May we throw away their mail?

amother

Tue, Nov 07 2023, 11:17 am

We moved in to our current home over 2 years ago. We still get mail on a daily basis for the people that previously lived here. We keep on asking them to come pick up their mail regularly, but they don't come. The mail is piling up everywhere and I'm just fed up. I even contacted the USPS to switch their address, nothing doing. Can we throw out their mail? Is there a law regarding this situation?

mushkale

Tue, Nov 07 2023, 11:24 am

I printed a bunch of stickers that said 'no longer at this address, return to sender' put them on the envelope and put it back in the mailbox. (Make sure to cover the zip code otherwise the machine will sometimes resend it back to you)

amother

Carnation

Tue, Nov 07 2023, 11:29 am

I would stick back in the mail with a note 'no longer at this address' or 'not known at this address'

amother

Tue, Nov 07 2023, 11:29 am

mushkale wrote:

We did that a year ago already, there's still mail coming here every day. I'm just fed up being busy with their mail for the past 2.5 years.

amother

Pear

Tue, Nov 07 2023, 11:29 am

amother OP wrote:

Same situation! We moved here 3 years ago and we have the last 3 owners mail!!! It’s beyond frustrating and it piles up

amother

Tue, Nov 07 2023, 11:30 am

amother Carnation wrote:

I would stick back in the mail with a note 'no longer at this address' or 'not known at this address'

Tried this. There's still mail coming here every day. I can't be busy with their mail every day.
I have boxes and bags of old soggy mail sitting outside. It's unusable by now.

amother

Daylily

Tue, Nov 07 2023, 11:36 am

I throw out any tzadaka stuff, cc offers and the like.
In the beginning I made a bag with things that looked important, but since they didn't care enough to pick it up, I began just trashing it.

I called or texted when they got a ticket. It was speeding or red light camera.

amother

Tanzanite

Tue, Nov 07 2023, 11:49 am

I'm have this too...8 years already
I throw everything out

amother

Tue, Nov 07 2023, 11:50 am

amother Cadetblue wrote:

Of course throw it out without a second thought

My question is if it's allowed by law?

amother

Oatmeal

Tue, Nov 07 2023, 11:50 am

amother OP wrote:

My question is if it's allowed by law?

Lol yes, it’s allowed. I highly doubt you’d be taken to court or prison over this.

seeker

Tue, Nov 07 2023, 11:56 am

I'm still getting my ex's mail, and I moved to a different city since we were married, at which time I also changed my name! I don't know how or why his mail followed me or how to make it stop!

It's not a ton though and it's 99% junk mail so not as bad as OP. Sorry.

mushkale

Tue, Nov 07 2023, 12:14 pm

amother OP wrote:

We did that a year ago already, there's still mail coming here every day. I'm just fed up being busy with their mail for the past 2.5 years.

Right because it's on the company getting it back to change it on their system so it's not super effective but I do feel at least like I did something. I think it read somewhere you can ask the post office to block mail to your address that isn't your name. Don't know if that's true.

amother

Black

Tue, Nov 07 2023, 2:55 pm

We live in our house 7 years and we still get mail from both the previous owner (that only lived here 2 years) and the owner before that!
Some is junk mail, but some is not.

Hashem_Yaazor

Tue, Nov 07 2023, 3:16 pm

In my tenth year in this house and get mail every day for previous tenants, at least 3 different families.

We recycle it. Nothing important at this point...

amother

Geranium

Tue, Nov 07 2023, 3:22 pm

Same situation
My husband dumps it. When I see something that looks important, I save it and text her.

amother

Wandflower

Tue, Nov 07 2023, 3:25 pm

Same here. No, it's not legal to toss it unfortunately.

Brit in Israel

Tue, Nov 07 2023, 3:35 pm

I would send them a message saying that you will start chucking it out if they don't come and get it and for future mail.
Keep a copy that you gave them the warning just in case. And then start chucking in a couple of weeks.

imamothertoo

Tue, Nov 07 2023, 3:38 pm

I used take a pic of the mail and send it to the previous owner and ask if there was anything there they wanted to pick up before I throw out the rest.