Fair use and overage charges for mail scanning
⚡ Quick Answer: Your plan includes a fair use allowance of 40 scanned items per month. Normal business use sits comfortably inside this. If you go over it, overage charges apply on a tiered per-item basis — see the table below. The allowance exists purely to stop the address being abused for bulk or junk mail.
What counts as an item?
An item is any single piece of mail we receive at your registered address and scan to your online portal — a letter, a statement, a notice, and so on. One envelope scanned = one item.
This allowance applies to the mail scanning service on the Virtual Office London Plan. Mail forwarding has its own separate fair use rule (see the Common Questions below).
Your fair use allowance
Under our Terms and Conditions (clause 9.2), fair use for mail scanning is 40 items per month. That comfortably covers normal day-to-day business post for the overwhelming majority of customers.
The allowance resets at the start of each month.
Overage charges
If you go over the 40-item fair use allowance in a month, excess items are charged on a tiered per-item basis:
Scanned items in a month | Price per item |
|---|---|
1 – 40 (fair use allowance) | Included — no charge |
41 – 80 | £0.35 per item |
81 – 500 | £0.30 per item |
501 – 1,000 | £0.20 per item |
1,001+ | £0.20 per item |
ℹ️ All prices exclude VAT, which is added at the prevailing rate.
How charges are calculated
Overage is tiered — the first 40 items each month are always included, and each item above that is priced at the rate for its band.
Example: if you receive 100 items in a month, the first 40 are included. Items 41–80 (40 items) are charged at £0.35 each = £14.00, and items 81–100 (20 items) at £0.30 each = £6.00 — a total of £20.00 (+VAT) for that month.
Why is there a limit at all?
The allowance is deliberately generous. The only reason we cap it is to prevent the address being abused — for example, signing it up to bulk mailing lists, cold-call marketing databases, or using it to receive thousands of items of junk mail.
Fair use keeps the service fast, reliable and fairly priced for the genuine businesses that rely on it. If you’re a normal business receiving normal post, you’ll never come close to the limit.
Common Questions
Does this apply to mail forwarding too?
No. This allowance covers mail scanning. Mail forwarding has its own separate fair use of 15 small letters and 10 large letters per month (each up to 100g); items above that are charged at the current Royal Mail rates plus a 50p handling fee per letter.
Is the allowance per month or per year?
Per month. It resets at the start of each calendar month — unused items don’t roll over.
Will I be told if I’m approaching the limit?
The vast majority of customers never get close. If your usage regularly runs into overage territory, our team will be in touch to talk through the best plan for your needs.
I run a genuinely high-volume business — what are my options?
Get in touch at help@hoxtonmix.com and we’ll find an arrangement that works for your volume.
Still have a question? Email us at help@hoxtonmix.com and we’ll be happy to help.
Updated on: 01/07/2026