Let’s start from the beginning. I (F24) moved into my apartment in August of this year. The apartment is in a community of townhomes where each townhouse has three rooms with their own bathrooms that can be rented individually. My roommate Maya (F25) told me when I moved in that she would be moving out soon because she got into an accelerated nursing program. Cool, good for her. She then stayed around for another two months or so and would go live in the dorms during the week and come back to the apartment on the weekend to cook and do laundry. That didn’t bother me although I thought it was a little strange.
She finally moved out in October. My third roommate, Julia (F23), still lives in the apartment with me. Maya is a rather interesting person and she tends to back track things that she says and constantly changes the story (i.e. changing her mind several times about what day she was going to move out during the two months she lived there).
Another incident (just for more context) was when she told me that I had to Venmo her for internet because Xfinity started charging her account. The apartment complex has a contract with the nearby Xfinity store so each apartment can go get a wifi router and cable box and the complex pays for it, not us. Maya had picked up the router so she has the account that controls it. I told her that we shouldn’t be getting charged, so I would stop by the store and ask them what happened. The store told me that she had opened a Peacock subscription on her account and hadn’t been paying for it so not only does she have the subscription to pay but she is also racking up late fees. Maybe her fault, maybe not I never really got to the bottom of it but I definitely didn’t pay her.
She has had some mail sent to the apartment. Insurance stuff, DMV envelopes, some sort of ticket. Julia and I informed her of this and she keeps texting back saying she doesn’t have time right now and she’ll get to it. Well, yesterday, Julia was home and was handed papers saying that Maya was being served with a lawsuit. She texted in our group chat immediately and informed Maya, who showed no real concern about picking it up. I told her she needed to update her legal address immediately. She then asked if we could send all of her mail to her new address. Admittedly, she is about an hour away now so it is a bit of a drive, but I don’t really feel like spending $15 on shipping costs to do her a favor.
If I don’t send it all to her, would that be mean of me to make her drive up to get it? I don’t owe her anything, but also she was never outright mean to me. I think I feel more obligated because I am somewhat concerned that this will effect her immigration status. I don’t know how lawsuits impact your green card, but she is not from the US originally and this is kind of a dangerous time to be risking that.
TLDR: My former roommate is being sued by my apartment complex for not paying rent (like a lot of it), and wants me to send her papers and other mail to her so that she doesn’t have to drive an hour to get it.
EDIT: I asked Julia what happened exactly and she said that the Sheriff’s Deputy knocked on the door and gave her the papers. Julia told him that Maya no longer lived there and he just said "yeah I figured." Maybe now that I have Maya’s new address (she sent it in a text when asking me to mail her things) I can bring the papers back to the police station and tell them the new address.
NTA. This is her problem to solve. I wouldn’t drive it to her OR mail it without upfront payment.
NTA but you might want to consider telling her to Venmo $15 and then you or your roommate will send on her paperwork.
Write “address unknown” on the envelope and put it back in the mail.
I have put “No longer at this address” to stuff that keeps coming for people who no longer live here and then stuck it in the post box.
According to the USPS, “Not at this address” is the correct notation to put on it. That said, anything similar SHOULD work.
Mark all of her mail with “Return to Sender Moved” and put it back into the mailbox for collection.
This is a legal question, not for AITA.
It’s her mail. She provided the address. Keep the texts that you sent notifying her of its arrival; this is very important. DO NOT agree to drive it to her, nor send it to her; this is also very important.
Don’t get involved with her mail. Don’t touch the legal papers, period. This is her problem, so don’t make it your problem.
File a change of address and stop accepting her mail. Write return to sender on it and drop it back in your outgoing mail.
When we get mail for a former tenant, we give it to the management office or the post office. The person no longer lives there and you are not obligated to hold their mail for them. Give it to management and let them know she doesnt live at that address and let them contact her to collect her things.
Not sure your location unless I missed it, but in the US, if the service processor handed the paperwork to anyone who wasn’t Maya, then she technically has not been legally served yet. That’s their fault and really has nothing to do with you.
Stop accepting her mail. Write no longer at this address and put it in the mai to be returned to sender. Do not sign or accept any service for her. Contact the law office that sent the mail, give them her current address.
Also, if she no longer lives there, they served her wrong. Julia should have handed it back and say the person didn’t live there.
ETA, or really the first question the process server should have asked was if this was the home of Maya. anyway, bad service.
Take it to the post office and inform them the person no longer lives at this address and it needs to be returned to sender. Messing with people’s mail can be a real legal headache for you so best to pass it back sooner rather than later
NTA
NTA ” Sure Maya, we can do that, if you can just pop over £15 to venmo and we’ll gather everything us and post it out to you, otherwise sorry you’re going to need to pop by and get it”