The Post Box

There are many letter boxes on the market, but the style most commonly used is a slot in the door.  The problem with this style of letter box is that the mail falls on the floor and can be eaten by the dog, picked up by the children, or, if your door leaks, it can get wet.   You can fit an indoor letter cage on the back of the door so that your letters do not fall to the floor.  This is a very simple addition to your letter box and serves to keep mail together instead of all over the hall floor.  Letter cages could also be fitted on the reverse of through the wall letter boxes.

If you are concerned that your mail will be set alight while it is in the letter box, you can purchase anti arson post boxes which are fitted with heat sensitive fire extinguishers.  The extinguishers come into play when the temperature in the box rises.  Anti arson post boxes are available in steel, stainless steel and cast aluminium and are heavy duty.  In addition to protecting your mail from arsonists, the post boxes also protect the surrounding area as they prevent the fire from spreading.

With an increase in identity theft, security of your mail is important.  Personal documents such as passports are often received through the post, although they will usually be signed for.  However, the legal profession and financial institutions do not send letters by this method unless they are requested to, and mail is received through a standard letter box.  You should always have a key for your letter box so that mail cannot be retrieved by anyone other than the person for whom it is intended. Lockable letter boxes are the norm these days, and you should always keep the key in a safe place.   If you live in an apartment block, there is usually a bank of letter boxes and you should have a key to your own post box so that you can collect your own mail.  If you move into a multi occupancy block, or if your office is in one, you should always make sure that you are given a key to the correct post box.

There are a few other ways in which you can protect your mail.  The obvious one is to be available when the postman calls so that he does not have to put your mail in the letter box. If you are very concerned about theft of your mail, you can set up a post office box so that you have collect all of your mail from the post office, though this may not be very convenient.  Instruct banks and other professional services to only send your mail by recorded delivery or registered post so that you have to sign for it.  This may not be convenient either, as the post office may not be local, and you will have to go there to collect your mail and provide identification.

Related posts:

1. Letter boxes in remote areas Letter boxes are typically mounted on or near the front...
2. Properties of letter boxes There are many types of letter boxes available on the...
3. Plastic Letter Boxes Get The Job Done Letter boxes are a very important, but often overlooked, part...
4. The Mail chute In America there exists a mail chute which serves as...
5. Safety in Numbers Keeping your correspondence safe is just as important whether you...