Signing for a neighbors mail

[drshlomo]

I signed for a neighbors mail yesterday and just gave her her mail this morning and couldn't help wondering what would happen if she decided to say she never received it from me, Im guessing that I would be held liable or arrested for theft? Is it better in the future not to sign for others mail or as I have a witness (the mailman) would I be ok?

[saxy_jag]

If it's signed for, then the PO would have a record of it being left with you. At then end of the day, though, a lot is based on trust (and it is a crime to 'steal' mail in this way).

I guess it depends on how well you get on with your neighbours. The ones either side of me would be fine - we all take in each other's mail all the time. However there's a family across the road that none of us are particularly enamoured with, so where I can I always leave instructions to 'leave next door if no-one home, NOT number XYZ'.

[drshlomo]

Thanks for the prompt answer saxyjag. Im not particularly friends with them but neither do I dislike them, we say hello and i sign for their mail quite often as my shifts mean that Im sometimes in during daytime so I just wanted to know my legal stance on this.

[joggerjayne]

Why not just scribble "Received from drschlomo" on a piece of paper ...

... and get your neighbour to sign for it when you give it to her ?

Explain to her that it's for the PO's benefit, rather than yours.

[berniecuddles]

hey if your that worried dont sign for them, simples!!

[drshlomo]

Joggerjayne I was thinking of that but it sounds like that will undermine any trust or friendliness we have.
I think I'll stop as bernie says because It wouldn't exactly affect them for the mailman to come the next day and I would rather have that peace of mind that my kindness doesn't come back to haunt me someday.
Thanks everyone.

[joggerjayne]

"as I have a witness (the mailman) would I be ok? "

The postman is not a helpful witness. He is a witness to you RECEIVING the letter ...

... but NOT a witness to you ever giving it to the neighbour.

As far as the postman is concerned, the last time he saw it ... you had it !

So, get your neighbour to sign, to acknowledge safe receipt from you.

[joggerjayne]

It's not a question of trust between you and the neighbour.

If mail is so important that it has to be signed for, she should not mind signing.

What is more likely to undermine the trust, is if you start refusing to accept her post. Imagine if the postman can't deliver it for several days, because she keeps being out. She then gets the important letter, several days late, and the postman's note says "drschlomo at number X declined to accept"

[drshlomo]

Joggerjayne you said " the postman can say "drschlomo at number X declined to accept" so does this mean I am obligated to sign and if i don't they can disclose that I refused to sign? Surely not?

[joggerjayne]

No, you have no obligation ... of course not.

But, if the postman cannot deliver a letter, he might be expected to show that he made an effort to find someone who would accept it on behalf of the addressee.

He might make a note of whom he asked.

If the neighbour subsequently signs for it herself, and says "This letter is several days late; why didn't you leave it with a neighbour?" the postman might say that he did try.

But it's really not your responsibility. You might be better off just avoiding taking in anyone's post at all.

[magicmerlin]

Where I live the Royal Mail will only leave mail at addresses that have been nominated in writing by the intended recipient.

i.e. if xyz wants un-deliverable post left with abc then xyz should notify the appropriate sorting office. Obviously xyz should have the ok from abc beforehand.

Couriers etc have different rules, some of which border on the unbelievable.

[joko]

i often just sign their name...
then if such a claim occurred i could just deny all knowledge...
i think its out of order for Posties to just do this without permission...i have had mail go missing this way, as i live on a crossroads an so have lots of 'neighbours' some of whom are shops and flats etc...and i dont know most of them
i even had a postie leave post on my doorstep that went missing...my front door is about 2ft from the pavement, next to a main shopping road!
i had one woman from company actually have a go at me, being a bit sarcastic and funny with me because i said the neighbours hadnt given me the parcel ( a shop about 6 doors down the road, on the opposite side!) she snottily said "well, you cant be very good friends with your neighbours then can you?!" as if that was evidence enough that i was bang to rights! ...i simply said "no, i'm not, i didnt say i was... i dont even know them"...she went quiet... (that was a courier i believe though)

[Whickerman]

This is in no way a slight on you or any of the contributors here, but isn't it a sad day when we need to worry about the likes of this? (And believe me, i do understand why you ask the question.) I'm not yet 40 but when we were kids if my mam was going to be out a neighbour kept an eye out and we were called into their house. Payments for the coal man and the milkman are still left with neighbours, as are keys to houses 'in case of emergencies'.

[rowanwitch]

We have brilliant neighbours...we all take in deliveries for one another, borrow stuff, help with things like puttng up sheds, feeding pets but if someone new moved in it would take a while before they were included, and we'd obviously suss them out first

I will really miss them when I leave

[bushbaby_de]

I rang Debenhams to find out why I hadn't received my parcel and they said it was down as 'delivered'. I repeated that I hadn't got it so they checked the notes and said a neighbour had signed for it. I asked which one and they couldn't tell me as apparently they don't keep a record?! Then they advised me to knock on their doors to find out which one had it.... now I live in a block of 60 flats so I wasn't about to do that. But then Debenhams said if I hadn't checked with my neighbours they couldn't record it as missing.... unbelievable! Won't be using them again......