Royal Mail Redirection

[Titfield]

This may seem obvious but Royal Mail Redirection is not infallible.

Make sure that your personal admin is up to date and you advise anyone who sends you important mail of your new address.

If possible speak to the new occupants of your old address and encourage them to forward on any mail or at least contact you to say there is post for you. Consider giving them a load of prestamped large envelopes with your new address on. They may abuse this but a few quid spent is better than the aggro of sorting out a problem.

 

[styles]

This may seem obvious but Royal Mail Redirection is not infallible.

Make sure that your personal admin is up to date and you advise anyone who sends you important mail of your new address.

If possible speak to the new occupants of your old address and encourage them to forward on any mail or at least contact you to say there is post for you. Consider giving them a load of prestamped large envelopes with your new address on. They may abuse this but a few quid spent is better than the aggro of sorting out a problem.

We moved into a new house recently and I can't convince the old owner to come get their post for love nor money. I even offered to pop round to their new address with them, not least because some of them are from debt collectors.

I gave up after a while and said I'd pop them in the postbox marked return-to-sender. Had to manually contact a few companies to ask them to remove our address/mark it old/obsolete, as they ignored the return-to-sender post.

But in general I agree, good advice yes. Driving licence address update and a Royal Mail redirect should be the absolute minimum when moving house really.

 

[SuspectUsual]

This is probably obvious, but when I last moved house I knew I'd be moving for about 9 months before I actually did, and I kept a list of everyone I received post from during that time and then ticked them off as I either told them I was moving or unsubscribed from whatever junk mail it was

 

[island]

This is probably obvious, but when I last moved house I knew I'd be moving for about 9 months before I actually did, and I kept a list of everyone I received post from during that time and then ticked them off as I either told them I was moving or unsubscribed from whatever junk mail it was

I don't think everyone, or even a lot of people, have the privilege of knowing that far in advance that they are moving .

 

[Titfield]

There is the law of unintended consequences at play here. We are all so used to getting important communications by email and possibly text reminders that the possibility that there is something important sent only by post is no longer on our radar.

 

[jfollows]

But in general I agree, good advice yes. Driving licence address update and a Royal Mail redirect should be the absolute minimum when moving house really.

Don’t forget the V5C if you’re the registered keeper of a car.

 

[styles]

This is probably obvious, but when I last moved house I knew I'd be moving for about 9 months before I actually did, and I kept a list of everyone I received post from during that time and then ticked them off as I either told them I was moving or unsubscribed from whatever junk mail it was

The issue I have is this is the kind of 'life admin' I can get lazy with. I know I need to update my address with like 50 companies but I always find something more interesting to do!

 

[John R]

Don’t forget the V5C if you’re the registered keeper of a car.

And another absolute must is your motor insurer. The premium depends on where you live, and your insurance could be invalidated and you would be driving illegally unknowingly.

 

[35B]

If possible speak to the new occupants of your old address and encourage them to forward on any mail or at least contact you to say there is post for you. Consider giving them a load of prestamped large envelopes with your new address on. They may abuse this but a few quid spent is better than the aggro of sorting out a problem.

It's a long while ago, but we found that a couple of sheets of address labels to stick over the top of the previous address worked fine - all the new householder needed to do was stick them on and drop them in the letterbox.

 

[IanMac]

Also a good idea to inform any banks or similar institutions that you have accounts with, including pension companies; DWP if you're on any kind of benefit; employer; any travel account (rail and/or bus); travel insurer; HMRC; Probation Service if relevant; local council if you are (or should be) a Council Tax payer (at both addresses); electoral registration (at both addresses); mobile phone company; anyone that you pay subscriptions to.

 

[Fawkes Cat]

It's getting on for 20 years since we moved house, but what Royal Mail were doing then were passing on the new address to a number of their clients (I think the ones who use RM systems to address their mail to customers). This had the benefit of reducing the number of organisations we had to tell about our new address - but did mean that various bits of junk mail that we'd hope to leave behind came with us.

 

[styles]

It's a long while ago, but we found that a couple of sheets of address labels to stick over the top of the previous address worked fine - all the new householder needed to do was stick them on and drop them in the letterbox.

Not sure that would work now. Stamps are QR coded and can be tracked, so they'll flag up as having been used already. I suppose RM might deliver it then charge the recipient though?

 

[35B]

Not sure that would work now. Stamps are QR coded and can be tracked, so they'll flag up as having been used already. I suppose RM might deliver it then charge the recipient though?

My understanding is that the forwarding of readdressed, but otherwise unopened, mail remains valid. Royal Mail already had technology to detect whether stamps had been reused - and the codes on stamps are about more than just detecting re-use.

