Forwarding Mail

I've lived in my house for four years now. On occasion I've forwarded mail to the previous owner, very nice people we met who moved maybe an hour away.
Did it again earlier this week. Today received the letter back with a sticker saying I had to put another 59c (domestic rate) to send the letter. "New address requires a new stamp."
So I went to the post office to send off some stuff and asked. The very nice lady said it had been policy for years (couldn't say how many) and that she was surprised they'd never caught it before.
So tell me. Have any of my fellow Canadian post office oficionados heard of this change of policy?
How about other countries. What are your policies/practices in the US, Australia, anywhere?
I'm flabbergasted! I've been forwarding for years! Who knew?

Oh yes, I was half way home before I thought to ask if 'return to sender' was going to cost me too.

jamesw
Never thought off forwarding mail. Instead of knowing the address of the previous owner you should know is phone number. Same with tenants that moved. You call and they come pick it up. If they don't that's to bad. Canada Post just suffer a strike because it try to reduce costs and I think forwarding for free is an additional cost the surely don't need. You probably would like to know if this practice of forwarding for free is a service offer by other postal authorities around the world. Well we will see. Yesterday there was mail for 510 31st #27 in my mailbox and we live at 510 37th. I brought the envelope myself. It happen too very rarely that we got mail for 510 37th Lachine and we live in LaSalle. We give it to the postmen if we have the chance or just write wrong address on it and drop it in the mailbox.

Daniel, I guess I'm just so surprised that I've been doing this, well, all my life, and I've never come across this before. I forward stuff just as a courtesy, when I think it's important. Not any more.

I just write "no longer at this address" on the letter and put it back in my box.
I figure it'll get sorted out sooner or later. Either the PO will forward it, or
the sender will update their records. Is that wrong? I don't know the forward
address, and the previous owners still get tons of junk mail here, even after 6 years.

In the UK mail is forwarded for free.

We regularly get mail for the wrong address, usually the next street over or a North/South address. I will place a post-it note on the envelope and state "delivered to incorrect address" and put it in the mailbox for pickup. If I get mail for a prior owner of the property I just write "no longer at this address" and set it with the outgoing mail. I've never had anything come back or a notice asking for more postage.

In Ausssie it is still free I think to onforward mail - havent done it for a while though

I guess this is what passes for postage due these days.

In Australia it is not free to onforward Mail.

We onforward mail by applying at the Post Office.
We fill out a form and pay a cost that applies to the term we choose.

I just moved to the country and took 6 months. ($40 IIRC)
My postmater or sorter, then applies a computer generated sticker to all my
mail, and it gets passed on.

I recently was fined $100 for not renewing my vehicle licence and handing
in the registration plates, I appealed and used my Post Office redirection
application and payment as proof.
I won (today) and the fine was withdrawn.





The "mail back" confirmation from Australia Post
( A similar route used by email confirmation of a service request)






Australia Post Redirection paper showing costs.............

Hey Rod you are correct about redirection of mail

I was talking about redirecting by crossing out address on envelope and replacing it with another one and then putitng the letter back in the mail - I think you can still do this without charge but I may stand corrected

Yes, in Canada you can redirect your own mail after you move, for a fee. It lasts about 6 months I think (as I said, it's been 4 years since I moved).
It's the crossing out and replacing an address on an envelope that I find they are now charging for.
Maybe this envelope should go in my collection, I'm just not sure under what category.