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Just moved? Why the junk mail spikes, and how to stop it

New homes get a wave of mail: look-alike mortgage letters, insurance pitches, deed-copy offers and the last owners’ catalogs. Most of it can be cut in 30 minutes.

The 30-minute fix

  1. Stop prescreened credit and insurance offers at OptOutPrescreen.com. Free.
  2. Register with DMAchoice to cut catalogs and marketing mail. Small fee; allow about 90 days.
  3. Use Catalog Choice (free) for catalogs that keep coming.
  4. Ask companies to drop former residents’ names. Copy our request →
  5. Turn on Informed Delivery at your new address. How →

Before you pay anything

Letters about your deed, “mortgage protection” or a warranty “final notice” are usually sales pitches. Real or junk? Check the 5 common letters →

Good to know

Where all this mail comes from
  • Public records. Your deed and mortgage are recorded, and marketers build lists from them.
  • Your change of address. Mailers use the Postal Service’s licensed address-change file (NCOALink) to update lists that had your old address.
  • Your mortgage credit check. Since March 5, 2026, competing lenders need your consent to use it. Your own lender, servicer, bank or credit union are exempt.
  • Mover packets. Filing a change of address brings coupon books from Postal Service partners.
  • Previous residents. Their names stay tied to your address. Here’s the fix →
  • Route-wide mail. “Postal Customer” flyers and political mail can’t be stopped.
What won’t stop (and shouldn’t)

Mail from your own lender, servicer, insurer and bank: statements, escrow and tax notices, renewals. Mailers print weeks ahead, so expect stragglers for a couple of months.

Sources

USPS PostalPro (NCOALink); USPS change-of-address FAQ; OptOutPrescreen.com; DMAchoice FAQ; HousingWire on the Homebuyers Privacy Protection Act; Minnesota Attorney General on deed solicitations.

Next: Your first 90 days, step by step →

Or let us do it: Move-in Reset

Forward us your free USPS Informed Delivery preview. We set up the big opt-outs with you, ask mailers to drop former residents, flag look-alike letters before you pay, and follow up until the mail stops. Mail from companies you use is never touched without your yes.

$25 one-time · Covers your first 90 days · Pilot opens January 2027 · No card today

Join the January pilot

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