Had to move suddenly due to scary roommate. What will happen to my mail?

June 23, 2013 4:43 PM

I had to submit a change of address at the last minute, and I'm very reluctant go back to my old address to get any mail that doesn't get forwarded. I have some questions about the mechanics of mail forwarding.

I won't bother you with the gory details of my roommate situation. Suffice it to say I moved out without a plan and am currently staying in a hotel.

The same day I moved out, I submitted a change-of-address request through USPS.com. Since I don't know where my new address will be, I had my mail forwarded to a family member's house (the family member lives in a different state, in case that makes a difference).

I have two questions:

1. My local post office told me the online forwarding can take 3-4 days to process. That does not jibe with my memory of the last time I did mail forwarding. In that case, mail to my old address stopped arriving immediately. Will mail to my old address stop immediately, and if not, is there anything I can do about it?

2. I know that, as a security precaution, USPS will send a mail-forwarding notice to my old address. I would not put it past Scary Roomie to open this to get my new address. If I go to my local post office and put a hold on my mail, will this stop the mail-forwarding notice from going to SR?

Thanks in advance for the advice.

posted by internet_explorer to Law & Government (11 answers total)

I hate to give you discouraging news and I'm sure it varies by post office, but my last couple of attempts at official USPS mail forwards did not prevent much mail (including important, first-class mail) from being delivered to the old address. I would contact people & organizations who send you mail and directly notify them of the new address.
posted by magicbus at 5:03 PM on June 23, 2013 [4 favorites]

I had a situation in the past where I had to be sure that none of my mail went to my previous address during a transition period, and I used the Hold Mail service for a month and picked my mail up at the post office. This might work in your case as well.
posted by gimli at 5:17 PM on June 23, 2013 [1 favorite]

On second look, sorry, but it looks like hold mail stops all delivery to the address rather than just for one individual, so it won't work for you. My apologies.
posted by gimli at 5:22 PM on June 23, 2013

Be careful about putting holds on mail; the post office once advised me to do a "vacation hold" in a situation where I didn't want my stuff going to the roommate situation I was leaving before forwarding took effect, but they didn't tell me that unlike mail forwarding (which goes by addressee) , vacation holds stop *all* mail, regardless of who it's addressed to. This made an already tense relationship with my former roommate tenser because I'd unknowingly stopped her mail from coming.
posted by needs more cowbell at 5:23 PM on June 23, 2013 [1 favorite]

The mail forwarding notice sent to your old address won't have your new address in it.

I seem to remember getting a "we got a forwarding notice, is this correct?" from the USPS but I can't remember if it had the new address. You might call the USPS and double check.

And if you do need to go back and get your mail and/or any other property, you can always call your local sheriff's office and ask for them to meet you there to make sure things don't go south.

Also for your safety, you could get a post office box. If your former roommate did get a look at the forwarding address, it wouldn't tell him/her much.
posted by Beti at 5:28 PM on June 23, 2013 [2 favorites]

I'm pretty sure the confirmation notice you get at the old address doesn't have your new address on it.
posted by radioamy at 6:03 PM on June 23, 2013

This may be helpful. Seems to confirm Beti's advice.
posted by bunderful at 6:03 PM on June 23, 2013

I just started forwarding all my mail to a PO box and I have the confirmation notice that was sent to my house (so the "old" address) right here on my desk. It does not have the new address in it.
posted by Sabby at 6:25 PM on June 23, 2013

Seconding Hold Mail in the meantime. Secure a PO Box aftewards.
posted by trogdole at 4:58 AM on June 24, 2013

In addition to the national-level channels you've already gone through, I'd recommend calling your local post office and talking to them, or even speaking to the mail carrier that has your route (if you know their name). If you were at your place for any period of time, they'll probably know your name, and might be able to catch anything that the computer doesn't.

I've had this type of conversation a couple of times on the recommendation of family members who work for the USPS, and the mail carrier's response is always "Oh, yeah, no problem, I'll put your mail in the [magical holding spot] until the form comes through."
posted by tchemgrrl at 6:26 AM on June 24, 2013

Go pick up your mail with a friend. If Scary is actually violent or threatening, ask the police if they'll have an officer accompany you. This applies to getting your deposit back, too. Screwing with somebody's mail is a federal offense, and Postal Inspectors can get rather cranky about it. Contact the Post Office if Scary gives you a hard time.
posted by theora55 at 8:33 AM on June 24, 2013 [1 favorite]