How to stop getting mail for previous owners
Writing 'return to sender' or notifying the post office rarely stops mail intended for past occupants, even decades after they move out. Because the mail never truly stops—especially in former rental homes where most deliveries belong to past tenants—people are unable to permanently resolve the delivery issue. Many eventually give up and just throw the mail away.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
How to stop getting mail for previous owners
- 1Writing 'Return to Sender' or 'Not at this address' on the envelope and leaving it in the mailboxDid this help you?
- 2Throwing away or recycling the mailDid this help you?
- 3Requesting a 'Moved, Left No Address' form for the previous residents at the post officeDid this help you?
- 4Putting the current residents' names inside the mailbox lidDid this help you?
- 5Throwing it in the trash (often advised against for first-class mail).Did this help you?
- 6Writing "Not at this address" (NATA) or "Return to Sender" (RTS) on the envelopes.Did this help you?
- 7Crossing out the barcode on the bottom of the envelope.Did this help you?
- 8Buying and using a "Return to Sender" red ink stamp.Did this help you?
- 9Leaving a note or label inside the mailbox with the names of current residents.Did this help you?
- 10Asking the mail carrier to fill out a "moved left no order" form for the absent names.Did this help you?
- 11Going to the local post office to speak with the postmaster to request a delivery stop for previous names.Did this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“Hey guys, so I moved into my home in January of this year and I still get mail from the previous owners.”source ↗
“It’s been three+ years for our previous **two** owners. I just chuck their shit now”source ↗
“We have been doing that for 6 years, still waiting for the post office to get the idea, esp since a lot of it is from the same senders.”source ↗
“I wrote “return to sender, no longer at this address” for about 8-12 months following when I moved in.”source ↗
“The previous owner died and 20 years later I'm still trying to tell his investment company that he's dead by returning the mail with the appropriate wording.”source ↗
“Just fyi it’ll never truly end. I’ve lived here 19 years and still occasionally get random mail for previous owners.”source ↗
“What really blows is when you lived in a house in 2005 that was previously rented by a family of similar size with your exact last name. Then their mail follows you FOREVER 😭”source ↗
“I’ve been in my house about 20 years and still occasionally get a piece of mail from the previous owners.”source ↗
“I dealt with the same issue: purchased a house that was previously a rental. 90% of the mail I received was for - I assume - previous tenants.”source ↗
“You can put a label in your mailbox of who lives there and you can go to your post office and let them know to do a stop delivery. But, I’ve found it’s a waste of time. I still get the last tenants mail and I’ve lived in my current house for four years.”source ↗
“I still get mail for the guy who lived here 19 years ago! I write “return to sender, not at this address“ on every one. it doesnt help”source ↗
“New home used to be a rental property, so 70% of the mail I get is for former tenants. I hoped it would subside after a couple months but hasn’t.”source ↗
Where this came up
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