What to do with post for previous house owners?

LaHostessAvecLaMostess

Slithery said:

Bin it.   

This.

Almost everyone won't get the hint so there is little point wasting your energy taking it to a post box, having RM waste their energy sending it to Northern Ireland and then it being redistributed to a sender who doesn't care.

Chuck it in the bin and save everyone the effort.

I understand the desire to be helpful but the most effective way of being helpful is to toss it in the trash.

HampshireH

Yup rip it up and bin it. Only recycle it if removing personal details as you don't know whose hands it will end up in. 

Previous previous owners clearly aren't bothered about what mail they aren't receiving. They may not even be alive. Who knows

mlz1413

If it is junk mail I'd open it and ring the company to ask them to stop sending because they will never stop otherwise (may not even if you call).

Bank stuff I'd return as they do have a process to update records. 

Anything that looks like a debt I would open and ring the company,  advise the person has left and that you want the records updating to remove your address.  I say this from personal experience that debt companies sell on 'bad debts ' so you will get letters for years to come.

Owleyes00

lookstraightahead said:

aoleks said:

Wrote RTS on it and put back in the mailbox. Don’t do it for longer than 3 months, they should’ve sorted out redirection from day one (or earlier). If they don’t care, you shouldn’t either.

recycling, bbq fuel etc., anything works after a reasonable amount of time.

Why would you sort out redirection earlier than day one? 

Because it takes 5 days for RM to get it set up and running

Owleyes00

LaHostessAvecLaMostess said:

Slithery said:

Bin it.   

This.

Almost everyone won't get the hint so there is little point wasting your energy taking it to a post box, having RM waste their energy sending it to Northern Ireland and then it being redistributed to a sender who doesn't care.

Chuck it in the bin and save everyone the effort.

I understand the desire to be helpful but the most effective way of being helpful is to toss it in the trash.

I do this now. First couple of times I sent it back. Now I think if they don’t care about it, why should I?

TheJP

lookstraightahead said:

I have a lovely ex neighbour who calls me when there's mail. I still have redirection but some people send Christmas cards and presents to old addresses. I always send on post to the people we bought the house from as well.

Personally, I don't find it annoying at all. I think we're all organised in different ways. 

After 3 years i think you'd find it annoying.

Emmia

We made a Return To Sender ink pad stamp (we already had a kit) and stamp anything that comes in before putting it back in the post box.

Stamping and just crossing through the address makes it much quicker and easier.

We live in a block of flats and do it to the mail belonging to other flats former tenants (which piles up otherwise). we get perhaps 3 bits of mail a year from a charity (who don't seem to have updated their info yet) for the previous owners of our place.

lookstraightahead

lookstraightahead said:

aoleks said:

Wrote RTS on it and put back in the mailbox. Don’t do it for longer than 3 months, they should’ve sorted out redirection from day one (or earlier). If they don’t care, you shouldn’t either.

recycling, bbq fuel etc., anything works after a reasonable amount of time.

Why would you sort out redirection earlier than day one? 

And risk your Mail going to a house that you never own? 

london21

I continually returned to the sender and wrote new owners as of the date I completed. Letters drastically reduced and eventually previous occupants  did a redirection. 

A debt collection collection came and left hand written letter, I called them and was advised to send an email with proof such as council tax bill. When I sent this they stopped sending letters or visiting the house.

kipsterno1

Anything I get for previous owners I mark as return to sender but also add that under the data protection act you now need to update your records and send no futher correspondence.  Seems to work for me.