Last updated 14th October 2025. You might be wondering, ‘Is sending a letter to the wrong address a UK GDPR breach?’ and whether you can claim compensation. If so, we could help. As we move through our guide, we look at the responsibilities certain parties have to protect your personal data and the data protection laws they need to adhere to, namely the Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA) and the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR).
Additionally, we look at how a breach of these laws could lead to your personal data being sent in a letter to the wrong address and when you could make a data breach compensation claim for the financial loss and/or emotional harm you have suffered as a result.
Furthermore, we provide guidance on the steps you could potentially take after your personal data has been compromised in a breach. We also look at how compensation is calculated in a successful data breach claim.
Lastly, we offer guidance on how a solicitor working on a No Win No Fee basis could support you throughout every stage of the claims process. If you have any other questions about data breach claims, you can connect with our helpful team 24/7.
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Choose A Section
- Is Sending A Letter To The Wrong Address A UK GDPR Breach And Can I Claim Compensation?
- What Is A Wrong Postal Address Data Breach?
- What Can I Do If A Letter Was Sent To The Wrong Address In A UK GDPR Breach And I Want To Claim Compensation?
- How Much Compensation For A Personal Data Breach Claim?
- Claim For A Wrong Postal Address Data Breach With A No Win No Fee Solicitor
- Read More About How To Claim For A Data Breach Of Personal Information
Is Sending A Letter To The Wrong Address A UK GDPR Breach And Can I Claim Compensation?
The DPA and UK GDPR are two pieces of data protection law that set out the responsibilities data controllers and data processors have to protect your personal data. Controllers set the means and purpose for processing your personal data and may process it themselves. If they don’t process the data themselves, they can outsource the task to a data processor, often an external third party, which processes on behalf of the controller and acts on their instructions.
Personal data is information that used alone, or alongside other details can identify you. This includes your name, postal address, email address and credit or debit card details. It can also include personal data of a more sensitive nature which is given extra protection. Some examples of this are data concerning your health, such as medical information, or data revealing your racial and ethnic origin. This is called special category data.
If a data controller or processor fail to adhere to data protection laws, this is wrongful conduct which could result in a personal data breach. The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), an independent body set up to uphold information rights in the UK, refers to this a security incident in which the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of your personal data is affected.
As such, if a letter containing your personal data was sent to the wrong address due to wrongful conduct, it could in some cases constitute a breach of the UK GDPR.
However, in order to claim compensation, you need to prove:
- A controller or processor didn’t adhere to data protection laws.
- The wrongful conduct led to your personal data being compromised in a breach.
- You suffered mental and/or financial damage as a result.
Contact our team on the number above for more information on claiming compensation for a data breach.
What Is A Wrong Postal Address Data Breach?
A wrongful postal address data breach involves letters or other documents being sent to the incorrect destination, resulting in a third party accessing personal information without authorisation. Often, human error and out-of-date contact details are responsible for this happening, but read on to see how a letter delivered to the wrong address might lead to a claim:
- Despite having your correct and updated information on file, social services sends out multiple letters to your old address. This error gives your abusive ex-partner access to your full address and more sensitive personal data, causing you severe anxiety and forcing you to move to a new home.
- An administrative mix-up during the processing of your passport application results in your documents being delivered to the wrong address. These records contained personal details, including your national insurance number, address, and passport-sized photographs. This breach leaves you with anxiety, significantly affecting your day-to-day life and ability to study.
- Your GP practice sends out a letter with information about a recent cancer diagnosis, but fails to notice that they placed it in an envelope addressed to a similarly named patient. After you learn of the breach, you find yourself in considerable distress and in need of therapy to help manage the emotional fallout.
Of course, every case involving a letter sent to the wrong address is different, so please don’t hesitate to share your own experience. Our empathetic advisors are here to listen in complete confidence and provide you with free, no-obligation guidance on your options for claiming compensation.
What Can I Do If A Letter Was Sent To The Wrong Address In A UK GDPR Breach And I Want To Claim Compensation?
If a letter was sent to the wrong address in a UK GDPR breach and you are eligible to claim compensation, you could take steps to support your case. For example:
- Get in touch with the organisation directly. Data controllers must inform you without undue delay of a breach that has put your rights and freedoms at risk. However, if you have not been contacted and suspect your personal data has been breached, you can contact the organisation directly. In doing so, you can understand the steps they aim to take to rectify the issue.
- Make a complaint to the ICO. You can make a complaint to the ICO yourself, but you would need to wait three months since the last meaningful contact you had with the organisation. The ICO may look into your complaint, but they cannot award compensation.
- Collect evidence of the breach. This evidence can include the letter of notification from the company as well as any other correspondence you have had with them. Also, if the ICO investigates the issue, their findings can help.
- Collect evidence to show how the breach affected you. This might include medical records that show the emotional injury caused to you. You should also provide proof of any monetary losses, such as bank statements or loss of earnings.
