Former landlord messing with my post

Lawrence1895

I was renting a house until the end of May, thought everything was sorted.

Yesterday, I found out, that my bank sent my new Visa Card to the old address.

It might have been a chain of unfortunate events in the first place, since I changed the address with my local branch a day after I moved, and the process of changing the address on a bank account can take 10-14 days, so I was told.

But apparently, the letter with the new Visa card was sent out during those 10-14 days.

I am pretty sure, someone was in the house, after I moved out, so I have the feeling, someone just threw out the letter...I don't want to suspect any fraud in the moment, since there was no money missing from my account.

But no letter was sent back to the bank either, otherwise there would have been attempts to send out the card again, which did not happen.

I have no laser card in the moment, since the old one was cancelled yesterday, which is some hassle, since I was not even aware of the fact, that the new card was send out.

Is there any legal action, I could take?

Everything went through an estate agent at the time, I was in the old house, I left a message with his secretary, hopefully, he will contact me soon.
But I'm almost sure, it has nothing to do with him, since the owner herself was in the house shortly after I moved out.

Thanks for your help.

Rasmus

Why would you take legal action? You have no evidence to suggest the credit card was taken or disposed of. It is unfortunate that you missed that 10 day window but I believe that is really the only issue here.

Lawrence1895

Rasmus wrote: »

Why would you take legal action? You have no evidence to suggest the credit card was taken or disposed of. It is unfortunate that you missed that 10 day window but I believe that is really the only issue here.

As I said, it was a chain of unfortunate events.

But still, there was some issues when I moved out, about the deposit for example...which was sorted soon after, though there was a heated exchange of arguments first.

I had no hard feelings until now, but something makes me think, they dumped all post on purpose. Maybe I'm just paranoid

Rasmus

Lars1916 wrote: »

As I said, it was a chain of unfortunate events.

But still, there was some issues when I moved out, about the deposit for example...which was sorted soon after, though there was a heated exchange of arguments first.

I had no hard feelings until now, but something makes me think, they dumped all post on purpose. Maybe I'm just paranoid

If you had a bad landlord I don't doubt he dumped the mail but there's nothing you can do. Legally, unless you know for sure he tampered with your mail, there were no laws broken. I understand your frustration though.
Did you need to report the card missing or stolen then?

Skid

There is every chance the Bank never posted out the Card at all. My Bank failed to send out a replacement card to me, it took them ages to admit they had made a mistake.

Forget about legal action, all the Landlord (or new tenant) will say is he never received the letter (which may be true). But do ask him/her and check if they have you current address (for forwarding of post).

Lawrence1895

I was not aware, that the card was set out to me until I rang the bank's hotline, after the Laser card stopped working out of the blue.

Customer service last night, as well as my local branch told me, the card was sent out.

The estate agent had the forwarding address, but he was never contacted by the owner after I moved out about any letters for me...in fact, the estate agent has no dealings with the owner anymore.

Ray Palmer

Lars1916 wrote: »

I was not aware, that the card was set out to me until I rang the bank's hotline, after the Laser card stopped working out of the blue.

Customer service last night, as well as my local branch told me, the card was sent out.

The estate agent had the forwarding address, but he was never contacted by the owner after I moved out about any letters for me...in fact, the estate agent has no dealings with the owner anymore.

Card stopped working out of the blue! Isn't their an expiration date on them?

What you have posted sounds really silly. No mention you left a forwarding address and nobody is compelled to make sure you get it if it keeps arriving at a place you used to live or return it to the bank. Still getting mail for the person who lived here a decade ago. The onus is on you to insure you update your address in a timely manner

StillWaters

It's not an offence to throw out such post afaik. Courtesy would be to write return to sender on the envelope and put it back in the post, but I don't think the landlord or new tenant is legally obliged to do this.

Pawwed Rig

Think your issue here is with the bank.
You have suffered no loss and it is upto you to organise your mail.
An Post do an automatic redirection of mails for a fee which you shpuld have set up if you thought there was going to be problems

Lawrence1895

Ray Palmer wrote: »

Card stopped working out of the blue! Isn't their an expiration date on them?

What you have posted sounds really silly. No mention you left a forwarding address and nobody is compelled to make sure you get it if it keeps arriving at a place you used to live or return it to the bank. Still getting mail for the person who lived here a decade ago. The onus is on you to insure you update your address in a timely manner

Everybody knew, I was moving house, including the bank. But they told me, I could only fill in the form about changing the address, after I moved house. The whole process of changing the address in the bank's system takes up to 10 working days...during that waiting period, the letter in question was sent out.

And the expiry date is July 2013, btw

Milk & Honey

StillWaters wrote: »

It's not an offence to throw out such post afaik. Courtesy would be to write return to sender on the envelope and put it back in the post, but I don't think the landlord or new tenant is legally obliged to do this.

It is an offence. Sections 54 and 56 of the Post Office Act 1908.

Lawrence1895

Milk & Honey wrote: »

It is an offence. Sections 54 and 56 of the Post Office Act 1908.

Have you got a link for me, by any chance?

Scortho

Milk & Honey wrote: »

It is an offence. Sections 54 and 56 of the Post Office Act 1908.

Is there any way to prove it though? Unless there is CCTV evidence or someone of good standing witnessed it how could one ever be prosecuted?

Lawrence1895

Scortho wrote: »

Is there any way to prove it though? Unless there is CCTV evidence or someone of good standing witnessed it how could one ever be prosecuted?

I won't have any way to prove it. No CCTV, and I don't think, any of the neighbours would have seen the owner throwing a letter into the bin

Rasmus

Did you provide your landlord with your forwarding address?

areyawell

Ring up the bank and cancel the card. No money taken. Grand

Order a new card with your proper name and address.

Done. Sorted. I don't see what the big deal is?

Scortho

Lars1916 wrote: »

I won't have any way to prove it. No CCTV, and I don't think, any of the neighbours would have seen the owner throwing a letter into the bin

I'd say the best thing to do is put it down to life experience. For all you know, it could have been lost in the post etc. These things happen!
Next time you move though get onto An Post and get the forwarding set up.
If no money has being taken from your account, then I wouldnt bring it any further.

Lawrence1895

Rasmus wrote: »

Did you provide your landlord with your forwarding address?

The estate agent had the address, as he did all the dealings between the owner (who at the time lived in England) and me.

Got everything sorted with the bank alright, maybe I'm just disappointed. I was forwarding every letter which came for the owner, when I lived there.

StillWaters

Lars1916 wrote: »

Have you got a link for me, by any chance?

Thanks for that milk & honey, I never knew that, I knew opening another's post was illegal, but not doing anything to prevent it's due delivery.

http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/1993/en/act/pub/0010/sec0001.html#sec1

Would still be impossible to prove though, unless it was recorded delivery.

amtc

superseded by the Communications Regulation (Postal Services) Act 2011, by the way.

ted1

Just order a new one....