'Your Choice' Preference Service for Unaddressed Mail

Unaddressed Material

Many local and national organisations like to communicate information to people using unaddressed mail and door to door material delivered directly to their homes. Such items can include free newspapers, free magazines, catalogues, information leaflets, advertising brochures & money-off coupons, local directories and free product samples.

Organisations who communicate in this way include local authorities, central government, utility companies (e.g. gas, water, electricity), public service organisations, charities, political parties, local education bodies, local shops and providers of local services.

These kinds of items are delivered to most homes within a given area and do not involve the householders name and address being asked for or kept on record.

Unaddressed Mail or 'door to door' items (i.e. items that do not have individual names or addresses recorded on them) are delivered to homes by a number of different companies.

Opting out of Royal Mail's Door to Door service

The Royal Mail's Door to Door opt out service only relates to unaddressed mail delivered by your post person.

Royal Mail are legally obliged to deliver all addressed mail, this includes mail that is addressed "To the Occupier", "The Homeowner" (or with any other generic recipient information), as well as mail that is personally addressed to you by name.

Royal Mail Door to Door Opt Out contact details:

Door to Door Opt Outs
FREEPOST RLZL-LHZH-JZHT
Royal Mail Customer Services
PO Box 740
PLYMOUTH
PL9 7YB
T: 0345 2660858
E: optout@royalmail.com

DMA

The Data & Marketing Association UK (DMA) is the trade body for the direct marketing industry. The majority of national distribution companies involved in the door to door delivery of unaddressed mail, as well as some local distribution companies, are members of the DMA.

DMA membership includes a proportion of free newspaper publishers and the majority of national door to door distribution companies.

How to Contact the DMA to find out about stopping delivery of Unaddressed Mail

Although the communications they carry are usually valued and informative, door to door distribution companies recognise that not everyone may want to receive these items.

Those companies that are members of the DMA agree to abide by the expressed wishes of householders who do not wish to receive unaddressed material through their letterbox.

For details on how householders can exercise .Your Choice. and ask distribution companies to stop the delivery of unaddressed mail to their homes, please contact the DMA by letter, telephone or e-mail and ask for details of the 'Your Choice' Preference Service for Unaddressed Mail. Please note, that registration with Your Choice will last for 2 years, after which you will need to re-register with the service.

DMA 'Your Choice' contact details:

'Your Choice' Preference Scheme Dept.
Data & Marketing Association (UK)
DMA House
70, Margaret Street,
London
W1W 8SS
Telephone: 020 7291 3300
e-mail: yourchoice@dma.org.uk