Our advisors can offer further guidance about the steps you could take after a breach of your personal data. Additionally, they can assess your case for free and if you’re eligible, they could connect you to a data breach solicitor off our expert panel.
The solicitors on our panel have years of experience helping claimants seek compensation for a wrong postal address data breach and can assist you with seeking compensation. Call for more information using the number above.
How Much Compensation For A Personal Data Breach Claim?
Various case-specific factors relating to how you’ve been affected financially and psychologically will determine how much compensation for a personal data breach claim you might receive. A letter sent to the wrong address can be deeply distressing, potentially causing anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and other mental health conditions. This harm is referred to as non-material damage in data breach claims and can significantly impact day-to-day life.
Data breach compensation payouts consider the nuances of this impact, both for the short and long term. That may mean your settlement considers the effect on your social life and relationships, or whether you are unable to work due to severe PTSD. To try to quantify a value for such consequences, your solicitor may refer to the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG). This text is useful for this task as it contains guideline brackets for various forms of harm.
Bracket Guidelines
The following bracket guidelines for PTSD and general psychological harm are sourced from the JCG, except for the initial row. This table isn’t a guarantee of how much compensation you might receive in a letter sent to the wrong address claim.
| Harm | Severity | Notes | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Multiple Instances of Severe Psychological Harm + Financial Loss | Severe | Financial loss might include lost earnings and therapy costs. | Up to £250,000+ |
| General Psychological Harm | (a) Severe | A very poor prognosis with marked problems with work, personal relationships and other areas of life. | £66,920 to £141,240 |
| (b) Moderately Severe | A better prognosis than the bracket above but persistent and significant issues remain. | £23,270 to £66,920 | |
| (c) Moderate | A good level of improvement and a better prognosis. | £7,150 to £23,270 | |
| (d) Less Severe | Consideration is given to how long the person is affected and to what degree when determining the award given. | £1,880 to £7,150 | |
| Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) | (a) Severe | A permanent impact on all areas of the person's life which means they cannot function as they did before. | £73,050 to £122,850 |
| (b) Moderately Severe | A better prognosis than the bracket above as help from a medical professional has taken place. However, a significant future disability is still considered likely in the future. | £28,250 to £73,050 | |
| (c) Moderate | A significant level of recovery is seen with any persisting issues not being majorly disabling. | £9,980 to £28,250 | |
| (d) Less Severe | Virtually a total recovery is made within a couple of years. Only minor issues continuing past this period. | £4,820 to £9,980 |
What Is Material Damage?
Material damage refers to the financial losses that stem from the wrong postal address data breach. Breaches can lead to significant costs for those affected, especially if they result in home security concerns. Reflecting this, you could be compensated for:
- Loss of current and future earnings.
- Therapy, counselling, or other mental health services.
- Investing in alarm systems or locks if your letter was delivered to the wrong address.
- The cost of moving to a new address.
These expenses can only be claimed for if you have supporting evidence. So, be sure to hold onto payslips, invoices, or other financial records.
If you’d like to find out how a solicitor from our panel could help you prove your financial losses, please reach out today. Our advisors are also happy to answer any queries you have relating to the question of ‘Is sending a letter to the wrong address a UK GDPR breach?’
We Can Help With Your Claim
Our team of specialist advisors are ready to assist you with your data breach claim
Claim For A Wrong Postal Address Data Breach With A No Win No Fee Solicitor
When claiming after a letter was sent to the wrong address in a UK GDPR breach, you could benefit from instructing a solicitor to assist you. When you call our team, an advisor can assess your case for free, and if you’re eligible, you could be connected with a knowledgeable and experienced data breach solicitor on our panel to help you claim compensation.
Our panel of solicitors can offer their services under a No Win No Fee contract called a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA). The terms of a contract like this typically mean no payment is needed for the solicitor’s services upfront or as the claim moves forward. Additionally, you won’t pay these service fees for their completed work if the claim fails.
If the claim wins, you need to pay a success fee to your solicitor. This is a small percentage of the compensation, but the maximum amount that can be taken is subject to a cap as per the law. As such, you receive the bulk of your compensation.
To find out whether a solicitor from our panel could assist you with claiming compensation for a data breach, contact our team using the details below:
- Call our team 24 hours a day, 7 days a week on 020 8050 6279
- Contact us via our website.
- Or try the support bubble below for instant help.
Read More About How To Claim For A Data Breach Of Personal Information
See below for more helpful guides:
- Find out how compensation for a hospital data breach is calculated.
- Read some examples of data breaches and when you could be eligible to start a claim.
- Learn if you can make a claim after a fax is sent to the wrong person.
Also, these links might help:
- Here are some tips for staying safe online from GOV.UK
- Find out about your right to get your data corrected from the ICO.
- Useful guidance for families and individuals from the National Cyber Security Centre.
We hope that this article has helped answer the question ‘Is sending a letter to the wrong address a UK GDPR breach?’ and whether you can claim compensation. However, if you have any other questions, please get in touch on the number above.