 

[styles]

My understanding is that the forwarding of readdressed, but otherwise unopened, mail remains valid. Royal Mail already had technology to detect whether stamps had been reused - and the codes on stamps are about more than just detecting re-use.

RM's policy is to deliver to addresses, not people though. I suspect if you did this now, the end recipient would pay a surcharge for the additional forwarding (and if the postie spoke to them, quite likely advised to use the paid Redirection service as it could work out a lot cheaper!).

 

[35B]

RM's policy is to deliver to addresses, not people though. I suspect if you did this now, the end recipient would pay a surcharge for the additional forwarding (and if the postie spoke to them, quite likely advised to use the paid Redirection service as it could work out a lot cheaper!).

I would only recommend doing so for occasional mail, and as a fallback if the Redirection did not work. But Royal Mail themselves (https://help.royalmail.com/personal/s/article/I-ve-received-someone-else-s-mail) say:

If you've received mail that's not in your name or address, we're sorry for the mistake and inconvenience. Please drop the mail in a postbox when you can. There’s no need to add postage. We'll handle it from there and deliver it to the correct address.

It's a little ambiguous, but a "misdelivered - please deliver to <address>" can only assist them in getting it to the right place.

 

[styles]

I would only recommend doing so for occasional mail, and as a fallback if the Redirection did not work. But Royal Mail themselves (https://help.royalmail.com/personal/s/article/I-ve-received-someone-else-s-mail) say:

It's a little ambiguous, but a "misdelivered - please deliver to <address>" can only assist them in getting it to the right place.

That quote is for when it's neither your name nor your address on the mail.

The relevant paragraph from that page suggests they will return to sender:

If you receive mail with your address but the wrong name, it's because we deliver to addresses, not names. You can cross out the address, write 'Not known at this address' or 'No longer lives here,' and drop it in a postbox. We'll try to return it to the sender so they can update their records.

If a sticker is put on I expect they may deliver it, but I highly expect they will surcharge it.

 

[nap666]

Beware some mail cannot be redirected and will be returned to sender.
e.g. Postal Voting Packs, even sticking new address labels on will not redirect, also some Government correspondence will have "Do Not redirect "printed on the envelope.

 

[island]

It's a long while ago, but we found that a couple of sheets of address labels to stick over the top of the previous address worked fine - all the new householder needed to do was stick them on and drop them in the letterbox.

It is Royal Mail policy to issue a surcharge for this, there's a specific box on surcharge stickers marked "informal redirect" or words to that effect.

Stamps are QR coded and can be tracked

No, they're not. The 2D barcode on (some) Royal Mail stamps is a DataMatrix (or a MailMark to use Royal Mail's proprietary term) not a QR code.

 

[ainsworth74]

It is Royal Mail policy to issue a surcharge for this, there's a specific box on surcharge stickers marked "informal redirect" or words to that effect.

Is that a new thing? When I was away at Uni my mum would often scribble out my home address and put my uni address on post and put it back in the mailbox (unopened) in order for it to reach me. Never had to pay extra to get it. This would been late 2000s early 2010s.

 

[Fawkes Cat]

Is that a new thing? When I was away at Uni my mum would often scribble out my home address and put my uni address on post and put it back in the mailbox (unopened) in order for it to reach me. Never had to pay extra to get it. This would been late 2000s early 2010s.

Yes, I think it's a new thing.

It's possible that you may have noticed that RM has moved away from the business model demonstrated some years back in 'Postman Pat'. The aim now is to run a profitable business - and since in practice RM still has a monopoly of doorstep letter deliveries, that means charging as much as you can for everything you can. Including informally redirecting post, because there ain't no profit in letting people be good neighbours.

 

[ainsworth74]

Hmm shame, almost like it's the sort of enterprise that should be run for the public good (though as efficiently as possible) rather than to extract maximum profit....

 

[WesternLancer]

This may seem obvious but Royal Mail Redirection is not infallible.

very much so.

Recent case here of what can happen when it goes wrong - looks like OP here diligently set up a redirect with Royal Mail when they moved, but a TOC prosecution unit entered their name wrong speeling on their systems and docs about a ticketing irregularity never got forwarded. New occupants of house only took action to tell the OP when a bailiff in person turned up looking for OP after what looks like a £50 Penalty fare has escalated to a £800+ court debt.....

