Your Choice

Unaddressed Mail

Many local and national organisations like to communicate information to people using unaddressed mail and door Drop material delivered directly to their homes. Such items can include free newspapers, free magazines, catalogues, information leaflets, advertising brochures and money-off coupons, local directories and free product samples.

Organisations who communicate in this way include local authorities, central government, utility companies (e.g. gas, water, electricity), public service organisations, charities, political parties, local education bodies, local shops and providers of local services.

These kinds of items are delivered to most homes within a given area and do not involve the householders name and address being asked for or kept on record. Unaddressed Mail or ‘door drop' items (i.e. items that do not have individual names or addresses recorded on them) are delivered to homes by a number of different companies.

The Direct Marketing Association UK (DMA)

The Direct Marketing Association UK (DMA) is the trade body for the direct marketing industry. The majority of national distribution companies involved in the door drop delivery of unaddressed mail, as well as some local distribution companies, are members of the DMA.

DMA membership includes a proportion of free newspaper publishers and the majority of national door drop distribution companies including The Royal Mail.

How to Contact the DMA to find out about stopping delivery of Unaddressed Mail

Although the communications they carry are usually valued and informative, door drop distribution companies recognise that not everyone may want to receive these items.

Those companies that are members of the DMA agree to abide by the expressed wishes of householders who do not wish to receive unaddressed material through their letterbox.

For details on how householders can exercise Your Choice and ask distribution companies to stop the delivery of unaddressed mail to their homes, please contact the DMA by letter, fax, telephone or e-mail and ask for details of the Your Choice Preference Service for Unaddressed Mail. Contact details for Your Choice:

Your Choice Preference Scheme
Direct Marketing Association (UK) Ltd
DMA House
70, Margaret Street,
London W1W 8SS
Telephone: 020 7291 3300
Fax: 020 7323 4165
Email: yourchoice@dma.org.uk