Mail to Previous Residents

[Nick1911]

So, I've lived in various different apartments over the years, and as a function of that, have become accustom to receiving mail addressed to previous residents.

Almost the entirety of it is junk mail, which ends promptly up in the garbage.  Occasionally, I would get something more personalized like a hallmark card.  In these instances, I've written "Return to sender" on the card and chucked it back in the mail box.  The mail delivery person seems to take it, and presumably it gets back to the sender.

So, almost daily for the last month or so, I've been getting mail for a (presumably) previous resident from the Circuit Court of Missouri.  I've been sending these back as fast I get them, but either they aren't making it back to the court, or they don't believe me.

Questions: 
What should I do to resolve this?
What is the proper thing to do with mail addressed to a prior resident?

[charby]

Pick up the phone and call the court?

[BrokenPaw]

Maybe call the court?

I used to get pretty regular statements from an investment-banking firm, addressed to someone who lived in my house >8 years prior.  I used to write "Return To Sender.  No longer at this address." on the envelopes and drop them back in the mail.  But they kept sending them.  Until one time, I wrote that, plus (in big, red sharpie): "Has not lived at this address for 8 *years*.  Stop sending me this woman's confidential financial information.  This is how identity theft *happens*, guys!".  I haven't gotten one since.

I don't know that you can legally do anything but keep sending it back, if it's actual mail and is not addressed to "or current resident".  IANAL, though.

-BP

[MillCreek]

I would continue to return them to the sender; i.e.: the Court.  If you were really enthusiastic, you could mail it back to the Clerk of the Court along with a cover letter explaining that the addressee no longer lives at this address.  In an ideal world, the Clerk would correct or delete your address from their system.

[Jamisjockey]

I would continue to return them to the sender; i.e.: the Court.  If you were really enthusiastic, you could mail it back to the Clerk of the Court along with a cover letter explaining that the addressee no longer lives at this address.  In an ideal world, the Clerk would correct or delete your address from their system.

This would probably be the thing to do.  I've actually done the same thing in the past. 

[Hawkmoon]

As you are not the intended recipient, you have no obligation to notify anyone about anything. Rather than write "Return to Sender" on the envelope, I write "Not at this address" and let the postal service decide how they wish to handle it. If I got more than two to the same name, I would (and have) stop by the post office and tell them to not deliver mail addressed to that name to my address.

If it's first class mail, they will deal with it. Unfortunately, if it's junk mail addressed to "Resident" or if it has a name followed by "Or current resident," they are required by law to deliver it even when they know you don't want it. I have tried multiple times to stem the tide of junk mail that forces my real mail out of the post box, but they say they can't not deliver it. I see their point -- the mass mailers are paying a fee for a service. What's needed is legislation to allow us to opt out of receiving junk mail. Maybe as a side effect we could put some of the junk mailers out of business.

[Thor]

First class mail needs to be returned to sender or forwarded IF there is a known address. Junk mail can be tossed. At least that's what I was told by the USPS when I checked into this type of situation. It does get to be a PITA when the post office keeps sending mail that no longer belongs to that address.

[MillCreek]

What I have always thought odd is that I get the occasional piece of junk mail addressed to my first wife.  The odd thing is that she has never lived at my address, and indeed I bought this house after the divorce, since she got our original house. 

[HankB]

The odd thing is I occasionally get mail addressed to my father - who passed away ten years before I moved to my current address!

[Headless Thompson Gunner]

Write "Recipient not at this address" on the letter instead of (or in addition to) "Return to sender".

Return to sender doesn't necessarily tell the postal system or the sender that the letter didn't reach the intended recipient.  Return to sender just means that the the letter gets spit back at whoever is listed on the return address, without explanation.

[BridgeRunner]

Well, our insurance premiums went down when our agent was courteous enough to sit down and show me the driving records they had.  They were calculating our rates based on my husband's grandparents' two claims from the last year they lived here, nearly four years ago.  

There are a few stubborn souls who keep sending Christmas cards.  After the first couple of years we stopped writing back to explain that they are dead.  Now we just toss 'em.

The shared last name makes these issues probably more persistent.

[Jamisjockey]

Being the nice guy that I am, I feed the previous resident's credit card offers through the shredder. 

[Zardozimo Oprah Bannedalas]

Glue this to unwanted mail and drop in mail slot.

[sanglant]

after we bought our current house, we kept getting mail where the previous renters were trying to start? new businesses at this address for about 3 years.   be afraid, be very afraid

edit: oh it stopped when we started sticking them in new envelopes with cover letters saying they didn't live here any longer return to sender didn't do a thing

[Sawdust]

What mail? 

Sawdust