This isn't Royal Mail's fault on this occasion but if the new house occupants had been returning post to sender or telling ex occupier they had some post for them (which they seemingly perhaps kept but did nowt with) all this might have been avoided

A debt collection agency showed up last week at the address I used to live at to collect payment for the rail ticket I didn't buy - bit of a mess

Last October, I was travelling home on the train from London to Brighton, Thameslink. Anyone who uses this knows that it can get really busy and so everyone frequently spills into the small first class areas at either end of the train. This night there were a bunch of ticket inspectors on and...

www.railforums.co.uk

 

[JamesT]

Hmm shame, almost like it's the sort of enterprise that should be run for the public good (though as efficiently as possible) rather than to extract maximum profit....

Or given its recent history, another organisation the government would have to subsidise and deal with a militant workforce.

 

[ainsworth74]

Or given its recent history, another organisation the government would have to subsidise and deal with a militant workforce.

Though how much of that is precisely because it's been privatised and the business is being squeezed to extract maximum value for shareholders? Something which isn't always seen as including taking care of your staff properly?

 

[35B]

Though how much of that is precisely because it's been privatised and the business is being squeezed to extract maximum value for shareholders? Something which isn't always seen as including taking care of your staff properly?

We're going way off topic here, but the collapse in letter post over the last 20 years has made life very hard for Royal Mail, the more so as other companies have started in the parcels business. And as Redirections are very people, rather than machine dependent, it is testimony to the quality of the staff that so few errors occur. Even in the case mentioned, and as has been mentioned, no fault accrues to Royal Mail - they did precisely what they were requested to do.

It is Royal Mail policy to issue a surcharge for this, there's a specific box on surcharge stickers marked "informal redirect" or words to that effect.

Correction noted.

 

[Dr Hoo]

It is Royal Mail policy to issue a surcharge for this, there's a specific box on surcharge stickers marked "informal redirect" or words to that effect.

For clarity; does “informal redirect” apply to “return to sender” (i.e. the sender will incur a surcharge)?

 

[island]

For clarity; does “informal redirect” apply to “return to sender” (i.e. the sender will incur a surcharge)?

No. Only sticking a third address falls within this.

 

[AndrewE]

very much so.

Recent case here of what can happen when it goes wrong - looks like OP here diligently set up a redirect with Royal Mail when they moved, but a TOC prosecution unit entered their name wrong speeling on their systems and docs about a ticketing irregularity never got forwarded. New occupants of house only took action to tell the OP when a bailiff in person turned up looking for OP after what looks like a £50 Penalty fare has escalated to a £800+ court debt.....

Wrong speeling? Oh the irony!
But that case genuinely is worrying.

 

[WesternLancer]

Wrong speeling? Oh the irony!
But that case genuinely is worrying.

Nicely spotted!

I guess the RM system just uses name matching software which can't cope with even the smallest typo in the name. If so that's far from ideal.

One of RMs strongpoints on the ground has always been regular posties who know their rounds and actually how to find obscure addresses, the correct address when someone has badly addressed an item (I've had things find there way to me with very sketchy attempts at my address which I put down to the postie actually knowing where I really live), notice that stuff is on redirect or hold etc etc

Driving down costs, increasing staff turnover etc will damage that aspect of the quality of service, which I suspect has already happened in some labour market areas....

 

[styles]

Nicely spotted!

I guess the RM system just uses name matching software which can't cope with even the smallest typo in the name. If so that's far from ideal.

Royal Mail Redirection does try and match the name used on the redirection form with common alternative versions of you tick the relevant boxes on the application form. I think the example they give on the form is if you apply under the name Susan Smith they'll redirect Sue Smith if you tick the relevant box.

They can't always do this though, not least because the new residents may have a similar name, but also culturally I've knocked on doors doing political canvassing where you have a Muhammed Ahmed, Mohammed Ahmed, Mohamed Ahmed, or something along those lines; and RM can't just assume.

You can always contact RM to query things like this and get small amendments put in place though.

One of RMs strongpoints on the ground has always been regular posties who know their rounds and actually how to find obscure addresses, the correct address when someone has badly addressed an item (I've had things find there way to me with very sketchy attempts at my address which I put down to the postie actually knowing where I really live), notice that stuff is on redirect or hold etc etc

Driving down costs, increasing staff turnover etc will damage that aspect of the quality of service, which I suspect has already happened in some labour market areas....

Indeed, this is the main reason I suspect that if a sticker was stuck over an old address without paying extra postage, a surcharge would be made for the recipient. It doesn't help that RM are unofficially prioritising packages over letters and being told to stick more strictly to the rules. Our local postie before we moved was super flexible. I'm betting I could name a few things she used to do which were not allowed but were excellent customer service. I know for a fact she used to do very well on Christmas tips!