It’s probably happened to all of us at some point: You go to your mailbox, grab the stack, go through it, and realize one or more pieces of mail aren’t addressed to you. In many cases, the mail is addressed to one of your neighbors, which makes the question of what to do with mail that isn’t yours an easy one to resolve: just walk up to their door.
but what do you do if you are renting and the mail is addressed to a previous tenant? Or what if it’s addressed to a neighbor but you forget to take it with you? Finding mail that isn’t yours puts the onus on you to find a solution, regardless of whether it’s a task you signed up for or not. And while it might be tempting to just toss the letter in the recycle bin and wash your hands of the whole mess, there are some potential consequences to doing so (including potential felony charges, yikes).
Here’s what you need to know about handling mail destined for someone else, plus how to help ensure your own mail doesn’t end up in someone else’s house or in the recycling bin.
You have mail that is not yours: now what?
Undeliverable Address (UAA) mail, which includes mail addressed to a person, family, or business that has moved, is a costly problem for the US. uu. postal service, which accounts for about 4.56% of all mail outbound volume and $1.3 billion in wasted processing fees.
Of course, you’re not the USPS, so mail ending up incorrectly at your address isn’t your problem. or is it?
Turns out opening or throwing away mail that isn’t yours is illegal and can be punishable by a misdemeanor or felony. To understand why, you have to look at us. code §1708, a longstanding law that adds the possibility of a fine or jail time for tampering with mail belonging to someone else.
Are the police going to show up at your door because you dropped a letter addressed to a neighbor or a previous tenant or landlord? probably not. but seeing that a letter is addressed to someone else and then throwing it away, or worse, opening it, shows the intention to manipulate it, and that is a risk not worth taking, especially when it is quite easy to solve the problem in other ways.
This is what to do if you receive an email addressed to someone else
Hopefully, this is an issue that only happens to you once every blue moon, rather than regularly. However, in either case, taking the proper steps can help reduce the amount of UAA mail you end up with, returning the load to the post office (and not you) to make sure the right people receive the mail. correct email.
this is what you need to do.
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tag it and paste it in your mailbox
If it’s not as simple as leaving mail in your neighbor’s mailbox or on your doorstep, the next best step is to properly label it and then return it to the outbox. this means:
- cross out barcode
- write “not at this address: return to sender” on the envelope
This ensures that whether your mail is processed by a scanner or by an actual USPS employee, you’ll know to mark the mail as undeliverable.
talk to your landlord, if applicable
If you are renting, the mail you receive is almost certainly for a previous tenant. Your landlord should have collected a forwarding address when you moved in, so contact them and let them know what’s going on, then ask if they knew where the letter can be sent. if they have the correct address, you can cross out yours and write the correct one in its place, then stick the letter in an outbox.
notify your postman
You probably don’t need to take this step if getting the wrong mail is just an occasional or one-time occurrence, but if it happens often (and especially if the mail is continually addressed to the same person), then it’s worth notifying your local post office directly.
When you get a letter with the wrong address, leave it in your mailbox with a sticky note on top that says “so-and-so doesn’t live at this address.” alternatively you can go to your post office and speak to a manager. ask if you can fill out a change of address form for the person whose mail you’re receiving, and on the forwarding address line write “moved and left no forwarding address.” then you can sign the form with your name and “current resident”.
keep getting bad mail? If you have followed the steps above and have had no luck, you can file a complaint with your post office. To do so, call or email your local postmaster and ask what the protocol is. you may need to make an appointment, or you can simply file your complaint by phone or email.
how to change your address so that your mail always finds you
if you regularly receive mail intended for someone else, you may be wondering: wait, do other people get mail intended for me?
You don’t want to miss out on important mail, nor do you want to be the reason someone else files a complaint with your post office. And your best bet to avoid both of these headaches is to change his address with the post office as soon as you know he’s moving.
We’ve put together a step-by-step guide to changing your address that’s definitely worth checking out every time you move. the process can be done quickly and easily online, over the phone, or in person, with a $1 fee to change your address online or over the phone to verify your identity.
While you’re at it, you’ll also want to make sure to notify other parties of your new address, which should basically include anyone who might need to contact you via postal mail. this includes:
- state and federal tax agencies
- bank and credit card companies
- utility providers
- telephone, cable and internet providers
- insurance providers (home, rent, health, etc.)
- other relevant financial agencies
- your employer
- any organization or subscription you have signed prepared for
- friends and family
While you’re at it, take some time to update your mailing address with the online shopping sites you frequent. You don’t want to rush through the checkout process only to realize your package is set up to go to the wrong place.
frequently asked questions about receiving the wrong mail
If you’ve received an email addressed to someone else, it’s probably not the first (or last) time it’s happened. here are some quick answers to common questions about why it happens and what you should and shouldn’t do about it.
Why am I receiving mail that is not mine?
Most of the time, if you receive mail intended for someone else, it’s for one of two reasons: (1) it’s for a neighbor and their mail carrier made a mistake, or (2) it’s for the previous tenant or landlord who lived at his address.
Is it illegal to open someone else’s mail?
yes. U.S. code §1708 makes it a misdemeanor or a felony to open or alter mail you know belongs to someone else.
Is it illegal to throw away mail that isn’t mine?
yes. look at us code §1708 again, which includes throwing out mail that is meant for someone else as tampering.
what do you write in the mail that is not yours?
Cross out the barcode and write “not at this address: return to sender”. you can also simply cross out the barcode and write “return to sender”.
What do I do if I keep getting someone else’s mail?
If returning mail to sender does not resolve the problem, please notify your local post office directly. You can do this by leaving a note for (or talking to) your mail carrier, or by visiting your post office.
Can I put my neighbor’s mail in his mailbox?
yes. There is no potential penalty for putting your neighbor’s mail in his mailbox if he accidentally left it in his own mailbox. If you live somewhere with group mailboxes and you can’t open your mailbox, leave it on your doorstep or, if you’re on good terms, deliver it to them in person.