Receiving mail at rental house for people we don't know, concerned about fraud?

Cissi

For an easy life, maybe just plead ignorance? After all, it's really unfair of her to put this on you, so I don't think you need to feel too guilty! You have no obligation whatsoever to act as mailbox for people that you don't even know!!!

thelem

purple.sarah wrote: »

what should we say to the land lady if she asks if we received it?

If she asks I'd let her know that you've sent it back. Hopefully then you'll avoid having the same problem again in the future. Be nice about it though: "Oh, we just return everything to sender as adressee unknown, but I'm sure your friend will be able to get it resent to their address if they call the sender."

Yorkie1

artbaron wrote: »

It wouldn't take a genius barrister to make the case that purposely opening mail not addressed to you which clearly contains a bank card could be construed as acting not in the interests of the addressee. Furthermore the offence is also one of wilfully preventing delivery. Hence my advice that mail may be opened accidentally but to do so purposely - and then crow about it - is not a great idea.

You are confusing two separate offences.

Postal Services Act 2000 s.84(1) is the first offence:
(1)A person commits an offence if, without reasonable excuse, he—
(a)intentionally delays or opens a postal packet in the course of its transmission by post, or
(b)intentionally opens a mail-bag.

The letter has been delivered as soon as the postie puts it through the letter box. So this offence does not come into play.

Section 84(3) is the offence we are discussing.
(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.

You need all the elements before it is an offence - you have to prove intent, lack of reasonable excuse, and knowledge it has been incorrectly delivered.

If mail has been posted to an address where a person does not reside, it is perfectly reasonable to open it to ascertain a return address and/or determine the appropriate course of conduct in respect to the mail.

purple.sarah

Cissi wrote: »

Definitely send this back marked "not known at this address". Not only do you not want to be part of any possibly dodgy dealings, but you don't want the address where you're the official resident to be associated with any bad credit etc!

If the address is associated with bad credit will it automatically be associated with our names? I think the previous tenant has a CCJ for unpaid council tax. What a mess!

walter_the_softie

I am so surprised at the replies to your question that I have registered to reply to you myself.

I am renting and I have two sets of friends who have moved for a few years to Saudi and Qatar respectively, both of whom have mail sent to my address so I can pass it on in person when I see them, because mail cannot reliably be sent to where they are. When I move, it may well be that someone forgets to alert a card provider, and only realises when they need to track the card down.

Do you not give your landlady any credit at all for your experience of her behaviour to date? "Our land lady has been lovely previously, very hands off, ok with us owning pets, never inspects the property, lets us decorate etc". She sounds one in a million - my advice would be not to poison your relationship with what sounds like a perfect landlady by insinuating that she is doing something illegal, as opposed to what is far more likely, merely helping out a friend or a past tenant.

Why on earth do you assume there is something fishy going on? Why not just pass on the letter?

Oli.s

Maybe the previous tennant rang the land lady to explain he had mistakenley forgot to change his credit card address and that it was mistakenly being sent to his old address so she has asked you to look out for it so it can be passed to him?

Yorkie1

purple.sarah wrote: »

If the address is associated with bad credit will it automatically be associated with our names? I think the previous tenant has a CCJ for unpaid council tax. What a mess!

Credit issues relate to people and not to addresses. Don't worry about that.

olly300

walter_the_softie wrote: »

I am so surprised at the replies to your question that I have registered to reply to you myself.

I am renting and I have two sets of friends who have moved for a few years to Saudi and Qatar respectively, both of whom have mail sent to my address so I can pass it on in person when I see them, because mail cannot reliably be sent to where they are. When I move, it may well be that someone forgets to alert a card provider, and only realises when they need to track the card down.

You can do what you like while you are living in the property but once you move out if you forget to forward their and your mail, as they were not tenants named on the contract don't expect the landlord to forward their mail even if they forward yours when you move out.

In fact your landlord will think you are up to something dodgy.

Your friends' should use one of their relations particularly one with the same surname and who owns a property as a UK postal address.

walter_the_softie wrote: »

Do you not give your landlady any credit at all for your experience of her behaviour to date?

The fraudsters and conmen I've met have been very nice people. You can't rip people of if you are nasty to them.

walter_the_softie wrote: »

Why on earth do you assume there is something fishy going on? Why not just pass on the letter?

Simply put "Not known Return to sender" on the envelope, put it in a post box and the mail from banks, other financial institutions and lots of the junk mail will stop coming.

Then there will be no lies to the landlord.

Also it shouldn't take someone more than 3 months to change their address at the bank. Companies are much better than they use to be at changing people's addresses quickly when asked.

olly300

Oli.s wrote: »

Maybe the previous tennant rang the land lady to explain he had mistakenley forgot to change his credit card address and that it was mistakenly being sent to his old address so she has asked you to look out for it so it can be passed to him?

The credit card company/bank would appreciate it if the new tenant sent the card back to them.

That way they they can ensure the card holder will be forced to contact them and change their address to prevent statements going missing. This in turn decreases the risk of fraud on that account and so saves that financial insitution some money.

purple.sarah

walter_the_softie wrote: »

I am so surprised at the replies to your question that I have registered to reply to you myself.

I am renting and I have two sets of friends who have moved for a few years to Saudi and Qatar respectively, both of whom have mail sent to my address so I can pass it on in person when I see them, because mail cannot reliably be sent to where they are. When I move, it may well be that someone forgets to alert a card provider, and only realises when they need to track the card down.

Do you not give your landlady any credit at all for your experience of her behaviour to date? "Our land lady has been lovely previously, very hands off, ok with us owning pets, never inspects the property, lets us decorate etc". She sounds one in a million - my advice would be not to poison your relationship with what sounds like a perfect landlady by insinuating that she is doing something illegal, as opposed to what is far more likely, merely helping out a friend or a past tenant.

Why on earth do you assume there is something fishy going on? Why not just pass on the letter?

It's up to you if you choose to let your friends have their mail sent to your address but I have not given permission for anyone to have their mail sent to my address. My land lady does not live here and neither to do her friends so why should they use this address with their bank? I don't think the card provider allows the card to be sent to an address where the customer is not living, that's why it seems fishy. I don't know why someone would forget to alert a card provider they had moved, my bank was the first organisation I informed to avoid my card or details being sent to the wrong address!

I do give my land lady credit, which is why I mentioned her good points, but some of her behaviour, like having her mail and her friend's mail sent to an address where none of them are living, is raising red flags.