Former tenants who haven't told anybody that they've moved

But don't people want their bills (well, nobody wants bills...) and bank statements and pay stubs and stuff?   

I completely understand not wanting to pay for forwarding, but what I don't understand is why people don't update addresses directly with the company/organization -- so they can still have their bills/stuff without paying the postal office fee. 

But don't people want their bills (well, nobody wants bills...) and bank statements and pay stubs and stuff?   

I completely understand not wanting to pay for forwarding, but what I don't understand is why people don't update addresses directly with the company/organization -- so they can still have their bills/stuff without paying the postal office fee. 

Yes, that's what I don't understand.

How hard is it to call someone and tell them that you that you've moved or to fill out a form telling them this?

Do you really want your bank statements, your car tax disc, confidential letters from your insurance company, new debit cards and credit cards, etc. being sent to complete strangers?

By the way, I noticed that it says on the electoral register letter that if someone on the list has moved, they can't change it until those people inform them of their new address.  I will call tomorrow anyway and see what happens.


If I can't get it fixed, then their voter registration cards will be mailed to me.

We moved in November.  We bank with three banks, and with two of them it's taken forever for them to change the address.  We've been to the banks with proof of our new address, but my inlaws still get loan and bank statements occassionally, and it has been a pain for my husband to update his credit report's address.

We finally got the electoral register to list my husband (not me yet as I don't have citizenship), but it still lists the previous tenant.  She's back in India.  We're fixing that according to the instructions.  

When I call the council, depending on which department I talk to, they either have our name, a previous tenant's name, or our landlord's wife's maiden name.  We've tried to iron things out, but it seems nothing's simple.

But totally expecting non-related people to collect your post is bang out of order.

My guess is it's not the money directly, but the unintended consequence of charging people to forward mail.  In the US it's free, so everyone does it as a matter of course, and it's accepted in the culture that one of the things you do when you move is forward your mail.

In the UK it costs a ridiculous amount of money to forward mail, so nobody does it, and nobody expects it to be done.

I've just done it! £46 for 12 months, not best pleased. AND I've contacted all and sundry to get my stuff changed, but there's always something random you forget about.

I've just done it! £46 for 12 months, not best pleased. AND I've contacted all and sundry to get my stuff changed, but there's always something random you forget about.

Less than £1/week?  And people are complaining??  I would think that the security of knowing that your  bank statements, insurance letters, new debit cards, etc are being delivered to YOUR door instead of a stranger's is more valuable than just paying the silly fee up front.

Good for you cheesebiscuit--I bet you're saving the person who moves in after you from a lot of frustration!

Less than £1/week?  And people are complaining?? 

Compared to free in the US?  And taking into account the erratic mail delivery I got when I lived in London?  Yes, I'm complaining.   

The charge goes up for each name and occupant you want mail forwarded for.  We put DD's name on the forwarding request in case she got letters from "official" things like the NHS or stuff that we didn't know how to contact.  All in it cost us £76 for a year I think.  Worth it to catch those things you don't think of changing.  But the fact is you still have to change all the regular stuff anyway, like banks, utilities etc. 

FFS. the other day I got mail addresed to these people from the NHS.

Today I received a letter from Barclaycard addressed to someone else who lived here once. This person owes them £5000. I've already called Barclaycard and said he doesn't live here.

When we get post for former owners I now put on the envelope "Return to Sender, Addressee moved from this house 4 years ago" and most of the time we don't get things back for them from that specific sender.

In our previous apartment, I did not have much luck with my dozens of "Return to sender, Addressee moved" attempts. I think one of the previous tenants owes an arm and a leg to the Carphone Warehouse...

I was particularly annoyed that the gentleman who owned the flat--who we rented from, but through an agency-- had his mortgage going there. So, we knew how much he was making from us...

We had our next door neighbors ask us to hold stuff for the previous tenent as they were waiting for hospital stuff...and this was one year after we moved into the house and 1-1/2 years after we bought it.  We did hold onto it, but let them know that was the last thing we would hold for them as by now it was time to let hospitals and the like know where they lived.  We figured they moved out of the area but wanted to try to remain with the same doctor.  I didn't want any of their info being attached to our home (as we did get a letter from a bailiff with threats and I had to show them proof that we owned the house and lived there, not the prior tenents).  Now I just send it all back with 'addressee unknown'.

I was particularly annoyed that the gentleman who owned the flat--who we rented from, but through an agency-- had his mortgage going there. So, we knew how much he was making from us...

Oh that would annoy me. I'd speak to the agency and tell them that you know and that you want a discount! I wonder how much the agency is getting?