Junk Mail Magic

Plan advertising choices for a seasonal home

Handle each property as its own address with its own list of senders. Do not assume a request made for your main home also covers the seasonal one. Start by writing down when each address is occupied, then list the unwanted senders at each property.

By Junk Mail Magic. Updated .

Map each property before you contact anyone

  1. Write down the months you spend at each address. This shows when delivery matters and when mail would sit unattended.
  2. Decide whether the empty months need a USPS service. Hold Mail covers three to thirty days. For a longer gap, read the USPS forwarding page and ask which option fits.
  3. When you are at the seasonal address, set its advertising aside. For each piece, record the sender and the exact name and address printed on the label.
  4. Send each unwanted sender a request that names the seasonal address. Keep these records separate from the main home's list.

Names, addresses and who decides

A label may show a former owner's name, a trust name or a variation of your own name. Quote the label exactly as printed instead of guessing which version the sender has on file. A logo or format does not tell you where the sender got the address.

If a relative co-owns the property, decisions about pausing delivery or contacting senders about mail in their name belong to them. Each sender decides how it handles its own records, so check what actually arrives instead of assuming a request was applied.

Two-address worksheet

Example for your own use. Replace the bracketed details and review what you share.

Address A: [address], occupied [months] Address B: [address], occupied [months] USPS service for empty months: [service or none] Unwanted sender at A: [name, label name as printed], request sent [date] Unwanted sender at B: [name, label name as printed], request sent [date] Senders still mailing at next visit: [names]

Set a pre-season check

Before your next stay, compare the label names on the waiting advertising with your worksheet. If a sender you already contacted is still mailing, send a short follow-up that cites your earlier request. Add any new senders to the list for the following season.

Official sources

Plan mail during a trip longer than a monthDoes forwarding update every catalog preference?Stop a catalog at a second homeReview advertising after a postal address correctionDelivery and advertisingAll practical mail guides

Choose the route that matches the mailing

Use the official route described in this guide for this kind of mail. For a separate ordinary advertisement, Junk Mail Magic can help prepare a sender-specific removal request.

Compare removal routes