LONDON LOCAL AUTHORITIES ACT 2007
SECTION 75
MAIL FORWARDING
Guidance and Information
“Mail forwarding business‟ is defined in section 75 of the Act as “the business, carried
out for reward, of making available to a person a postal address to which postal packets
may be sent, and doing either or both of the following -
a) holding postal packets so sent for collection by that person or his agent;
b) forwarding, by whatever means, postal packets so sent to that person.”
Section 75 will not apply to any person who holds a licence for postal services under
Part 2 of the Postal Services Act 2000.
Requirement to Register
A person is not permitted to carry on a mail forwarding business in Tower
Hamlets without being registered with the Council. This applies whether the mail
forwarding business is carried on alone or with any other business.
A written application must be made giving the name and address of the applicant and
the address of each place in the borough occupied by the applicant for the purposes of
mail forwarding. Should any of this information change after registration it is a
requirement to notify the council within 14 days of the change.
Record Keeping
A person carrying on a mail forwarding business is required to keep a record of:
a) The full name, address and telephone number of every person for whom any post
is received , or who has requested that postal packets received may be held or
forwarded to that person;
b) The nature of the business (if any) carried out by that person;
c) Any instructions that may have been received as to the delivery or forwarding of
postal packets;
d) In the case of every postal packet forwarded, the name and address of the
person to whom it is forwarded (if different from the name and address in (a)
above);
e) Copies of originals of two documents of a type approved by the council for the
purposes of identifying the person and verifying the address(es) required in (a)
above.
MFRS application form 2022/23
A client’s name and address in a) above must not be the name and address of
another mail forwarding business.
The name and address to be kept in a) above must be
a) in the case of an individual, his private address
b) in the case of a body corporate (including a limited company) or partnership
1) the registered office address or the principal address of the partnership;
and
2) the names and private addresses of the directors or partners or another
person directly or indirectly responsible for the management of the body
corporate or partnership; and
3) the address of the principal place of business of the body corporate or
partnership if different from any of the addresses mentioned in 1) and 2).
This will mean that apart from where a client is a sole individual, a contract with a mail
forwarding business will require that more than one name and address is held on
record.
Retention and Inspection of Records
A mail forwarding business is required to keep records of clients for at least a year after
the end of an arrangement (or contract) to hold or forward on postal packets and to keep
them available for inspection by the police or any authorised officer at all reasonable
times.
Offences
It is a criminal offence for a person to:
- fail to comply with the provisions of section 75;
- furnish false information –
in making an application for registration or notifying the Council of any alteration to the
registration particulars held, or
to a mail forwarding business in relation to particulars the business is required to keep;
- make a false entry in records kept by a person carrying on a mail forwarding
business.
In relation to the investigation of an offence, Trading Standards Officers have the
power to enter premises and inspect and seize goods and documents.
The maximum penalty for committing an offence is a fine not exceeding £5000 on
summary conviction.
MFRS application form 2022/23
For Official Use Only
Fee
Receipt No.
Certificate
Registration No.
Date Of Issue
LONDON LOCAL AUTHORITIES ACT 2007
SECTION 75
MAIL FORWARDING BUSINESSES
APPLICATION FOR REGISTRATION
Please use BLOCK LETTERS. Where a full name is required give all forenames.
The application is being made by:
A body corporate (includes limited companies)
An individual A partnership
Full name of the applicant.
If a body corporate give the full registered name. If a partnership give full names of all
partners.
Trading name of the mail forwarding business
MFRS application form 2022/23
Full address of applicant, including postcode.
For an individual – home address
For a partnership – principal address
For a body corporate – registered office address
Business address(es) in Tower Hamlets
All addresses within the borough occupied by the applicant for mail forwarding
purposes
MFRS application form 2022/23
Contact information
Daytime telephone number:
Email:
Fax:
Website:
Contact name:
Designation:
Declaration of applicant
Please note it is an offence under section 75 of the London Local Authorities Act 2007
to give false information in making an application for registration
I ………………………………………………………………………….. …………. (please print
name)
declare that the information given in this application is true and accurate.
Date………………………………………………………………………………………….
Signature……………………………………………………………………………………
Designation of signatory…………………………………………………………………..
Where there is any alteration in the particulars mentioned in any section of this
form, the person registered shall within 14 days notify the Council of the fact and
the Council shall thereupon amend its register.
Application fee:
The current fee is £182.00 per application, which should be paid by cheque
accompanying the application form, made payable to London Borough of Tower
Hamlets and sent to: Trading Standards and Environmental Health, Whitechapel Town
Hall, 160 Whitechapel Road, London, E1 1BJ
You may also make a payment using the Council’s website online payment facility.
MFRS application form 2022/23
The payments page can be accessed from http://www.towerhamlets.gov.uk/ under
'Online Services' – ‘Pay It’
MFRS application form 2022/23
