What to do with previous owners' mail?

seamus

Right, probably the wrong forum, but I think it's relevant enough here and it'll also get the attention of the guy who probably knows the answer :pac: (no offence Victor).

Moved into a place at the end of January. Since then, I've still been receiving legitimate mail for the previous owners - bank statements, bills, ATM cards, etc. Up to now, I've been putting "Return to Sender" on the mail and dropping it back in the post - they never left any forwarding address, even though I know they only moved down the road (I just don't know exactly where). Their new house is closer to me than the post box I put the mail into.
For the most part the mail dried up, but I'm still getting maybe 3 or 4 pieces of mail per week. So I decided last week that 3 months is more than enough time to get your **** in order, and I've been ripping up their mail and throwing it in the bin.

Or in the case of referendum material, I've been opening it and reading it.

So, what exactly are my obligations here? Is there any legislation here which sets out some obligations?

And since I know I'm going to receive their voting cards, what do I do with them? Obviously if they shouldn't ripped up, then I won't, but I don't want to put them back in the post for some nimble-fingered postie to use for some voting fraud - can I invalidate the cards before sending them back?

gollyitsolly

As far as I know its an offence to deface or destroy mail. I would just keep popping it back into the post box. Wait till you have a lot of it built up.:)

pinkypinky

You could ring the estate agent and ask for the vendor's address? Say you're getting a lot of post....

seamus

pinkypinky wrote: »

You could ring the estate agent and ask for the vendor's address? Say you're getting a lot of post....

Yeah, we did that initially, but the EA obviously refused to give out the new address and instead said that we could give them the mail and they would send it on.

But there's no way in hell I'm making a trip down there every so often.

Stealdo

If the EA is willing to pass on post for you, would they not be willing to contact the vendor with your details and ask them to give you a call/pass on their new adress directly? Seems it would solve the problem, and I'm sure they'd be happy to oblige seen as they're missing out on their mail.

Jo King

It is an offence to impede the delivery of mail. You should mark it "gone away" and put it in the Post Box. It will eventually tail off.

pvt.joker

We've been in a house 2 years and still receive mail for 3 or 4 previous people who lived there years ago.
Goes straight into the bin.

Their own business to sort out redirection, not ours.

luckat

You could forward it all to the estate agent - get a stamp made with the estate agent's address....

Or you could look the people up in the phone book, in case they're listed there.

Or you could forward all mail once a month to the estate agent, but forget to put a postage stamp on the enclosing envelope (evil).

Or you could just get a stamp made with "Return to sender - no such addressee" and then drop them all back in the postbox together once a month.

Or you could look at the voters' register.

Or you could ring your local sorting office for advice.

Victor

I think stick it in a pile and give it to the estate agent (one piece at a time and signed for in triplicate ) and/or have a word with the sorting office.

Firetrap

In the short term, I'd pass on the mail to the estate agent. After that then, just start sticking "Return to Sender" on the envelopes and pop them back in the post box. It's not your fault that the previous occupiers didn't put proper arrangements in place.

MysticalSoul

I have been in my place over two years now, and still get post for the previous owner. I was very obliging for the first 14 months, but after that I think there should be no obligation, as they are probably just marketing companies if things are still coming through I would imagine.

tHE vAGGABOND

Yea Seamus tell the EA to ring the vendor and get them to sort it out..

You can redirect all your mail at the post office in 2 seconds [€70 for 6 months] - http://www.anpost.ie/AnPost/GeneralTemplates/ProductsAndServices.aspx?NRMODE=Published&NRNODEGUID=%7bDFF2D962-3865-43D8-B547-66DE75135FAC%7d&NRORIGINALURL=%2fAnPost%2fMainContent%2fPersonal%2bCustomers%2fWizards%2fManage%2bmy%2bmail%2fredirection%2ehtm&NRCACHEHINT=Guest#applicationforms

PS: Your going to jail for mail fraud! Thats how they got Al Capone!

luckat

I'm nearly 20 years in this house and still very occasionally get mail for the former residents, and also for the people in a house with a similar address.

On the other hand, the person who bought my last house never sent on any mail (not to mention letting me unwittingly pay his ESB bill by direct debit for three years!)

seamus

luckat wrote: »

You could forward it all to the estate agent - get a stamp made with the estate agent's address....
Or you could just get a stamp made with "Return to sender - no such addressee" and then drop them all back in the postbox together once a month.

I'm not spending any cash whatsoever because they were too dumb to change their address. They got enough money out of me, they could have used that to pay an post to redirect their mail

Or you could forward all mail once a month to the estate agent, but forget to put a postage stamp on the enclosing envelope (evil).

I wouldn't be surprised if this agent issued a bill to me for doing this.

Or you could look the people up in the phone book, in case they're listed there.
Or you could look at the voters' register.

Well, they'd only be updated once a year or whatever, they wouldn't be listed in either yet.

Or you could ring your local sorting office for advice.

This is indeed what I may do.

Victor

I actually dropped off some post at the sorting office today. The guy said just put an "X" through the address and stick it in any post box and they'll know what its about.

Of course this doesn't absolutely stop things.

Firetrap

That's true. Not too long ago, a mailshot letter from a charity arrived into my place for someone who moved out long ago and didn't leave a forwarding address. Despite my crossing out the address and writing a note on the envelope saying the recipient had moved away, the feckin' letter arrived straight back. I had to get out a heavy black permanent marker, draw a dirty big arrow up to the the undelivered address printed on the top of the envelope and write return to sender on it

mydarkstar

I've been in my house 4 years now and still get lots of mail for the previous owners/tenants. I put Return To Sender/Gone Away on everything but it's only had a small effect. I opened one letter last year, lucky I did cos it was a letter from Revenue saying they were calling out to audit 'me' for tax evasion the following week. A quick phonecall later sorted that out but it was ridiculous it got that far - I had returned all the Rev letters/warnings for the last 3 years to no effect.

Irish Life and VHI still refuse to cancel mailing to the last guy to my address - I have enough personal details (PPS number, place of work, date of birth, bank details, salary, etc) to steal his identity at this point.... lucky I'm a nice guy.

GerardKeating

Victor wrote: »

Of course this doesn't absolutely stop things.

For "recurring" items, you could contact the sender, they might stop...

subway

when i lived in rented accomadation we always got letters for previos tenants.
there is no onus on you to do anything with it, however you cannot destroy it legally.

we used to used to just write "not at this address" on the letters and let them build up in a drawer.
once in a while, when someone needed to post something, they would stick the whole lot in the letterbox.

ive changed address twice since living there, and they still get mail for me the odd time,
despite me having updated all the relevant companies multiple times.