Mail addressed to former owners

For at least 5 years after we moved we got post ,not for the previous occupant but the one prior to that. As a relation lived nearby I put it in their post box when I passed.
When one obviously from a hospital came, I thought I should take it round, I got no thanks from the reli. Then an official-looking letter came from abroad. I gave in and took it around. A few days later the chap came and said thank you it had contained a cheque for a considerable amount.
I told him I would be putting all post in future back in the Post box with unknown at this address. We got no more post for them.
Some people are lazy just text them and say all post will be going back in the Post box with unknown on it.

We moved here to a small hamlet (20 houses) 9 years ago. The previous owner moved a couple of miles away, but didn’t leave a forwarding address, and asked me to give any mail to a neighbour she was in contact with, I did for a year then binned it, including HMRC, letters addressed to her adult son.

Just before last Christmas a parcel was delivered here for her, I didn’t accept it and the courier took it back. 2 weeks later another neighbour came to ask me if I had the parcel, apparently previous owner had text this neighbour (who had had no contact with previous owner for over 8 years) asking her to check if I’d got it.

We also get regular phone calls asking for “Maureen” (not previous owner of house, but previous owner of phone number), including a call from the hospital to say her husband was ready for her to collect (!), several phone calls from her dentist, optician, solicitor and GP!

People are unbelievable!

I would have texted back "I am not your postal depot" and then blocked their number.

All subsequest mail would be put back into the post marked "gone away" at a time when it suited me.

Over the christmas period I got 4 wrongly addressed mail pieces. 2 Royal Mail and 2 My Hermes. I gave the RM ones to the postie. The other two were for other addresses on my estate but I am mobility impaired. They had to wait a week until a relative came to visit and was willing to drop them off on his way home.

I would be telling them I don't work for Royal Mail and it's not my job. They take responsibility for their own mail. If they have a problem, they sort it. After a year I would not be sorting their mail. It would be in the postbox with a ' not at this address' on it.

When I was renting I used to gather all the mail that came for former tenants, shove it into a large manilla envelope and post it through the LL's door once every few weeks.

After 6 months I just binned it.

Not my circus, not my monkeys.

The cheek of some people. Expecting new owners of their home to act as their personal postie. Agree with posters on here, tell them it’s their responsibility and put the Mail back in the post box with return to sender on. It’s up to them to chase an important letter, not you. Believe it’s illegal to destroy someone else post.

I have the same problem. I moved four months ago and don’t have a previous address for the last owner so I just write, ‘No longer at this address’ and pop it in the nearest post box which thankfully is on Peggy’s walking route.

Sorry, that should read, Don’t have a forwarding address for the previous owner.

I’m blaming getting shampoo in my eyes in the shower this morning for posting gobbledygook! ?