tenants mail ???

chris_m

izoomzoom wrote: »

Am I being unreasonable to refuse to forward / handle tenants mail ???

After two months? Not in the slightest IMO. That's plenty of time to advise correspondents of a new address and/or set up redirection.

BitterAndTwisted

Or walk a mere four houses away and collect it themselves.

OP if the ex-tenant comes round asking the same thing again tell them that you intend to return any more post received "return to sender" if they don't arrange re-direction.

You have no legal or moral obligation to deal with ex-tenants mail and neither do the current tenants

Catblue

Strange, though. She's happy to bother you about mail but not ask the previous tenant for it?

Are you sure she doesn't fancy you OP and this mail thing is just a way of getting to see you?

9wizard9

We're tenants in a house that gets a lot of mail for previous tenants, including a lot of court type mail for the last tenant (you can tell because it has a court return address on the back).

For the first few months we kept all the mail for the previous tenant, and periodically took it to the letting agent (who claimed to have a forwarding address). Then when the mail didn't stop coming from the same senders, we started sending it back to sender.

Eventually we tracked the previous tenant down on google (via a local business listing with his name on) and tried sending stuff directly on to his new address.

None of these things has stopped mail coming to us from the same senders, so it looks as if none of the parties concerned care. We've even had debt collectors round (which worried me given we were going to be applying for a mortgage soon!).

In the end it looks as if no-one cares, including the previous tenant. We've been approved for a mortgage, so it's not hurt our credit rating, so we're now just putting all the mail in the recycling bin.

I don't expect anyone who lives here next to forward any mail (though I'd thank them if they did). I'll be setting up redirection for as long as Royal Mail will let me, and will be making every effort to contact all who send me stuff. Frankly I think it's just polite.

So in answer to your original question - I think you've done more than enough, and would be inclined to just recycle anything new you receive.

Wee_Willy_Harris

I think it's only polite to forward mail for 2 - 4 weeks, give them chance to change address details with those companies. If they haven't by then (or set up Royal Mail redirection, which isn't expensive), I'd return to sender. You don't know what those letters are about or if appropriate action is being taken by the former tenant. Keep forwarding and you can expect court papers, debt collectors, bailiffs, even the police (They tend to execute warrents VERY early in the morning). If it was important to the former resident, they'd have ensured that it got to them!

fitshase

We still get mail for the previous owners of our house (we bought the house over 2 years ago). We used to send the first couple of months' post to their new address as they left us some money for postage. That worked and the mail slowly dried up but now and again we get some post for them.

It goes in the recycle bin.

custardy

[QUOTE=Wee_Willy_Harris;32949459]I think it's only polite to forward mail for 2 - 4 weeks, give them chance to change address details with those companies. If they haven't by then (or set up Royal Mail redirection, which isn't expensive), I'd return to sender. You don't know what those letters are about or if appropriate action is being taken by the former tenant. Keep forwarding and you can expect court papers, debt collectors, bailiffs, even the police (They tend to execute warrents VERY early in the morning). If it was important to the former resident, they'd have ensured that it got to them![/QUOTE]

unless its unplanned theres no reason folks cant have change of address/redirection set up though

Hopejack

As per the other thread knocking about today on previous owners (I know this case is tenant) mail. Most people who do not get their mail forwarded do it because they do not want to be found - simple! It's very easy in this day and age to a) inform someone of a change of addres and b) set up a redirection for pennies!

I've had an issue in the past where mail kept coming, first 2 weeks I forwarded on, after that it was clear they weren't dealing with it so I 'returned to sender' with their vacation date on. It took a long time to get the mail stopped but it did eventually. Debt collection agencies and the like won't stop just because of a scribble on an envelope sadly! But if you are persistent it does stop eventually!

PS - It's not illegal to open mail addressed to someone else if it's been delivered to the correct address.... Often provides a useful insight into what is going on. I'm not condoning but it's just a little fact that is often mentioned on here (and often debated as to whether it is legal).

izoomzoom

LOL, it turns out that the choice of knocking on the new tenants door vs no more mail won.

And she has arranged with the new tenant to pop by once a month.

So why did I get the third degree :mad:

Hopejack

Very odd - surely it would just be easier (and more secure) for her to redirect until she tells everyone 'important' that she has changed address....