NIP for previous owner of house

Herzlos

ManyWays said:

Presumably you have a council tax bill in your name. Print one off and have it handy near the door to show to any callers for the previous occupant. "He doesnt live here any more, we moved in in month/year, here is our council tax bill" normally works fine. 

Print out of the house listing / right move sale history might also be an easy way to prove when he moved. 

facade

paul_c123 said:

<snip>

Technically, it is a criminal offence to open the post of someone else. 

<snip>

I believe the relevant legislation is The Postal Services Act 2000,  Section 84 https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2000/26/section/84

(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.

I suspect that trying to ensure that the full force of The Law catches up with the wrongdoer and rightfully punishes him is not legally acting to his detriment (although he might think it is!)  so the question of whether you have reasonable excuse doesn't arise. (I'd argue that finding out why NIPs, Debt notices etc. are coming to my address would be reasonable excuse anyway)

As Royal Mail and their employees will confirm, a letter is correctly delivered if it is delivered to the address on the letter. It is a disciplinary offence if the Postman delivers my birthday card to me if my auntie put my correct full name but incorrectly wrote the house number as 97 not 96, it has to go to 97, even though it is obviously for me and the Postman knows it from my name. 

user1977

facade said:

paul_c123 said:

<snip>

Technically, it is a criminal offence to open the post of someone else. 

<snip>

As Royal Mail and their employees will confirm, a letter is correctly delivered if it is delivered to the address on the letter.

Indeed - obviously the law doesn't apply to who opens the mail after it has hit the correct doormat (imagine family members calling the cops on each other when they discover their post already opened at the breakfast table).

Nasqueron

LightFlare said:

paul2foel said:

Im right its an offence not to change your address on your driving licence?

6 months is a long time to argue about not having got round to it lol.

rarely prosecuted though

Purely anecdote but I saw a guy on Reddit this week who got 6 points and £1000 fine (and new driver so it caused more issues) for not doing the driving licence or the V5 for this sort of time

TooManyPoints

Purely anecdote but I saw a guy on Reddit this week who got 6 points and £1000 fine (and new driver so it caused more issues) for not doing the driving licence or the V5 for this sort of time

Beware of what you read on Redditt. Neither of those offences attract points. There must have been something else involved - probably "failing to provide driver's details" as a result of not receiving the request. 

Baldytyke88

If you are certain where he lives, you should tell them, although any respected company should be able to find out.

It's in his best interests to get these things resolved.

Not opening post is a bad idea if it's addressed correctly, except for the name. See the link.

https://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/beatthescammers/article-13412669/Someone-used-address-register-business-Companies-House-30-days-down.html

Okell

paul_c123 said:

Okell said:

fatbelly said:

Stop opening his post

Write on the envelope

Not at this address - return to sender

Put in post box

That's daft advice.

The OP is perfectly entitled to open any correspondence that has been correctly delivered to his address.

And in these days of identity theft it's something everybody should do as they should know why someone else is using their address

And if the OP has any idea about where this person now lives of course they should tell the police

Actually its not. Technically, it is a criminal offence to open the post of someone else...

No - it isn't a criminal offence.

I can't be bothered explaining why but if you read the post by @facade and actually read the relevant legislation you might be able to see why you are wrong.

ThorOdinson

I'd have binned it without opening it. What is the benefit to you of doing them any favours? Even writing "gone away" and reposting it is work you needn't bother with.

TooManyPoints

I'd have binned it without opening it.

As I said earlier, the almost certain result of that will be more correspondence and if that is binned as well it will conclude with a visit from court bailiffs..

Frozen_up_north

Okell said:

fatbelly said:

Stop opening his post

Write on the envelope

Not at this address - return to sender

Put in post box

That's daft advice.

The OP is perfectly entitled to open any correspondence that has been correctly delivered to his address.

Not daft advice at all, see the Postal Service Act 2000, which states:

"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"