A previous owner refuses to stop using our address for EVERYTHING!

arghhhh

This is a really weird problem that I can't quite believe is even a problem, but it is. 

A person who owned our house over 7 years ago is using our address. This person moved, but not far and is using our address. The first couple of years, we passed mail and packages on, feeling they would do what we were doing with our old address. We paid for a few years to redirect mail from our old address and we cancelled the junk mail as and when we received it. This was not the case with this person though. This person, who we have now come to realise may not be mentally well, has stated that this is her address and we can share it with her, but we should consider changing our address. The thing is, if we change our address, the address this person is using will cease to exist, but they don't seem to understand. This person is in their late 50s at least, but what makes matters worse is that this person is aggressive too. After this person physically assaulted me a couple of years ago, I googled to see how I could legally get this person to stop and it turns out - nothing! I was directed to Action Fraud which I found very stressful (I'm autistic and don't like using phones). They told me to return every letter and parcel to the sender, log (with them) and refuse where possible. I did this that day (we get mail practically every day!) and we'd had three parcels from the same company returned within about 4 days which resulted in the police being called by Action Fraud and they spoke to this person. I was unaware that this had happened and the second my husband pulled up on our drive from work this person stormed over to him and began ranting and raving that the parcels were important and that they needed them. My husband tried to explain that they should use their address, but they then started yelling insults and telling us that this is their address. My children were in the house screaming and my husband came inside as this person was getting very aggressive. I was shaking with stress that this person keeps doing this to us and that we can't even be in our garden anymore. I'm a prisoner in my own home. My garden was my sanctuary before this. After not sleeping all night and thinking through what had just happened, I decided to call the police because this person is wrong and making our lives hell and maybe the police can explain it better, that this person should not be using our address. They explained it and told me that they had stated that they would no longer use our address and that we should continue to return to sender. That was almost a year ago and everything is the same. For the last couple of months, I began taking photos of the letters and parcels (front and back) to log the volume and dates before I return them. If the letter or parcel has a return address I have also started writing/calling the senders to notify them that this person is using our address without consent. I've only done this about four times so far as most haven't had return details on them. The latest two from last week have been a parcel, which turned out to be a brushing scam and we can't address it as it's our address but not our name. The second had the return address for the DBS! I have had a (CRB as it was once called) in the past and recognise what this was. This person has had a criminal record check using our address and to do this must have at least two other proof of ID documents in her name at our address, which could be a passport, credit card, driving licence, insurance etc... This is illegal in many areas of the law, but after my husband took the unopened letters to the police they have said that there is nothing that they can do and we should continue to return everything. This is an ongoing dispute, so if we decide to sell, it will impact the saleability of our house. At the very least, I expected them to investigate it as they work as a nurse and could be hiding something; surely it's a safeguarding issue, but they said no. I have contacted DBS today and they said they can just put a note on this person's file to be investigated but they will not be able to take any legal action! I don't understand what the point of a DBS check is, if it's so easy to lie on one and have no consequences. We're in limbo. It's a full time job, logging and returning mail. We are in a isolated area and a post box isn't exactly local, plus I can't drive. Any advice, at all would be welcome regarding how I can get this to stop. I need this person to stop having an excuse to come in our garden.

theoretica

Sounds like an injunction banning her from your home would be useful -

https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/law-and-courts/discrimination/taking-action-about-discrimination/taking-action-about-harassment/

lincroft1710

You may be able to get a court order to stop the harassment.


In the meantime if the person continues to arrive uninvited, call the police immediately and say you are being threatened with physical violence. 

arghhhh

I don't have proof that this person assaulted me. It's my word against theirs. We have since installed 8 CCTV cameras as that's what the police advised. They, understandably couldn't do anything without any evidence. I have papered over the windows on our door and all our blinds and curtains are closed. I have to have evidence of some harm for a restraining order, but that won't happen again as I only go in the garden or out of the house if my husband is with me now. 

Sandtree

As you've already been advised, refuse delivery where possible. Write "Addressee Gone Away" on the front of anything that is received and put it back into the mail. Its not yours to worry about identifying the return address etc, Royal Mail does that.

For financial institutions, government departments and other such things then this should trigger accounts etc to be suspended and an investigation completed... though it may take more than one such return to trigger it. Mail order and other such will be slower in responding but not every parcel will make it back (not your problem) and they'll eventually black list the person for the high level of missing parcel claims. 

8 CCTV cameras and papering your windows sounds excessive, maybe both parties are not acting fully rationally here, but a CCTV covering the front of the property will capture any future harassment from the former occupant and with that evidence the police can then act. 

Hopefully when accounts start getting frozen, companies refuse to compensate for lost parcels etc they will change their ways.

lincroft1710

Clearly the woman has severe mental issues. But how you can get her treated for her condition, I just don't know. The problem isn't going to go away and it appears you are not going to get any help from any "authority". You may have to put up with  or just ignore her or put a lock on your garden gate. 


Can you not redirect letters/small parcels to her address, and perhaps only take them to a post box once a week? 

tealady

Put a note on your door saying that you will not accept any parcels for (persons name)
Just bin all post.
If you see the woman dont speak to her.
Log every incident too.

kazwookie

Put RTS / not known at this address, on the envelope and in the nearest post box when you are passing.

Any letters for previous owners of my house are now put into the bin after 3 years. 

arghhhh

Sandtree, I probably wasn't clear. I am contacting the companies (only 4 at present) and also sending mail back. 8 cameras may sound a lot, but it's a detached house with a detached garage, so we still have blind spots. They went up last week. She walks around our garden when she wants. We have spent thousands on fencing and gates and security, but she uses the missing letters and parcels as an excuse to come into our garden and enquire, usually leading to her getting angry. Like I said before, I'm autistic as are two of our children and the papered window in our door is for their peace of mind as she stares through our windows if we ignore her. We have been returning post for years and it's still coming, from the same companies. Either they don't act on it or she starts a new account. She intercepts the postman and is on first name terms with them. She has her mail delivered to her by them, even though it's our address. It's only the postal delivery workers she doesn't know or get to in time that are delivering to us, so the problem is even bigger than what we see. I've spoken to postmen about it, but they say that because it's addressed to her, they'll continue to deliver it all to her. I feel like I'm going mad. 

I don't know where she lives, just that it's not far as her car is parked in a carpark in the local village. The post gets returned when my husband goes past a post box on his way to work. We send it back as soon as possible.

Vegastare

I would write not at this address and place in post box.  Not your problem and you are giving them to Royal Mail.
If they get enough and flag up a concern they can sort it.
I spent ages years ago arranging for no junk mail, very hit and miss so put in in pile with elastic band and gave it to post man.

arghhhh

I am writing return to sender. Not known at this address on every parcel and letter. It's not working. Returning the mail would not be too big of an issue if it wasn't for her coming in our garden all the time wanting to know if we have received something all the time. As of last week, I ignore her if she comes to our house. I'm alone during the day with young children and no family around me, so feel quite vulnerable if I open the door to her. I purely want it all to stop. We moved here to reduce stress.