post

[leena]

what should you do if you continuously get letters addressed to previous owners of the property you live in if you don't have a forwarding address? should you bin them or open them?

[Mortartube]

We always write "Not known at this address" in bold pen on them and put them back in the post. Many letters have a return address and they probably end up back there. After they're re-posted it's out of sight and out of mind.

[archbishop]

I've just moved and get a lot of these as the prevoius owners didn't leave a forwading address. So I write on them"No Forwarding address.Return to sender".The amount of letters has now dropped off dramatically.You then may get a follow up letter addressed to The Occupier asking if you have any clues to where they have gone,in my case I only know that Bulgaria was mentioned.I think the Post Office is allowed to open mail that hasn't got a return address on the back.

[woofgang]

Just to say that either binning or opening mail which is not intended for you is actually against the law

[Wraith]

As already suggested I always write 'Not known at this address' on the envelope and put them back in the post.
However, I would suggest that if warning letters keep turning up from the same company, even though you've returned them previously, you should contact the company in question and explain the situation to them.
My sister kept sending letters back for previous occupants of her house and eventually the bailiffs turned up. Don't worry, it was all sorted amicably and they accepted proof of her identity, but it was a nuisance at the time.

[Wraith]

P.S. I should add that most large companies have their logo, or an address, printed on the envelope. As woofgang points out, opening someone elses post is against the law.

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No envelopes were harmed in the making of this suggestion.

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[AllYourBase]

as a pragmatist, I would advise the following. All mailsort (M in the top corner of envelope) should be binned. It's the worst/lowest kind of junkmail. All mail with a 2 in the corner of the envelope should be binned as it is very bad junkmail. Anything with a 1 in the corner can probably be binned as it is junkmail but the posh kind. Anything machine franked or stamped by hand should be marked as above (not known an this address - return to sender) and returned. Hope this helps. This advice came to me from a delivery office manager.

[woofgang]

SimonC, pragmatist or not, it it ILLEGAL in England to toss out or open mail which is not addressed to you

[cheyenne]

if you send it back to the postoffice ,they will bin the junk mail,but dont you do it.

[tomd]

doesn't everyone use post boxes as bins anyway