Post being taken - alternatives?

Hi,

I would really appreciate any advice anyone might have as this is really bothering me. Basically I live with someone who takes a lot of my post, and then uses this to withdraw information and control me. Many of my letters go missing. Sometimes, this person plays around and delays the letter and then gives it to me but most of the time, my letters are taken and opened etc.

My question is, I NEED my official letters to be sent to another address (student finance, benefits letters for instance).
I will also be starting a job pretty soon normally. It is very important for me that this person doesn't know this, otherwise they will try to use it to control, trip me up etc. So again, I am SO worried that HMRC letters or whatever else will be sent to my home address. I have never had a proper job so I am not sure what else I will be receiving in relation to this, but quite a bit I imagine (eg. pension).

Does anyone know what I can do? Could I open a PO Box and have the letters scanned and emailed to me somehow?

Please help

You should be able to set up a PO Box with the post and just pick up your mail from there.

Thank you.. Problem is, it is difficult for me to go out on a regular basis.. So I would need it sent to me by email. Would they do this?
Also, would official places eg. HMRC, Student Finance, etc accept a PO Box??

Tbh I don’t know. I advise that you call them, but the vast majority of letters from SFE are already available online as a pdf copy on your account.

Yes I know, the problem is these are also sent to my home address, so whilst I can read the SFE letters online, this person also has access to them.

I suggest that you call SFE and HMRC and explain the situation and ask if a PO Box would be acceptable.

Yes, I will do so- thank you. Problem being I then need the PO letters scanned to me..

For SFE everything is available on you personal account so you would only have to check in from time to time and I imagine that you could arrange for HMRC to send a copy of all correspondence by email.

Yes, that could be good. To be clear, letters from SFE which are displayed under 'letters' are also sent to home address, right?

Does anyone know what I can do? Could I open a PO Box and have the letters scanned and emailed to me somehow?

You can set up a virtual PO Box, through a private company. However, you'd have to be aware of the charges for this and the fact that until the service starts there could be the charges seen on a bank statement by the other party.

https://www.ukpostbox.com/blog/po-box-addresses-in-the-uk

Delaying or opening mail that isn't addressed to you is illegal in the UK; no offence, and you don't have to answer this, but I'm assuming it's a family member causing an issue and it's difficult to get the police involved?

Thanks very much for your reply. I have been looking into this exact one. The charges don't seem too bad especially as I don't expect to receive that much post. I am always a tad concerned in terms of safety though as the company would be opening letters that contain HMRC or Student Finance info etc. Is that not a worry?

Yes, I know it is illegal, but you go trying to prove it! My post vanishes and gets delayed but I cannot prove that is the case or that it is this person doing it, rather than it occurring randomly, as a postal issue for instance. It is a family member, yes. I would be worried to get the police involved in terms of repercussions, as I am dependant on this person... And again, this person would deny it anyway and I would get some form of backlash.