Fitting a letterbox lock advice..........also asking about re-directing mail

[kelly12345]

Afternoon all.

My Tenant will be moving out in the next month or so, but I have a feeling he will leave me with quite a few debt collectors chasing him.

As the property will be vacant whilst I redecorate it and then sell/re-let it, I was toying with fitting one of these

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Securit-Sa...-/321744953595

This hopefully would mean :-

1) any debt collecting letters will automatically be returned to the sender
2) As the house is on a main road with no front garden (in a not a nice area), no one can open the letter box and leave me a nasty surprise


Can we also discuss whether or not I can get his mail redirected to his new address?

If say, he accidentally told me where he lived..........could I set it up (and pay for it myself), or would that be against the law?

Thanks for any advice

[mind the gap]

I do not know the answers to all your questions but I'd be wary of fitting anything which advertised the fact that the property is empty, especially in a rough area.

[kelly12345]

the lock goes on the inside of the door

[theartfullodger]

Debt collectors can chase HIM - not you...

If they turn up tell them to leave: If they don't, call Police.

If he can't be ars*d to set up redirection, his problem: Actually, if he owes you money it's amazing how many envelopes these days "fall open" and what useful info they provide (employer, NI number, bank details etc etc etc..)

Any letters for him, bin them. Job done.

Completely agree about not advertising that the place is empty,

[ram]

Before anyone starts spouting out that you cannot open letters.

You need to tell the senders that the person no longer lives there, and has not left a forwarding address, and a page ( 1 ? ) showing the rental dates, date he left.

INFO.
If a person leaves and does not leave a forwarding address, and does not want the Royal mail to redirect their male, then that person does not want the letters.
The person does not want the letters and will never know, and will not want to know he got mail, then he wont be comming after you for opening his mail that he did not know he had, and does not want.
And he wont be complaining to the post office as he wont know he has any mail, and of couse, by his actions, he does not want the mail.

If you return mail unanswered or bin them, then expect the next tenant not to be able to have gas or electric, because you binned all letters and don't know when the gas and electric will be cut off.
AND, if monies owing, your next tenant willo be asked to pay the outstanding bill before they will reconnect. ( yes we know they will eventually get gas and electric,) but they have to go through the process of proving they are not the defaulting tenant, and send copies of new tenanct agreemrent, and you may be involved too, to confirm.

Expect debtors ( firms or debt collectors and even gas and electric c ompanies ) to be pounding on the door of your next tenant, demanding payment ( all this has been seen where I am, and the tenants are not happy that the landlord as ignored the new tenant )

Do you want your next tenant to have all this hassle ?

[Ericthelobster]

the lock goes on the inside of the door

I've had occasion to seal letterboxes, when a property has been vacant, on the insistence of my insurance company (I didn't need any 'lock'; just screwed a small bit of wood inside the letter slot, butted up against the brass letter flap from the inside).

A slight word of caution - I've found that postmen and others can be incredibly persistent at leaving stuff which they don't want to take back to the sorting office! I once had one force my jammed letterbox - he must have had to take his boot to it! Others have rammed apparently important letters into the door jamb, which advertises the property is empty and also means that anyone walking past could just nick the letters. Same applies to all the flyers which usually get left.

[Interlaken]

Yes Eric - in fact just seen a case of letters stuck in front door jamb today because wire box on inside of door is full of the stuff OP is on about.

It is best to let the postman deliver and deal with the enquiries as time consuming as it is. I always open post of this nature once tenant has left as ram suggests. You'd be amazed at the stuff that turns up that YOU the landlord needs to be aware of!

[kelly12345]

Thanks everyone.

I will leave the letterbox open and deal with the collectors as and when.