Neighbours stealing mail/deliveries
I am wondering if some of you lovely people reading could give me some advice, I am at my wits end as to what to do.
I live in a house that has been converted into 4 flats and I rent via a letting agency. We have one front door in the hallway downstairs where all post is put through or if a parcel delivery man knocks and whoever answers signs for it or a card is left again in the communal hallway. We don't have bells to any of the flats, no post boxes etc
A few months ago I noticed deliveries going missing as things weren't arriving and companies saying the items had been sent. A couple of months ago Parcelforce delivered something on the Monday, I had been in and out on the Monday a few times and seen no card until the Tuesday. The card when I found it was folded as if been in someones pocket and time tried to be delivered was first thing on the Monday. I went to pick it up as had been left at a local post office and the guy behind the counter said a girl/teen had been in to pick it up, when asked for ID said she wasn't me but lived in the same building and would make sure I got it. Thank god the guy didn't hand it over though.
Then on 3 days my friend had sent me some posh flowers from Interflora and some champagne as a present. I found the card downstairs from Interflora saying left at flat 3 and the girl in flat 3's name. I knocked on Christmas Eve as I hadn't got an answer on the 23rd and she said no nothing here, we haven't taken anything in. I contacted the florist who said got the driver to call me and he gave me girls name, description and said she'd electronically signed for them. It's the girl in flat 3 again!!!
I am so angry but don't know what to do. I have parcels I don't know coming arrive all the time as I enter competitions so never know what's coming from one day to the next.
I don't know who my landlord is as I let through a letting agent and I am scared to make a fuss as the couple who live there are 2 girls who are in their late teens and to be honest rough as anything, mates too. But I cannot keep having my mail stolen either.
Any ideas or advice what to do please?
I live in a house that has been converted into 4 flats and I rent via a letting agency. We have one front door in the hallway downstairs where all post is put through or if a parcel delivery man knocks and whoever answers signs for it or a card is left again in the communal hallway. We don't have bells to any of the flats, no post boxes etc
A few months ago I noticed deliveries going missing as things weren't arriving and companies saying the items had been sent. A couple of months ago Parcelforce delivered something on the Monday, I had been in and out on the Monday a few times and seen no card until the Tuesday. The card when I found it was folded as if been in someones pocket and time tried to be delivered was first thing on the Monday. I went to pick it up as had been left at a local post office and the guy behind the counter said a girl/teen had been in to pick it up, when asked for ID said she wasn't me but lived in the same building and would make sure I got it. Thank god the guy didn't hand it over though.
Then on 3 days my friend had sent me some posh flowers from Interflora and some champagne as a present. I found the card downstairs from Interflora saying left at flat 3 and the girl in flat 3's name. I knocked on Christmas Eve as I hadn't got an answer on the 23rd and she said no nothing here, we haven't taken anything in. I contacted the florist who said got the driver to call me and he gave me girls name, description and said she'd electronically signed for them. It's the girl in flat 3 again!!!
I am so angry but don't know what to do. I have parcels I don't know coming arrive all the time as I enter competitions so never know what's coming from one day to the next.
I don't know who my landlord is as I let through a letting agent and I am scared to make a fuss as the couple who live there are 2 girls who are in their late teens and to be honest rough as anything, mates too. But I cannot keep having my mail stolen either.
Any ideas or advice what to do please?
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Comments
Are these the kind of competitions where you buy items such as vitamins and face creams on a regular basis to enter the draw?
If so, please speak to a relative you love and trust and tell them all about the competitions and show them what you've bought to help you win.
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/forumdisplay.php?f=72
I am asking for help here as it's a serious matter and it's getting me down. I am a full time carer and I don't need this added stress
Might be worth asking your other neighbours if they're having the same problems, can't imagine you'd be the only one, at the end of the day, it's theft.
You could give her a warning, she might give you the stuff back, but if she's a bit of a headcase I'd get a third party involved. We get tons of stuff delievered and there's no way we'd be able to put up with something like that! Good luck!
First of all you can find out who your landlord is and tell them what is going on. See this Shelter page and scroll down to 'Landlords must give tenants certain information': http://england.shelter.org.uk/get_advice/private_renting/about_private_renting/landlords_responsibilities
As regards the theft of your Royal Mail Parcelforce delivered parcels (or any letters which might have been taken) see this Problem Neighbours page and scroll down to 'Neighbour Stealing your Post': http://www.problemneighbours.co.uk/your-neighbour-stealing-from-you.html
For the theft of all your Courier delivered parcels by your neighbour who denies having them see this Which? page: http://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/problem/my-parcel-was-left-with-a-neighbour-who-denies-having-it
Note: You must do something about this straight away. You should have acted as soon as it happened the first time. Don't wait any longer!
Yes this is theft. Even if the police don't get enough evidence to prosecute (or don't think it's worth it) then their involvement now may stop it happening again.
When I came back, it was gone.
I put a big notice up basically to the effect,
"Today a package was delivered here for me, and has now gone., If it is not returned to this place by 5pm the Police will be called. And I mean they WILL be called. DO NOT IGNORE THIS".
The package was put back within the hour. I never had any mail go missing again.
They might even speak to the letting agents about the thieving tenants.
If the tenants kick off at you, you can say you reported it as you thought your flowers and champagne must have been stolen by someone by close by, and you never suspected or implicated them.
I will be speaking to my letting agents tomorrow when they are open again and see if they suggest anything. A note will be going up artnada, that is a great idea!
You could get your stuff delivered to a trusted friend or relative I suppose, but why should you ?
http://www.findlaw.co.uk/law/criminal/other_crime_and_justice_topics/500355.html
Under the Postal Services Act 2000:
“A person commits an offence if he, without reasonable excuse, intentionally delays or opens a postal packet in the course of its transmission by post, or intentionally opens a mail bag.”
“A person commits an offence if intending to act to a person’s detriment and without reasonable excuse, he opens a postal packet which he knows or reasonably suspects has been incorrectly delivered to him.”
This, in essence, means that if you deliberately intercept, throw away or open somebody else’s post you are likely to be breaking the law.
The Postal Services Act 2000 states that any person who commits this offence may be “liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 5 on the standard scale or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months or to both”.
Level 5 on the standard scale is a fine of £5,000.
If you believe that your post is being intercepted, you should contact a solicitor or the police.
As for being rough teens, so? A tough life and bad attitude don't allow a license to commit crimes without consequences. If they want to behave like scumbags, let them sink down to the level of scum where theft is not a choice but a necessity of life to get by. Let's see how cocky and belligerent they are when they are homeless after their tenancy is revoked when they are prosecuted for this, doing tricks to buy a burger and sleeping in alleyways, and can only dream of having the chance to steal from their neighbours and their well meaning friends.
They are thieves and liars taking from you because you are nice and they don't care. So don't care in return, let justice be done.
why don't you contact the police? No offence but you seem too nice
Those opt out stickers are very hit and miss. Depending on the delivery company they still knock on all the doors trying to get a neighbour to take items even though the sticker specifically states not to do this. RM generally abide by it, but some couriers think it doesn't apply to them.
Anyway, I've drifted. Call the Police OP, contact your landlord/letting agent and get mail delivered elsewhere if possible.