Can I open someone else's post?

Sambucus_Nigra

kjmtidea wrote: »

Last week we received a letter for someone who doesn't live here, I put it to one side, asked around my road and my landlord but no one has heard of this person.

Today we have received another one, neither letters have a return address. My OH opened it, I told him not to because I am pretty sure that it is illegal?! He is sure that we are allowed to.

Anyway, the letter is from a solicitors asking for more information about a road accident, it dates back to 2002. The outstanding debt is over £90k :eek:. What should I do now? I kind of want to phone the solicitors and let them know that person no longer lives here but I really don't want to get into trouble for my OH opening the letter in the first place .
Any advice would be great thank you.

What sort of trouble? Have you ever heard of anyone getting into trouble for opening a letter that was addressed to their own address?

You asked 'can I open someone else's post' and as you have, then the answer is yes, you can. As of course you have a duty to inform the sender that the person isn't there, and they have left no forwarding address.

Just call them and tell them that they no longer live there. Job done.

custardy

Slinky wrote: »

See my posting above, RM don't do this anymore. No return address on the outside, chances are it will be binned.

not quite. It all depends on the method of postage used

maggie111

If I need to open someone else's post I will always say it was opened in error (they can't put you in prison for not checking the name on an envelope can they!).

In an old flat we lived in we received a credit card for the previous occupant! Didn't have a forwarding address so I rang the bank.

Where we live now the previous occupants moved to the USA and the house was unoccupied for a while before we moved in. We were getting post for them but it was junk so I was opening it to check it was junk and then binning it. I got a letter, was checking it wasn't junk and it was from a hospital - explained that included was the information they had requested, and apologised for losing their new address and hoping this would find their way to them. I'm very glad I opened it in error and I managed to get hold of their new address.

PurpleJay

You can either stick it back in the envelope, tape it up and put not at this address, or just ring the Solicitors and tell them you have opened it because there was no return address, you have lived there since X etc.

I work for a local authority legal dept and the office who deal with debt recovery would be happy to receive a call with this type of info so that they are not wasting time writing letters to the wrong address.

Our post goes out with no return address on the envelope but any 'not at this address' or 'return to sender' ones put back in the post do get opened by Royal Mail and returned to us.

Hope this helps

custardy

PurpleJay wrote: »

You can either stick it back in the envelope, tape it up and put not at this address, or just ring the Solicitors and tell them you have opened it because there was no return address, you have lived there since X etc.

I work for a local authority legal dept and the office who deal with debt recovery would be happy to receive a call with this type of info so that they are not wasting time writing letters to the wrong address.

Our post goes out with no return address on the envelope but any 'not at this address' or 'return to sender' ones put back in the post do get opened by Royal Mail and returned to us.

Hope this helps

so why dont you put a return address then?

Savvy_Sue

custardy wrote: »

so why dont you put a return address then?

I can answer this: if some people see it's from the council / someone they owe money to, they won't open it!

Used to work for a Housing Association, most of our mail went out franked with our address, but some letters would go out with just the franking, and a few would be hand addressed with a postage stamp, no return address.

custardy

Savvy_Sue wrote: »

I can answer this: if some people see it's from the council / someone they owe money to, they won't open it!

Used to work for a Housing Association, most of our mail went out franked with our address, but some letters would go out with just the franking, and a few would be hand addressed with a postage stamp, no return address.

well just put a postcode if its unique.
think its about time businesses were forced to put return addresses or pay for a return service.
running the Belfast office is just a massive cost

Savvy_Sue

custardy wrote: »

well just put a postcode if its unique.

and if it's not? we were only a small office.

I'd like to charge all the organisations who confuse our address with a large MOD establishment the other side of town ...

custardy

Savvy_Sue wrote: »

and if it's not? we were only a small office.

I'd like to charge all the organisations who confuse our address with a large MOD establishment the other side of town ...

you just add the building no.
its really not that complicated
seems strange to send mail out assuming someone will open it if it needs returned?

Tigsteroonie

I thought franked mail did have to have a return address on it now, as from a couple of years ago? In my last job, I seem to remember a change whereby we had to start stamping all outgoing mail with a return address.