Shelly1234
New Member
- Jurisdiction
- Maryland
I purchased my first home in 2017 after getting out of the military. Approx. two years later, I started receiving a lot of mail addressed to a man who did not live at my home. So much mail, that I purchased a "no longer at this address" stamp.
The post office kept returning the mail to my house anyway and when I went and talked to them about it, they said the man could be my boyfriend or roommate and left it at that. I have no clue who this man is and I am the only name on the deed to my house.
Not long after my failed attempt at the post office, the man started showing up at my home. He would park on the street, blocking my driveway, check my mailbox, and then bang on the door asking for his mail.
I called the cops, but no one showed up the first time (he was there for 20 minutes). The second time, I made a police report and was told by the cop that the person used to live at my address. I told the officer that I had lived there for a couple of years already and only recently started receiving mail addressed to him. The fact that he was showing up to my house to get it proves that he knows where it is going and is doing it on purpose. I also went to court to get a "stay away order," but the judge dismissed my request because "he used to live there" and I answered "no" when asked if I felt my life was in danger.
The second time he came to my house, I could see he was wearing a company polo through my Ring camera. I called the company's security office and they acknowledged he worked there, but said they could only make him change his address for their company's mail, not any of his other mail.
Two years went by with nothing from him, so I kind of let it go. Recently, I started getting mail from him again and a different man started showing up at my house. The third time he came, he left a note with his contact info and it turned out that he was a legal courier (something like that) and he was looking for the man sending mail to my house because he owes the county money for a traffic ticket.
Now I am really concerned. Criminal information is public in my state and he has been in trouble with the law a few times. I am worried that if he commits a big enough crime, my home will be raided by police because they think he lives at my address. He still uses my address on his driver's license apparently, which is why the legal guy showed up at my home. There are children in my home and a police raid would be a traumatic experience for them (and me) and it seems like this <insert expletive> has more rights to my home than I do.
I can't be the only person who has been in this situation. What can I do to protect myself and my family?
The post office won't help, the courts won't help, the police won't help. This is insane to me. If there isn't already a law protecting homeowners from this kind of mess (meaning the potential to have their homes raided by police who are looking for criminals using an innocent person's address), then I need guidance on how to get something started. I don't want anyone else to have to go through this.
Also, if everyone (post office, police, etc.) thinks he lives at my house, could he claim any kind of squatter's rights with his mail being sent here?
I called the police when I started receiving his mail again and they said that because my address is the last known address for him that they have, they will come to my home if a warrant needs to be executed. I feel helpless. Any guidance you can provide will be greatly appreciated. I wanted my home to be my sanctuary, but it feels like I'm living in a nightmare.
The post office kept returning the mail to my house anyway and when I went and talked to them about it, they said the man could be my boyfriend or roommate and left it at that. I have no clue who this man is and I am the only name on the deed to my house.
Not long after my failed attempt at the post office, the man started showing up at my home. He would park on the street, blocking my driveway, check my mailbox, and then bang on the door asking for his mail.
I called the cops, but no one showed up the first time (he was there for 20 minutes). The second time, I made a police report and was told by the cop that the person used to live at my address. I told the officer that I had lived there for a couple of years already and only recently started receiving mail addressed to him. The fact that he was showing up to my house to get it proves that he knows where it is going and is doing it on purpose. I also went to court to get a "stay away order," but the judge dismissed my request because "he used to live there" and I answered "no" when asked if I felt my life was in danger.
The second time he came to my house, I could see he was wearing a company polo through my Ring camera. I called the company's security office and they acknowledged he worked there, but said they could only make him change his address for their company's mail, not any of his other mail.
Two years went by with nothing from him, so I kind of let it go. Recently, I started getting mail from him again and a different man started showing up at my house. The third time he came, he left a note with his contact info and it turned out that he was a legal courier (something like that) and he was looking for the man sending mail to my house because he owes the county money for a traffic ticket.
Now I am really concerned. Criminal information is public in my state and he has been in trouble with the law a few times. I am worried that if he commits a big enough crime, my home will be raided by police because they think he lives at my address. He still uses my address on his driver's license apparently, which is why the legal guy showed up at my home. There are children in my home and a police raid would be a traumatic experience for them (and me) and it seems like this <insert expletive> has more rights to my home than I do.
I can't be the only person who has been in this situation. What can I do to protect myself and my family?
The post office won't help, the courts won't help, the police won't help. This is insane to me. If there isn't already a law protecting homeowners from this kind of mess (meaning the potential to have their homes raided by police who are looking for criminals using an innocent person's address), then I need guidance on how to get something started. I don't want anyone else to have to go through this.
Also, if everyone (post office, police, etc.) thinks he lives at my house, could he claim any kind of squatter's rights with his mail being sent here?
I called the police when I started receiving his mail again and they said that because my address is the last known address for him that they have, they will come to my home if a warrant needs to be executed. I feel helpless. Any guidance you can provide will be greatly appreciated. I wanted my home to be my sanctuary, but it feels like I'm living in a nightmare.
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