Estate question (no relation to me) - mail

[rubytue]

Our new house was purchased from an estate. We keep getting mail addressed to “any and all parties that claim an interest in… by, through under or against [deceased]……… [our address]”

This is about all I can read through the clear part of the envelope. We’ve gotten 4 of them, from law firms in several other states. 

Given I am not an interested party, do I toss? I reached out to my agent who asked the seller, but I haven’t heard back. How hard do I try on this? I suspect I could get the address of the person doing the probate. I looked her up when I signed the contract, elder law firm fairly local. But I’d have to dig again to find it again. 

[Jalapeñomel]

Write “no longer at this address” on the envelope, and then put it back in the mailbox.

[rubytue]

Jul 27, 2021 14:41:03 GMT -5 Jalapeñomel said:

Write “no longer at this address” on the envelope, and then put it back in the mailbox.

I did contemplate this. But, I guess I was thinking there is no name there. That’s what I do with the mail addresses to her wife. But yeah, I guess there aren’t any interested parties at this address anymore. Logic meet my brain today 

[dove]

We also bought from an estate. You can do what ^^ Jalapeñomel said.
In the state we bought our house, it's done through an attorney, not a title company with both parties present, so we had the executrix's information. We mailed her the important docs.

[deadwing]

If you're getting a high volume of mail, you can even get a stamp for return to sender/intended recipient not at address. I bought my current house from live people who clearly didn't know how to forward their mail. The stamp kept my sanity during the first two years or so. It's largely tapered off, but it took far too long.

[rikki]

Jul 27, 2021 14:50:55 GMT -5 deadwing said:

If you're getting a high volume of mail, you can even get a stamp for return to sender/intended recipient not at address. I bought my current house from live people who clearly didn't know how to forward their mail. The stamp kept my sanity during the first two years or so. It's largely tapered off, but it took far too long.

I need to get one of these. Great idea. We have lived in our house 3 years and still get more mail for the previous family than for us. They were both doctors and I swear we get every medical journal and solicitation, as well as mail for all 5 of their kids from all 5 of their high school and college alma maters.

[Pom]

We got mail the entire 6 years we lived in our house for the previous owner that had passed. It seemed like more mail for him than us. It was relentless. I tossed it.

[ellipses84]

I’d just write “wrong address” or something like that. If it persists, you can contact your postmaster general or ask what to do at the post office.

[af1212]

My mailman checks the mail before he delivers it. If it does not have my name on it, and/or it doesn’t say “or current resident” he will not deliver it to my house. He puts it in his mailbag and I have no idea what happens to it.

I’m gathering from this post that is not typical?

[dove]

af1212, my regular mail lady does this. We can definitely tell when she’s out because our mail volume increases exponentially

[rubytue]

Jul 27, 2021 19:01:44 GMT -5 af1212 said:

My mailman checks the mail before he delivers it. If it does not have my name on it, and/or it doesn’t say “or current resident” he will not deliver it to my house. He puts it in his mailbag and I have no idea what happens to it.

I’m gathering from this post that is not typical?

But, basically, it was “current resident.” It was “anyone here that could have an interest.” Not addressed *to* the deceased or estate, but to the potential heirs, not by name. 

It’s just so outside the norm of any mail to previous owners of what I’ve seen before. 

edit, I just remembered I do still sometimes get mail to my maiden name, but the mailbox (group mailbox) has a card with married name. So, I would want to get mail that doesn’t match the last name. Sometimes. 

[felicity]

Jul 27, 2021 19:01:44 GMT -5 af1212 said:

My mailman checks the mail before he delivers it. If it does not have my name on it, and/or it doesn’t say “or current resident” he will not deliver it to my house. He puts it in his mailbag and I have no idea what happens to it.

I’m gathering from this post that is not typical?

I'm pretty sure our carrier does this too. We moved a couple of streets over within our neighborhood, and have on occasion gotten mail to our old house after our mail forward ended. It magically shows up in our current mailbox, no special post office sticker on it or anything forwarding it. We rarely get stuff from old owners. I don't know how he keeps track because I'm sure he goes to a ton of houses, and he doesn't personally know us or anything. We live in a fairly populated suburb. 

[mouse]

Jul 27, 2021 19:49:55 GMT -5 rubytue said:

Jul 27, 2021 19:01:44 GMT -5 af1212 said:

My mailman checks the mail before he delivers it. If it does not have my name on it, and/or it doesn’t say “or current resident” he will not deliver it to my house. He puts it in his mailbag and I have no idea what happens to it.

I’m gathering from this post that is not typical?

But, basically, it was “current resident.” It was “anyone here that could have an interest.” Not addressed *to* the deceased or estate, but to the potential heirs, not by name. 

It’s just so outside the norm of any mail to previous owners of what I’ve seen before. 

edit, I just remembered I do still sometimes get mail to my maiden name, but the mailbox (group mailbox) has a card with married name. So, I would want to get mail that doesn’t match the last name. Sometimes. 

Obviously I don’t know for sure, and you should make some effort, but it kinda sounds like junk mail. Anything that becomes public record like that is likely to get on some mailing list.

[tacokick]

Just toss it. They are just generic fishing letters. I (and my dad) got a ton when my mom died. These lawyers are just trying to drum up business and hope someone in the house will hire them to handle or contest the estate.

[WOT?*]

Jul 27, 2021 19:01:44 GMT -5 af1212 said:

My mailman checks the mail before he delivers it. If it does not have my name on it, and/or it doesn’t say “or current resident” he will not deliver it to my house. He puts it in his mailbag and I have no idea what happens to it.

I’m gathering from this post that is not typical?

My postman, years ago, delivered birthday cards but returned Christmas cards from my mother-in-law to my house because the names for others that were not me were not on our mailbox. He then added a sticker with all the relevant last names of anyone we wanted to have mail delivered to our house. If it wasn't one of those (four, I think?) last names he didn't return it.

On a "hero" note - in one of our local FB pages someone wrote she had ordered a (very personal and important) item that the tracking said was delivered. Went to the community page to ask whether anyone at the (incorrect) address received it and could they contact her to get it. The mail carrier was actually on the page and responded with "I realized the address didn't exist so I returned it to the main post office in town and you can pick it up there." Not all heroes wear capes. lol.

[hw77]

We have now been in our house 7 years and still get mail for the prior owners who lived here 30 years. So likely they never did the forward mail option thru USPS and never directly updated mail with any companies but I guess I thought over time the advertising mail would drop off and it hasnt.