Mail Redirection Service: When should you forward mail to a new address?

We’ve covered what mail redirection is in our introduction to Royal Mail redirection blog, but we’ll be exploring exactly when mail redirection is a useful service to have.

Scenarios where mail redirection is useful

Although mail redirection is primarily helpful for frequent movers, having to set up a new Royal Mail Redirection Service every time your address changes is a lot of legwork. This is where UK Postbox steps in. You can sign up for a lifetime Mail Redirection Address and use it whenever you find yourself in one of the following situations:

Redirecting mail when moving house

Home movers are the primary users of mail redirection as it affects almost everyone in their lifetime. For that reason, it’s safe to say that there will come a time that you get value from mail redirection.

Mail Redirection for renters

If you’re a renter, it’s likely that you’ll be moving home more than once every couple of years. In short, the more frequently you move, the more complicated and expensive it becomes to redirect mail. No one wants to take the risk of having an old letter sent to a past address, so you should redirect your mail with every move.

Mail Redirection for homeowners

It’s not expected that homeowners will move addresses as frequently as renters, but you’ll still benefit from a redirection service. In an age where homeowners are renting their properties through services like Airbnb, and opportunities to move abroad are aplenty, you might need to redirect your mail even if you still own the property.

Moving abroad? Add this to your checklist

If you’re moving overseas, we commend your ambition - it’s a complicated move to make. Even when you leave the UK physically, you’ll still have some form of UK presence. One big decision for UK expats is what to do with their home. If it’s been sold or rented out to someone else, you’ll definitely want to redirect any post being sent there to another address. It’ll be really expensive to get everything forwarded overseas, so it’s worth looking into Redirection Addresses.

Working overseas

Moving abroad to work is a dream for many of the UK population, but there’s quite a bit to organise before you make your way overseas. No matter if it’s a temporary relocation, or if your plane ticket has no return date, during this interim period you can expect to receive mail to your old UK address. This mail will be important, so it’s vital that you can still access it.

Working across the country

Some UK based jobs will require you to travel across the company meeting with customers and clients. This is fantastic! But what happens when you’re away from home for an extended period and you receive important mail to your home address? Can this mail really wait for potentially months before it’s read and actioned? For the professional on the move, having access to your letters online is a really convenient feature.

Living abroad and in the UK

For some workers, their reality is living and working in both the UK and a foreign country. This is particularly true for anyone who moved to the UK for work, but at some point in their life find themselves moving back home. In this case, you’ll probably be using temporary addresses and hotels. When you’re out of the UK, you’re going to need a somewhere for your mail to be received to that can be accessed regardless of where you are in the world.

Extended holiday

Whether a short holiday turned into a long-term one, or you planned it to be that way in the first place, taking an extended holiday doesn’t mean that you can avoid all of your mail! You can set up a Royal Mail redirection service for a minimum of 3 months, so if you’re away from home, you can temporarily redirect your mail to ensure you can still access it.

Redirect mail after death

After the loss of a friend or family member, it’s crucial that their mail is redirected. You will only be able to do this if you have power of attorney or similar legal authority. This is an important step as:

1. There may be correspondence that is missed
2. It will indicate any companies/ individuals that need to be told about the passing
3. An accumulation of mail will attract unwanted attention.
   

Will Royal Mail redirect parcels?

Your Royal Mail Redirection service includes parcels, unless you’re redirecting overseas.

If you’re now abroad and need a parcel, you can redirect to a UK Postbox Courier Point Address. We’ll do the rest and make sure your package gets to you safely.

Using UK Postbox alongside your Royal Mail Redirection

It’s been touched upon throughout the blog, but for all of the scenarios raised, you can benefit from the services UK Postbox offer. We offer all of our customers a free Royal Mail Redirection Address. Here’s a breakdown of all the ways using UK Postbox alongside Royal Mail Redirection helps:

1. Your mail will always be secure and never fall into the wrong hands
2. You’ll have access to our advanced mail management app, giving you full control of your mail on the move
3. We’ll upload your post as it’s received, so there won’t be a delay in reading your post, wherever you are in the world.
4. You decide on a case by case basis whether you want your mail opened and scanned, stored, forwarded to you or destroyed.
5. Dropbox and Evernote integration - watch your mail items filter in.
   

When we receive your redirected post, it’s assigned a barcode, scanned and stored within our secure system. You’ll be notified of your new mail the day it’s received. It’s then up to you whether you’d like the mail scanned for reading, stored or forwarded.