Mail redirection - is this legal?

richiethekid

Earlier this year my parents moved to Spain and asked if they could use my address for correspondence as they need a UK address for certain things. I agreed to this but the volume of mail was huge and they expected me to open everything, discard the junk and forward the important stuff to them. This proved to be a real ball-ache and I was getting sick of it, plus I have enough on my plate with a full-time job, toddler etc etc. So they agreed to have their mail redirected to their new address in Spain. As I understand it they've paid for a year with the intention of renewing it for a further two years (which is the maximum period of time an international redirection can run for) at which time they'll have to make some other arrangements.

The thing is, they did this knowing that we're moving out of the property, at which point they'll cease to have any connection with the address at all, with it being a rented house. I advised them that they'll need to use another address as the landlord is moving back in and isn't happy about someone he doesn't know using his address. My dad insists he has a legal right to use the address and the landlord can't stop him from doing it. Surely this can't be right? They use the address as if they live there so banks, credit card companies, the DVLA and HMRC think they live there. I've pointed out that the landlord has no way of knowing that my dad won't default on his credit card or something and end up causing a load of hassle. I don't really have time to be dealing with this but as usual I end up caught in the middle and I don't want to implicated if it turns out any of this is illegal.

Sorry for the war and peace post but hopefully someone has some advice.

Cheers.

dmg24

Why does your Dad think he has a legal right to use the address? That is crazy!

I don't know the specific law on the subject, but I would say that what he is planning to do is fraudulent.

noh

Your Father is being fraudulent in his dealings with the banks and other institutions as he is telling them he has a permanent address in the UK when that is not the case.



Nigel

noh

albertross wrote: »

why don't they just tell hmrc etc where they do live.

Probably because most of the Banks and credit card companys will only allow accounts to be held by individuals with a UK address.

Nigel

richiethekid

Yes it is crazy, but they really can't be bothered with their own post so I suspect they're just too lazy to change their address again. Really they could have just redirected mail from their previous address and saved all the hassle.

Apparently when you move abroad there's no legal requirement to notify the DVLA, though that doesn't make sense to me. What happens if you come back to visit family, hire a car and get flashed by a speed camera or stopped by the police? Alright, not stopped by the police, but who pays the fixed penalty?

What happens when Royal Mail make a balls-up and don't redirect the mail? They've already redirected some of my post to Spain (which has delayed my house purchase, but that's another story) so who's to say they won't redirect the landlord's post as well?

What happens with anything sent by recorded or special delivery?

It's a stupid bloody idea.

richiethekid

No they don't have a car in the UK, but both their driving licenses have my address on them. So if the police had to track them down for something motoring-related, they'd look for them at my house, except it wouldn't be my house any more. I once had police knocking my door at 7am looking for a chap who'd moved out years before. With fixed penalty notices, the letter would go to the hire company asking who was driving the car at the time. They would look at their photocopy of the driving license and give the court my address. I'm not saying the currect occupier would be liable for it but it might cause them some inconvenience, not to mention make it much harder to find the actual culprit. But then, is it worth spending time and effort tracking someone down for a £60 fine?

knowledgeman

Your dads behaviour could land him in serious trouble

Most institutions have terms that it is the customers obligation to keep the details upto date, if he doesnt he could end up being liable for any fraud or issues that arise, its also worth baring in mind that not everything is sent by royal mail

Say a bank send a credit card by courier, your father could end up being liable if someone used it

You also have to realise that if a service isnt meant to be used in that country and your father is circumventing that again issues can arise

He should notify all firms of the correct spanish address and they will send to there, any service which cant be supplied to spain he should seek elsewere

Its the common sense approach for his own security but going by your post I think your father may lack this

melancholly

well you've passed on the message that the landlord isn't happy - what your parents decide to do is their business and not your responsbility. if all the post is automatically sent to spain anyway, chances are that the landlord can't really do anything, but i think your parents would be very very unwise to have their offical address as somewhere that they cannot access. it's inviting problems having bank statements sent there!

perhaps it's time for your parents to sort out their affairs properly in the UK, especially if they're not planning on moving back?

hjb123

I really dont get why your dad thinks he has a legal right to use the address - the only way I could see that happening is if he is the owner/landlord of it

jeanssis

I bet your parents still keep their UK Dr & maybe a UK NHS dentist too & if they're ill or want the dentist they'll come back to the UK for free treatment (in the case of Dr & hospitals) & reduced cost for dentist compared with having to pay privately in Spain which isn't legal once you've lived in Spain over 6 months. We have a place in Spain but we're non residents. Different story till we move over. Then we'll have to give up our right to free treatment in the UK.

Your parents should be more respectful of you. It's nothing to do with you if you move out, that should be an end to this practice. If you've told them it isn't going to happen just how does your dad think he's going to get his mail ? He's living in cloud cuckoo land if he thinks the landlord's going to send mail on. This is plum crazy.

Regarding their driving licences it is illegal not to notify DVLA of your new address.

olly300

The OP dad is commiting fraud plain and simply by using his credit cards etc with the wrong address when he knows this information is wrong.

see http://www.opsi.gov.uk/ACTS/acts2006/pdf/ukpga_20060035_en.pdf
section 3

Most financial companies and government departments make this a specific term in their terms and conditions.