Letter boxes, legal requirement ?

[Roger R]

From time to time serious house fires are caused by flamable substances being pushed through letter boxes. Homes in many other countries do not have these apertures in their front doors, but instead have a separate metal box or cassette of boxes if flats.

the provision of a letter box in the front door a legal requirement in the UK ?

If provision of a letter box is a requirement, now that the post office counters have a plastic size template limiting the size for first class minimum postage letter to a narrow slot of 165 mmm x 5 mm, perhaps we can reduce our aperture to that size and still meet the regulation.

Regrettably even this would not stop junk mail coming through it.

Roger R

[ARWadsworth]

No, you do not need a letterbox.

You are supposed to display a house name or number though.

Adam

[Invisible Man]

I have seen in the UK properties with a locking box marked Mail fixed to the front wall near the front door. It seems reasonable to have somewhere for a postman to conveniently deliver most mail. I am unaware of any requirement to have a letterbox.

[mark]

It can't be a legal requirement. I have an unoccupied house ( I'm renovating it) and it is a condition of the blg.ins that I have either no letter box or if I do, that it is screwed shut. I have a metal dustbin lid on the step for post.

mark

[Usenet Nutter]

I don't think you have worked out what Letter Sizing means . Your plan will mean more people staying at home to get mail or more trips days later to the Sorting Office to collect once they get carded ...if they are lucky enough to get the card .

[Dave Liquorice]

And even causing the deaths of the occupants.

What about the "large letter" size? That accomodates C4 envelopes to take unfolded A4 sheets and up to 25mm thick. A reasonable proportion of our mail is C4 sized not C5 or DL "letter" sized.

You don't need a letter box, as in hole in a door, but it makes sense to have a letter box some where that the postie can leave you mail in so it doesn't blow away, get soaked or stolen. Many places in rural areas have boxes at the end of their track for post and other deliveries to be left in.

[David in Normandy]

At one place in Nottingham I lived at I made a suitable slotted lockable box and fastened it to the wall outside the front door and sealed up the letter slot in the front door. A number of people in the area had fireworks etc put through their letter box. I read of someone dying in the UK the other day as a result of this sort of behaviour.

Since moving to France its the standard metal box next to the front gate.

[Roger]

Be sure to remove your windows and brick up the holes too. Many fires are caused by people smashing windows and throwing substances in. The same goes for your doors, have them removed and the holes bricked up!

[Owain]

You can get arson-resistant letterbox enclosures, they're more common on commercial property though.

No. Royal Mail require:

Your residence can be clearly identified (with a number, letter or name) and has its own letterbox (or a secure lockable receptacle that clearly corresponds to the residence)

unless there is a central delivery point or external mailbox for eg flats.

Whether there is a legal requirement to be able to receive mail at an address which you give to eg DVLA is another matter.

Owain

[The Medway Handyman]

I wish more people took notice of that. This time of year especially at around 5pm when I'm trying to find a house to do an estimate...

[The Medway Handyman]

Thus saving the trouble of cutting a letterbox size slot in a door - and fitting one of the piss poor designed letterboxes. Why they can't recess the spring is beyond me, cutting out a slot to take it is a right PITA.

[george [dicegeorge]]

if you seal it airtight and pump out all the air then fire wont spread in a vacuum.

[g]

[george [dicegeorge]]

sorry that was stupid and a waste of time, i'm going to bed.

[g]

[Andy Cap]

I've had a couple now, of the type where both outside and inside portions are the same, with sprung and sealed flaps, but with one part sliding inside the other. They function well and are completely draft proof, apart from when the paper guy doesn't push it right through !

Andy C

[TheScullster]

"The Medway Handyman" wrote

Surely that's an extra "chargeable" - I couldn't help noticing when trying to find your house - sort of a job!!

Phil

[Roger R]

The design of letter box fittings leaves a lot to be desired with many offerings having inadequate width for an A4 envelope (even if only 5mm thick) to pass through without being folded.

The type similar to your desription -as sold in B&Q- with brush draught excluders inside both flaps has its limitations because flimsy envelopes don't penetrate the inner brush/flap and remain crushed up in the inner space. I find myself looking in the flap each day to see if my lottery cheque for 94 million pounds has somehow got hidden in it.

The traditinal type with a single inward opening metal flap closed by a strong spring also results in the flimsy letters being crushed as the postman tries to force open the flap by thrusting the letter against it - works sometimes. If the spring is weak the flap blows open allowing draughts.

I'm inclined to think the type with a lift up outward opening flap is the most efficient but its a two handed job for the postman - one to lift the flap the other to thrust the item in.

Roger R

[David in Normandy]

DVLA aren't even consistent in this requirement themselves. They make a fuss about needing to give them new address details if you move and it being an offence not to tell them... but if you move abroad they have no facility to record foreign addresses so specifically state they do not need to be contacted. There is also no legal requirement to exchange a licence for one in the new country of residence in the EU. So I have a valid UK driving licence with a UK address on it that is five years out of date and at which DVLA cannot contact me! The only requirement to switch to a new licence in the new country is in the event of a traffic offence requiring points.

[The Natural Philosopher]

Dunno. I aint got one, BCO never said I should..

Nothing stops junk mail.

[Lobster]

Be grateful you don't work round here then - not far from me is one of those chocolate box villages where they don't "do" house numbers, darling - it's all "The Grange" or "The Old Vicarage"; furthermore streetlighting is just SO common, don't you know, that the place is in pitch darkness after sundown. You want to try finding an address in that place...

David

[Lobster]

As I've very recently posted elsewhere by coincidence - when they send out tax disc reminders (one of which I've just had one delivered, to someone who moved away 18 months ago) the envelope states "do NOT return to sender if undelivered" !!??!!

David