What to Do If You Receive Someone Else’s Letter
The US Postal Service processes an average of 318 million pieces of mail every day, so some errors will occur. Carriers misread addresses, letters get mixed up in the back of trucks, people move around without updating their addresses—all of these things can lead to you receiving mail meant for someone else. Here’s what you should do if you receive an email that doesn’t belong to you.
What to do if a letter is delivered to the wrong address
If the letter you receive is not only addressed to someone else, but also to an address different from yours, you have two options to correct the error:
Deliver it yourself. If the letter is clearly intended for a nearby neighbor and you can physically open their mailbox, feel free to deliver the letter to the desired address yourself. It is not illegal to open someone’s mailbox (as long as it is not locked), and it is also not illegal to personally forward mail to the correct address as long as the mail is properly postage. You can also knock on their door and give it to her if you know them (or feel comfortable doing so). However, please be aware that there are laws against placing other items such as flyers, notes, advertisements without postage, etc. in mailboxes.
Write a note and paste it into your outbox . If the correct address is far away or you just don’t feel like delivering it yourself, write a note that says something like “wrong address” and attach it to the misdelivered letter with a sticky note or paperclip. The postal carrier will pick it up next time and it will be delivered to the correct address in the next couple of days. It’s best not to write a note directly on an envelope or article, otherwise you risk ruining someone else’s mail. If you use a marker or marker and it spills, it could cause the intended recipient more grief than necessary. So use a paperclip or sticky note instead.
What to do if you receive a letter from a former resident
If you receive someone else’s mail at your correct address, you need to inform the mail carrier and post office that they no longer live there. Again, you can do this by attaching a note to the letter. To return to sender, simply write “Not to this address, return to sender” on the note and attach it to the letter. Place the mail in the outgoing mailbox so that your mail operator will understand the error the next time it arrives. This may take a few tries and you may even have to contact the post office if it continues.
Make sure the letter does not say “[other person’s name] or current resident”; Technically, this mail is addressed to you while you live in this house, whether you want to receive it or not. (Junk mail companies love this trick.) If you keep telling the post office, “The person does not live here” with “or current resident’s” mail, they may assume the house is vacant and stop sending mail there entirely. When in doubt, a trip to the post office or a phone call can often clarify the situation.
Is it illegal to open someone else’s mail?
I bet it does. It is also prohibited to intentionally throw away someone else’s mail. Both are considered interference (and both are considered assholes). When you receive someone else’s mail, do not open it or throw it away, as both are punishable offenses (and no one likes insults or punishment). Don’t worry, if you were mindlessly tearing through your stack of mail and realized you received someone else’s and opened it by mistake, you won’t be taken away in handcuffs. The law is designed to protect against dubious types who want to collect personal information.