Royal Mail tracking status
Royal Mail “Item retention”: what it means
The short answer
Keep an eye on itRoyal Mail is holding your parcel at the delivery office because the address asked for no delivery that day. Retention is for businesses on days they are closed, so it usually comes the next working day; a Keepsafe item comes when the Keepsafe ends.
When to act: If it has not moved after the next working day and nobody at the address asked for a hold, file a complaint and we send it to Royal Mail.
Also shown as: “Retention Item” · “We're holding this item at [town] DO. We've received a request not to deliver mail to the property your item is addressed to today. We'll attempt delivery as per the instructions we've received.” · “Keepsafe item” · “As requested, we're holding this item at [town] DO as part of our Keepsafe service. See below for more information.”
What to do now
- 1
Check whether the item is going to a business address, such as your workplace, that is closed on some days.
- 2
If the tracking says Keepsafe item, ask others at the address whether anyone has a Keepsafe in place.
- 3
Wait for the next working day, when Royal Mail delivers retained business mail.
- 4
If nobody asked for a hold, keep a screenshot of the tracking message with the date for your complaint.
- 5
Still not sorted? File your complaint here. We write it with you and send it to Royal Mail, so you do not have to chase it yourself.
What does “Item retention” mean?
Retention is an instruction on the address, not a problem with your parcel. Some businesses ask Royal Mail not to deliver on days they are closed, often at weekends, so the item waits at the delivery office until the next working day or as the business has asked.
A Keepsafe is a separate service with its own message, Keepsafe item: someone at the address has paid Royal Mail to hold their mail while they are away, and it is delivered when the Keepsafe ends. If nobody at your address asked for a hold, the instruction may have been recorded against your address by mistake.
Why does Royal Mail show it?
- A business address that is closed that day, for example at the weekend
- A Keepsafe hold set up for the address
- A request not to deliver to the property that day
- An instruction recorded against the wrong address
How long does it last?
For a closed business, Royal Mail delivers on the next working day or as the business has instructed. For a Keepsafe, the item comes with the rest of the held mail when the Keepsafe ends.
Other Royal Mail statuses
- Fee to payTake action
- DelayedKeep an eye on it
- Delivery attemptedTake action
- Tracking not workingNormal
- In transit or We've got itKeep an eye on it
- Delivered but not receivedTake action
- We're expecting itKeep an eye on it
- Ready for deliveryNormal
- Returned to senderTake action
Who is responsible for a late or missing parcel from Royal Mail?
If you bought it online from a business, the seller is usually responsible until the parcel reaches you. Under UK consumer law (the Consumer Rights Act) the goods stay at the seller's risk until they are in your hands, or with someone you named to take them, unless you chose and booked the courier yourself. The Act does not mention safe places, so if you asked for a Safeplace, the seller may say the parcel was delivered.
If you sent the parcel yourself, your contract is with Royal Mail, under its terms for the service you bought. Standard cover for loss or damage is up to £20 for 1st Class, 2nd Class and Signed For, up to £75 for Tracked 24 and Tracked 48, and up to £750 for Special Delivery Guaranteed by 1pm.
Questions about “Item retention”
What does item retention mean on Royal Mail tracking?
Royal Mail is holding the item at the delivery office because the address has asked not to receive mail that day. Royal Mail uses Retention for business addresses on days they are closed; a Keepsafe, where someone pays to have their post held, shows as Keepsafe item.
How long does Royal Mail hold an item under retention?
For a closed business, until the next working day or as the business has asked. For a Keepsafe, until the end of the period booked, which can be from 10 days up to 100 days.
Can I collect an item under retention?
Royal Mail's help pages do not say you can, so a trip to the delivery office named in the tracking may be wasted. Retained business mail is delivered on the next working day or as the business has asked, and a Keepsafe item comes with the rest of the held mail when the Keepsafe ends.
Why does my item say retention when I did not ask for it?
Royal Mail uses Retention for business addresses that are closed on some days, so check whether the address is, or shares a building with, a business. If not, the instruction may have been recorded against your address by mistake: file a complaint on Complain.biz and we send it to Royal Mail.
Based on
- Royal Mail: What does my tracking message mean? (postage tracking terms explained)
- Royal Mail: Hold my mail with Keepsafe
- Royal Mail: Help with my redelivery
- Royal Mail: Situations when Royal Mail can't deliver mail
- royal-mail-tracking library README: Royal Mail tracking event codes and messages (secondary)
- legislation.gov.uk: Consumer Rights Act, section 29 (goods stay at the seller's risk until delivered)
- Royal Mail: Non-account terms and conditions (holding periods, tracked product terms)
- Royal Mail: UK delivery services and compensation cover