How Can I Stop Receiving Mail Addressed to Someone Else?
Almost everyone has at some point received a letter or magazine meant for someone else. However, instead of just throwing it away, there are ways to make sure the mail goes back to the intended recipient – and stops cluttering your inbox. In this installment of Ask Lifehacker, we’ll show you how.
Dear Lifehacker,
I have lived at the same address for three years, but I still receive mail from the previous tenant. How can I stop this? It annoys me, and it’s not good for her either. Any suggestions?
Regards, postal problems
Dear postal problems! Receiving mail that is not addressed to you is the annoyance most of us face when we first move to a location. Sometimes a formal change of address just doesn’t happen, or maybe it has expired and someone hasn’t received a memo before mail is sent to the person’s old address. Anyway, whether you get it a week after you move (which is a little more normal) or years after you move into your home (definitely unusual), there are some things you can do to stop or redirect It.
Write “to wrong address” or “return to sender” on the entire letter.
The first step is to take out of the mailbox everything that is addressed to this person and write “return to sender” on it. Then just put it back in the mailbox. This should inform your mail carrier that the addressee no longer lives there, and since the mail will eventually return to the person or company that sent it, they too will receive the message and update their records.
To make this process even easier, keep a Velcro pen inside your mailbox, or place a sticker in the mailbox that says mail addressed to X person should not be delivered because they don’t live there.
Likewise, you can write “moved” or “not to this address” on the letter, as we suggested earlier , which does something similar — it tells the post office that the recipient is no longer at that address, although it is not. t be sure to return the letter to the original sender. Smaller companies will get hints faster than larger companies that use the National Change Of Address (NCOA) database to update addresses. It is regularly updated by the postal service with all forms of address change that go through their system. Unfortunately, the NCOA is for businesses only and the only way consumers can update it is by submitting a change of address form.
This is why it may seem like it takes a while for mail to return to the sender. Perhaps the sender simply did not receive the update or did not process it in time to send the campaign. The old resident may have never filed an address change and you are reporting that this triggers a chain of events (usually a “I am still getting this after years” issue). It can take a while for everyone to understand the hint, especially if the sender is using an automated mailing system to simply fill out the labels and send out the mail in bulk. Just keep sending junk and be patient.
Strikethrough barcode
Since much of our world is now automated, chances are a real person might not be looking at your “return to sender” note. Therefore, if you see a barcode anywhere on an envelope, USPS recommends crossing it out in addition to writing something like “not at this address.” Remember to turn the envelope over and check the back for barcodes.
Opt out of bulk mailing lists
If the issue is with bulk mailings, you can contact the Direct Marketing Association (DMA) to disallow spam through their Mail Preferences Service . The DMA intentionally hides how to subscribe to it (and keep in mind, half of the links on their own site are circular or just don’t work), but it’s pretty straightforward.
You can either sign up for an account and pay $ 5 at DMAChoice.org to “manage” your bulk mailing (which includes the ability to stop it entirely), or you can send an email / postcard to the Mail Preference Service, Direct Marketing Association, mailing Box 643, Carmel, NY, 15012-0643 . Include in the note “Activate Email Preference Service”, as well as the other person’s name and your full address. Each request should come from one person – just for fun make sure the letter is certified, preferably with a return receipt, so they know you know they got it. Each request is valid for five years, after which it will need to be renewed (hopefully all records will be updated by then).
Submit a complaint to the postmaster
If you don’t feel like you’re getting anywhere with any other suggestions, you’re stuck in an organization that doesn’t obey the change of address forms (the DMV in the last state I lived in refused to send state mail, even if the change form address was on file. If they sent you something after you moved, you’re out of luck) or have a legal problem (such as being stalked), file a complaint with the postmaster at your local (or nearest) post office. Write a letter explaining the situation, or call the post office and make an appointment to speak with them in person.
They may encourage you to apply for a Sender Restraining Order that completely prohibits them from sending mail to you. You can make a request directly through your postmaster or use the USPS 1500 form to file a complaint directly.
The form was written specifically for complaints of sexual spam, but it can also be used to request a general restraining order. After you have filed a complaint, it may take about 30-45 days before the order is processed, if approved. Once this happens, any additional mail you receive from that sender will be out of order and can be reported to the USPS. After two violations, they must appear in court.
Do not fill out the change of address form on their behalf
If the person who previously resided at your address did not apply for a change of address or their change of address expired (remember that it is 12 months for First Class and Priority Mail, periodicals are mailed within 60 days), you have you might be tempted to file it on their behalf, but don’t.
In an email to Lifehacker, a US Postal Service official said that address change forms should not be used for this purpose. There is a special form for people who have moved but have not left a forwarding address, but this is only available to the USPS and not to the general public.
Instead, the USPS recommends writing “to the wrong address” on mail intended for someone else by crossing out the barcode and dropping it into the mailbox.
Don’t throw it away
You may be tempted to throw it in the trash can. Do not do this. It’s probably okay for things like advertisements, flyers, or other messages that are clearly objectionable, but you’re not helping yourself or another person by simply throwing anything that isn’t addressed to you in the trash.
Shredding mail also destroys any tools you might use to fix the problem (which is why it ‘s illegal in the first place), so complaining about it and then throwing it all away is pretty counterproductive. Second, just because you receive an email doesn’t mean the intended recipient doesn’t want it. Perhaps they applied for a change of address and it has expired, or, as we mentioned, someone is not submitting to the change of address. If it seems important, put it back in the letter carrier. You would like someone to do the same for you, right?
Hopefully these tricks will help you get rid of all that junk mail and give you a chance to play a few more cards than just “return to sender”, although this should definitely be your first approach. With a little patience, you will get rid of junk mail in no time!
Good luck Lifehacker
This story was originally published on 10/14/13 and updated on 6/18/19 to provide more complete and up-to-date information.