Registering with the Mailing Preference Service (MPS) can reduce the amount of personally addressed direct mailings that you receive by up to 95%. Personally addressed mailings are those that have a named addressee.

You can use the MPS to register for yourself, other members of your household or a previous resident.

Registering with the MPS will reduce the amount of personally addressed mailings you receive for each person in your household that has registered. It will not stop mail that has been sent from overseas, mail addressed to “The Occupier”, or unaddressed mail. (You can also expect to continue to receive mailings from companies with whom you have done business in the past).

It can take up to four months for the MPS to have full effect, although you should notice a reduction of the mail during this period. Registering with the MPS is free of charge.

To find out more or to register, you can:

• Visit: www.mpsonline.org.uk
• Email: mps@dma.org.uk
• Call: 0845 703 4599
• Write to:
  Mailing Preference Service
  Freepost 29 LON20771
  London W1E 0ZT

Unaddressed mail is mail that does not contain your name or address details and can include marketing materials such as flyers, circulars, supermarket leaflets and free newspapers. (Some people call this type of mail, junk mail).

Organisations that may send you unaddressed mail include local authorities, central government, utility companies, public service organisations, charities, political parties, local education bodies, local shops and providers of local services.

There are two steps that can be taken to reduce this type of mail.

Opt out of the Royal Mail’s Door to Door service

Door to Door is the Royal Mail’s service that delivers unaddressed mail. Registering to opt out of this service will stop these items being delivered to your door within six weeks.

Opting out will stop all unaddressed items from being delivered by the Royal Mail but it will not stop the 75% of unaddressed mail that is delivered by other distributors. Registering to opt out of the Royal Mail’s Door to Door service is free of charge.

To find out more or to register, you can:

• Visit: www.royalmail.com
• Email: optout@royalmail.com
• Call: 08457 950 950
• Write to:
  Freepost RRBT-ZBXB-TTTS
  Royal Mail Door to Door Opt Outs
  Kingsmead House
  Oxpens Road
  Oxford OX1 1RX

If opting out of the Royal Mail’s door to door service by telephone, householders should select option 1 for business customers.

Register with the ‘Your Choice’ preference scheme

The ‘Your Choice’ preference scheme allows you to ask distribution companies that are members of the Direct Marketing Association to stop delivering unaddressed mail to your home.

To find out more or to register, you can:

• Visit: www.dma.org.uk
• Email: yourchoice@dma.org.uk
• Call: 020 7323 4165
• Write to:
  Your Choice Preference Scheme
  Direct Marketing Association (UK) Ltd
  DMA House
  70 Margaret Street
  London W1W 8SS

Letter template

The following letter template will help you compose your letter requesting to opt out of the Royal Mail’s Door to Door service and to register with the DMA’s Your Choice preference scheme.

• To opt out of the Royal Mail’s Door to Door service
• To register with the ‘Your Choice’ preference scheme

The electoral register lists the name and address of everyone who has registered to vote. There are two versions of the register: the full version and the edited version.

Full register

This has the names and addresses of everyone registered to vote. By law, anyone can look at it, but copies can only be supplied for certain purposes, such as elections and law enforcement. Credit reference agencies are also allowed to use the full register, but only to check your name and address if you are applying for credit, and to help stop money laundering. Anyone who has a copy of the register will be committing a criminal offence if they unlawfully pass on information from it. You do not have a choice about your name and address being on this register.

Edited register

This can be bought by any person, company or organisation and could be used for different purposes including marketing. It can be used to send out marketing materials that you may consider to be unwanted or junk mail. You can choose not to appear on this register.

The person who fills in and signs the voter registration form must ask each person named on the form if they want their details to be included on the edited register. If you do not want your details to appear on the edited register you must tick the box on the voter registration form to be excluded.

To find out more visit:

• www.electoralcommission.gov.uk

Many companies you deal with including utility companies and banks offer online services. As well as the convenience of viewing your account and paying bills online, you may also be able to stop receiving paper bills and statements. You may also receive a discount too.

Contact your service providers for more information.