TENANTS are being warned to update their address details or take out a redirection service when they move to help guard against identity theft and financial fraud.

Royal Mail and the National Landlords Association (NLA) issued the advice after a new survey reveals that mail and sensitive personal documents are the sixth most common item left behind by renters.

Nearly one in ten (eight per cent) of the 1,364 landlords questioned stated that they have found, or received, sensitive personal information such as bank statements, payslips, utility bills, chequebooks and even passports when a renter has moved out.

Nearly one in 20 (five per cent) said they had to report an item they had found to the police.

Richard Lambert, CEO of the National Landlords Association, said: “With a quarter of tenants moving on from a property after just a year, it is no surprise that many forget to inform their bank or building society of their new address.

“Recent ONS figures show that application fraud cases - when fraudsters open an account using fake or stolen documents in someone else's name - rose by 14 per cent last year.

"This means that renters who don’t update their address details, or take out a Redirection service to their new home, are putting themselves at risk of identity theft leading to financial fraud.”

Clothes top the list with 14 per cent of landlords finding among others things, underwear, socks and baby clothes around their properties.

Toys come a close second with more than one in ten (14 per cent) property owners unearthing all manner of playthings from a giant seven foot teddy bear to a bouncy castle.

The third most common item is animals (11 per cent).

Animals aren’t the only living creatures to be left behind by renters; one per cent of landlords said that they have found people in their empty properties. One landlord in Rochester came across a previous tenant’s 15 year-old son while another stumbled across an ex-boyfriend.

Jim Conning, managing director of Data Services, at Royal Mail, said: “It is interesting - and worrying - to see the range of items that tenants leave behind when moving on from a property. We would always advise renters to not only think about the items they can see when they are moving but also the external services that are linked to the property in their name.

"Taking out a Redirection means that your personal details come with you giving you the peace of mind to settle into your new place knowing that your identity and personal details are safe.”