Still receiving post for previous house owners

[Deleted User]

We bought our first house in June last year and are still regularly getting post through addressed to the previous owners. Most of it seems unimportant e.g. leaflets, typical junk mail but other items seem a bit more official, e.g. things from HMRC. Although I’ve not opened any of the post to check (it seems a bit intrusive?), I believe the man owned his own business and I’m pretty sure some of the post has been things like invoices.

I don’t have any contact details for them so I can’t let them know.

Am I under any obligation to do anything? Or is it suffice to expect that after 15 months they should have got all of their address details updated by now?

Comms69

From day 1, it should all be binned. Then you set no precedent.

NaughtiusMaximus

Just write return to sender on all of them, not much else you can do really.

Cardinal-Red

I don't think you're under an obligation (other than not to open it) but I found putting it back in the post box with "return to sender" on it tended to reduce things for us over time.

This is assuming it's official enough to have a return address on it.

If it's not, you can write "Misdelivered" I believe on it and Royal Mail do something with it.

chib

We had a similar issue, as above I'd put a line through their name/my address (Still readable) and write "Return to sender - no longer at address" on the front then pop it into the mailbox.

Lespaul1960

I don't agree with binning other peoples mail from day one. The official looking items I would just pop back in the post, clearly marked please return to sender.

Petite_Anglaise

In our rental property, we received quite a lot of post for previous tenants.

I would cross through the address and just write- "please return to sender, no longer at this address"

Although throwing the post directly in the bin might be an instant solution to the problem, the post will just keep coming.

How else will the sender know that the addressee is no longer there?

With post having no return address, that is trickier, but I think it should be returned to Royal Mail as above.

theartfullodger

The quality of glue these days is terrible, it's amazing how much mail "falls open" when it hits the mat.

Grenage

I'm still returning the off bit of mail one year on, but it's getting less frequent. I just keep it in a drawer until I know I'm passing the postbox.

[Deleted User]

Thanks everyone. I will try returning it!

marliepanda

Cardinal-Red wrote: »

I don't think you're under an obligation (other than not to open it) but I found putting it back in the post box with "return to sender" on it tended to reduce things for us over time.

This is assuming it's official enough to have a return address on it.

If it's not, you can write "Misdelivered" I believe on it and Royal Mail do something with it.

You can open it, as long as you're not doing it to their detriment, aka to commit fraud, things like that.

Its addressed to the OP's address. They can absolutely open it.