It is common for new homeowners or renters to continue receiving mail addressed to previous tenants who used to live at their new address. This can be inconvenient and cause confusion. This article will provide clear steps on how to effectively stop receiving mail meant for old tenants so you only receive letters and packages addressed to the current residents.
Why am I still getting the previous tenants' mail?
It can sometimes take the postal service a few weeks to fully process all change of address requests when residents move in and out of addresses, so you may continue receiving the previous tenants' mail as those notifications work their way through the system. The gap in time is usually needed to update records across all processing facilities, carrier routes, and individual letter carriers who may not yet be aware of the resident change.
You should start to receive less and less of the old mail over the next couple of weeks, but in some cases past residents may have neglected to submit a forwarding address at all, causing any mail sent to their old address to erroneously end up at your new home for longer.
Related: What To Do With Previous Tenants Mail?
What should I write on the returned mail?
What should I write on the returned mail? Write "Return to Sender, Not at this Address" or "No Longer at This Address" clearly on any incorrectly delivered mail. This alerts the sender that the named person does not reside there anymore. You should also include the date that you are returning the mail so the sender knows it was recently addressed incorrectly.
It's a good idea to let the postal service know as quickly as possible when addresses are outdated so they can update their records and stop further delivery attempts to the wrong location.
What if a lot of mail still comes for them?
If significant mail keeps arriving for past tenants after a month, contact your local post office. Explain the issue and provide the names of previous tenants. Post office employees can add additional address correction flags and notations to help stop misdelivery of their mail.
How do I handle mail that comes for them?
Do not discard, open, or destroy mail addressed to previous tenants, as this could be a legal issue. Simply write "Return to Sender" and place back in your outgoing mailbox for the post service to return to sender. Your new address is not responsible for their mail.
Returning previous tenant mail ensures you avoid potential legal issues while enabling the postal system to route it to its intended recipient.
How long until the mail stops coming?
It can take 4-6 weeks for forwarding to fully take effect as mail makes its way through distribution centers and processing equipment. Be patient and consistently mark mail for return during this period. Within 6-8 weeks, the amount delivered for past tenants should significantly decrease. Contact the post office if issues persist after 2 months.
Conclusion
With consistency and communication with your local postal service, you can get previous tenants' mail to stop being delivered to your new address within 8 weeks. Be sure to properly submit a national change of address form, mark misdelivered mail clearly, and don't take responsibility for opening or destroying mail not intended for your household. With these steps, you'll only receive letters and packages meant for the current residents of your property.
