What do I do with mail that's not addressed to me?

Question

I just moved into an apartment and I keep getting mail for someone else. It's not just one specific person either, three or four different names. It's only a one bedroom apartment so I don't think three people lived there before me. What should I do with the mail?

Answer 1

Mark it return to sender no such person at this address and put it back in the mailbox as outgoing mail.

j

Answer 2

Tape a note to back of mailbox reading "Mail accepted for (your name) only."  Sure beats writing return to sender or just throwing the other mail away for the next four years.

Answer 3

Take it to your post office.

Answer 4

Take it to your local post office and explain what is happening to the clerk.  If they can't (or won't) help you just hold on to the mail for a while in case anyone comes by.

Answer 5

I have had that problem with mail delivered to me when the address was clearly different. Some mail sorter around here seems to be dyslexic and when they get an address that contains 1234 they deliver it to 4321 or when it says 1234 North St they send it to 1234 South Street. If it was for someone on this street and looked important I would walk down the street and put it in their mailbox. One day when I was at the post office I mentioned that I was having this problem. The next day the mail delivery guy stopped and went all postal about that. He told me that it was illegal to put mail in anyone else's mailbox or even to touch a piece of mail that did not belong to me. He said if I keep it up he would have me arrested.

That put a damper on my enthusiasm for doing good deeds. Now I just leave it in there and expect them to pick it up and redeliver it themselves. I think most people who get mail like that tend to throw it in the trash.

Answer 6

You could call the Post Office and advise them of this. You can also write "Not at this address" on the envelope and put it back into the mailbox.