Am I obliged to redirect mail that comes to my letter box for previous occupants? I used to make an effort to find out the new addresses, and forward on any relevant mail, but a year later I’m actually sick of doing it. If I just bin their letters, am I breaking the law?
I know exactly how you feel. If you’ve redirected mail to someone and yet more letters keep arriving, it can sorely test the patience of anyone. The previous occupant should have arranged for a redirection of mail with NZ Post. However, it is against the law to open, destroy, hide or delay any letters addressed to someone else that arrive in your box.
So, you have to do something with it. Ideally, you would send it on to the correct address if you knew it. But, at the very least, and this is the least you can do, cross out the address on the envelope, write across the front, “Return to Sender – No Longer at this Address”, and leave the letter in your letterbox for the postie to collect. You can do this even if there is no return address on the envelope.
It is illegal for you to search inside the letter for a return address, but in certain circumstances NZ Post can do it. Of course, the other option, if you know the new address of the previous occupants, is fire off to them a fairly blunt request to set up a redirect with NZ Post. Might work.
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