Direct addressed mail for a person that does not live at the address

[Palmy29]

I keep getting Bell mail at my address for a person that has not lived at my address for over 10 years.  How can I make it stop?

[dks · Accepted solution]

Thank you for your question. If this is physical mail, you can write Return to Sender on the envelope and drop it in any post box. You can also attend your local post office and ask them to stop any mail for that person. The situation arises because people don’t inform others of their new address. It is more common than we think, too. 

[WelshTerrier · Accepted solution]

Good Day & Welcome to the Bell Community Forum.

I experienced this same issue & I contacted Canada Post. The supervisor at the local distribution center called me back & explained there was very little they could do to stop mail that is addressed correctly. If the recipient has provided a forwarding to Canada Post, they can redirect the mail to the correct address. If this has not been provided, then your only option is to return misdirected mail to Canada Post.

He suggested that I do the following:

1. Stroke the address out on the mail.
2. Mark R.T.S. on the mail. (return to sender)
3. Indicate on the mail that the addressee has moved or is unknown.
4. Return the mail to Canada Post. E.g. Mail carrier, postal box, post office, etc.
5. Canada Post will return the mail to the sender. (After which, I would like to think the sender would now update their records to reflect the wrong address & try to contact the addressee.)

Take care.