If you receive mail addressed to the previous owner at your address, here are the recommended steps to handle it:

• Write "Return to Sender," "Not at this Address," or "Moved" on the envelope. Then place the mail back in your mailbox for the postal carrier to pick up. This signals the post office to return the mail to the sender or forward it if a forwarding address exists

• Avoid throwing away or destroying the mail, as the sender will not be informed that the recipient no longer lives there, and important mail might be lost

• If you know how to contact the previous owner, inform them that their mail is still arriving and encourage them to update their address with relevant organizations

• You can also notify your local post office that the previous resident no longer lives at your address. The post office can place a note in their system to help prevent future misdeliveries

• For repeated mail issues, contacting the landlord or property management company may help in notifying the previous tenant to update their address

In summary, the best practice is to mark the mail clearly and return it to the postal service for proper handling rather than disposing of it yourself