Old Mail in a Communal Flat

shadow47

I used to live in a flat that had a communal mail system.

I suspect that the old mail either gets thrown out, or stolen by the unscrupulous resident/agency employees/landlord, possibly for the purposes of ID theft.

Are there any laws in place that must ensure that a LL/Agency takes care of old mail on a regular basis? Either post it in a mail box with 'return to sender' written on it, or dispose of it in a 'fraud free' place?

Are they allowed to just bin them or leave them hanging around for an ID thief to steal them?

I am a bit paranoid about my ID being stolen from that address, and would like to contact the LL/agent, informing them of the necessary laws, and to adhere to them or I will be prosecuting them.

Also, worst case scenario, if my ID does get stolen, can the LL/Agency be held liable because they left my mail hanging around in a communal place for weeks?

These are the same incompetent fools that stole by deposit when they never insured it.

shadow47

Is there a way to check my ID has not already been stolen?

Will it show up on Experian? (I signed up on Sunday).

warwicktiger

You could pay the post office for a mail redirect to your current address?

shadow47

warwicktiger wrote: »

You could pay the post office for a mail redirect to your current address?

£40 per year?

Not bad for peace of mind

I shall have to set it up.

irishcol

shadow47 wrote: »

I used to live in a flat that had a communal mail system.

I suspect that the old mail either gets thrown out, or stolen by the unscrupulous resident/agency employees/landlord, possibly for the purposes of ID theft.

Are there any laws in place that must ensure that a LL/Agency takes care of old mail on a regular basis? Either post it in a mail box with 'return to sender' written on it, or dispose of it in a 'fraud free' place?

Are they allowed to just bin them or leave them hanging around for an ID thief to steal them?

I am a bit paranoid about my ID being stolen from that address, and would like to contact the LL/agent, informing them of the necessary laws, and to adhere to them or I will be prosecuting them.

Also, worst case scenario, if my ID does get stolen, can the LL/Agency be held liable because they left my mail hanging around in a communal place for weeks?

These are the same incompetent fools that stole by deposit when they never insured it.

I would have thought that it's your responsibility to change your address when you move house. Most companies, including banks, allow you to do this online.

With the ability to get the post office to forward your post (as already mentioned - see https://www.royalmail.com/delivery/inbound-mail/redirections/prices ) - you probaby wouldn't have any comeback on the letting agent if they haven't forwarded on your post.

EDIT: PS - I know you've already got your answer, but thought I'd add the link for anyone else in a similar position.

anselld

shadow47 wrote: »

I suspect that the old mail either gets thrown out, or stolen by the unscrupulous resident/agency employees/landlord, possibly for the purposes of ID theft.

It would be against the law to steal mail with the intent to defraud. However there are no other obligations on how it must be treated. As above, make sure you get it redirected.

If you are seriously worried about ID fraud follow this advice and if appropriate register for CIFAS Protective Registration.

ognum

My personal opinion is that it is up to you to arrange redirection of your mail. As a householder it is extremely annoying to be made responsible for the redirection of other peoples post.

Anything that is important you should contact the supplier, if it's trash mail expect it to be put in the rubbish.

Most suppliers have an on line method of bill receipt so arrange that rather than hard copy.

tbs624

shadow47 wrote: »

I used to live in a flat that had a communal mail system.

I suspect that the old mail either gets thrown out, or stolen by the unscrupulous resident/agency employees/landlord, possibly for the purposes of ID theft.

Are there any laws in place that must ensure that a LL/Agency takes care of old mail on a regular basis? Either post it in a mail box with 'return to sender' written on it, or dispose of it in a 'fraud free' place?

Are they allowed to just bin them or leave them hanging around for an ID thief to steal them?

I am a bit paranoid about my ID being stolen from that address, and would like to contact the LL/agent, informing them of the necessary laws, and to adhere to them or I will be prosecuting them.

Also, worst case scenario, if my ID does get stolen, can the LL/Agency be held liable because they left my mail hanging around in a communal place for weeks?

These are the same incompetent fools that stole by deposit when they never insured it.

Shadow47 - you perhaps need to start taking some personal responsibility for the basics of adult life.

You have posted on this board about

(a)having left rental properties without settling your utility bills and not knowing how much your debts actually are
(b) leaving a rental property in a mess on exit from your tenancy

and now this.

Your post is your own responsibility - as others have said, you should have redirected your post and notified banks etc of your change of address.As well as RM redirection service, see also iammoving.com

Why would you consider it an LAs responsibility to deal with your mail ( as a former T) if you have been too lazy to ensure that your correct address is held on file with the relevant organisations?

shadow47

So just because a tenant is immature and lacks life skills they were never taught, the LL is allowed to just do what the hell they like with my mail?

steve1980

shadow47 wrote: »

So just because a tenant is immature and lacks life skills they were never taught, the LL is allowed to just do what the hell they like with my mail?

If you're lacking life skills and immature then you shouldn't have rented a private property in the first place.

Grow some and quick.

shadow47

tbs624 wrote: »

(b) leaving a rental property in a mess on exit from your tenancy

Not true,

The agency checked the state of the property while I was still a tenant, I cleaned the flat BEFORE the tenancy was up, re-filled a few tiny holes in the flat, removed all furniture.

They tried to claim I left furniture in the flat, however I can PROVE this as untrue because I gave that piece of furniture away to a friend.

Again they can confirm this and I'm going to make this agency's life a living hell until I get my deposit back and maybe even some compensation due to their incompetence and awful management skills.