LPT Request: how to mail a money to my landlord with absolute proof that money was delivered?

Submitted by AethericEye t3_11eculp in LifeProTips

We're in a bit of a weird situation.

The house we rent has changed management and the vibe is weird.

We need to mail our rent to an out of town P.O. box with total paper trail, both on the money and the and mailing.

Edit: Definitely not suggesting that I would send cash - need to know what the safest /most traceable form of payment would be. Money order? Cashier's check? Etc... Little less than 2k USD

Edit2: To clarify, I need paper trail that landlord has received payment, not just an envelope... he could claim there was anything or nothing in the envelope, trash the check, and claim we've been delinquent and start eviction proceedings.

LPT - Request

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Comments

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merlecollision t1_jad7ov6 wrote

Certified mail in the U.S.

Edit: correction, registered mail indicates every stop on the letters journey.

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AethericEye OP t1_jad857f wrote

Are the contents certified, or just the delivery?

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-StatesTheObvious t1_jadaq7u wrote

The delivery is certified. Like, you know it's been received. You could use a check and when it's deposited or cashed, you'll know. Make a photo copy of the check and the bank will also keep a copy of the check.

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AethericEye OP t1_jadbhzn wrote

That's still the tricky bit, I think. I need it to be certified that he has received money, not just an envelope... an envelope could have contained anything or nothing.

I need it to be impossible for him to claim that we haven't sent the money or that it wasn't received.

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sawta2112 t1_jaddflf wrote

There is no way to verify that he received the contents.

Can you wire the money? Then you can prove that the money was sent to his account

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mrscatnesta t1_jades3o wrote

If you have a bank account, you should be able to go to the bank and ask for a blank check even if you do not regularly order checks. Your bank will track whether he cashes the check.

Whether you pay by check or get a cashier's check, make a copy of it, keep whatever receipt your bank gives you. Any good bank will allow you to call to verify the cashier's check was cashed.

Make a copy of everything you send. A copy of the check. A copy of whatever the bank gives you. Take a picture of the certified mail you give the post office and keep the receipt.

Once you receive confirmation the delivery was accepted (which you can do online), call the office and verify they received your payment. Ask for the name of the person you are speaking with. If you know the email address of the landlord, follow up with an email "I just spoke with Vicki who confirmed you received the rent check for 123 Address."

If you receive an eviction notice, you have everything to prove you sent it, and you can go back to the bank, cancel the check and offer to wire the money.

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quacked7 t1_jade2zo wrote

video yourself putting the check in the envelope at the post office and sealing it and handing to the mail clerk for registering

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Ambitious_Ad_9637 t1_jaejb34 wrote

This. What your describing is overt fraud which gets argued in court. Create evidence of the transaction and send certified mail. There is no arguing with that.

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ChrisGeritol t1_jadyl94 wrote

The check could still be removed in transit. There's no way to prove the recipient received the item inside the envelope.

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-StatesTheObvious t1_jadofxe wrote

Given that the stakes are so high, would it be possible for you to drive to the post office where the PO Box is and video yourself dropping it into the PO BOX?

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guitarstitch t1_jad8mvf wrote

Most banks have a bill pay system that allows you to draft and mail checks to third parties.

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looj87 t1_jad7qxh wrote

I categorically would not be sending any sort of cash in the post.

Ask them for bank details and send a direct bank transfer.

I don't even think a postal service would provide insurance on sending cash, maybe a postal order or a cheque but absolutely not cash.

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CrJ418 t1_jad8ly3 wrote

Use the U.S. Post Office. Send it Certified mail, signature required, and returned receipt requested.

You may also be able to insure it but I'm not fully versed in that part. The postal workers will be able to tell you more.

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AethericEye OP t1_jad8t4n wrote

I think that's what I'll do! USPS to the rescue.

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ferngully99 t1_jad9np6 wrote

Just fyi a different person can sign for certified mail and they can claim they never received it. I've had this happen with clients. This is why I don't do any physical payments anymore, electronic payment only.

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AethericEye OP t1_jadm35r wrote

Hot tip. I think we'll request to wire transfer.

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916urbanfog t1_jad7swi wrote

Priority mail with signature required and return receipt request

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AethericEye OP t1_jad89di wrote

Does that confirm the contents, or just the delivery?

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916urbanfog t1_jad8ify wrote

Just delivery, use a money order or check to verify funds.. Never send cash

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Deadfishfarm t1_jada3ru wrote

Are they being like this or are you worried it'll get stolen? If it's the latter, I think you're being a little paranoid. If it's the former, bummer

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AethericEye OP t1_jadawvk wrote

It's not that I'm afraid it will be stolen.

It's that I'm afraid he'll throw it away and declare we've been delinquent in paying our rent. So that he use that as justification to initiate eviction proceedings.

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Deadfishfarm t1_jadbxl2 wrote

Ah. I'd probably take a video of it being enveloped and placed in the mail if it were me then. Good luck!

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ObiOneToo t1_jadgut7 wrote

If you’re in the US, go to the UPS store near you. Have them notarize a statement that the check is in the envelope. Send it so it requires a signature on receipt. They can do all this in the store.

Alternatively… open a separate checking account. Use it solely for rent checks. Deposit your rent in it each month. Write a normal check and send it via normal post. If the management company is cashing them, you’ll have a clear singular record. If they try to pull something shady, you have two important things;

  1. The money they are owed.
  2. Proof that you acted in good faith to pay your rent.

That would likely be enough to stop eviction proceedings in their tracks.

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yogert909 t1_jaesf79 wrote

Also proof that the new owner/landlord is acting suspiciously enough that all this extra work is warranted.

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WaterChi t1_jad7sum wrote

Certified mail with signature

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Arrow_Badgerson t1_jadebia wrote

Use a Money Order and send it return receipt requested.

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keepthetips t1_jad78v7 wrote

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Fullspectrum84 t1_jaded87 wrote

Certified check through certified mail.

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Obwyn t1_jadivqz wrote

I find it strange that you think the landlord is going to trash your rental checks to use that as an excuse to evict you rather than accepting your rent money. There has to be way more to this story or you're completely paranoid.

Assuming there's any actual basis for your concern:

You can send it certified mail so it requires a signature upon delivery so you know it was actually delivered to the landlord. As far as the actual payment goes, get your bank to issue a cashier's check directly to your landlord and then film yourself putting it in the envelope with all the certified mail stickers, etc on it. If he signs for the delivery and then for some bizarre reason trashes the check rather than depositing it and then tries to initiate eviction proceedings that should be a pretty easy case to prove in court that you did in fact send payment and he received it.

No reasonable person is going believe that someone would get their bank to issue a cashier's check written out to their landlord to pay their rent, film themselves putting it in a sealed envelope, and then mailing that sealed envelope through certified mail requiring a signature on delivery and not actually send it. Especially when you can easily produce the bank records to show that the check was actually issued and that you never returned the check to your account.

I think a scenario of a landlord just shredding someone's rent checks so they can try to evict them unlikely as well, but less unlikely than someone doing all these steps to show proof they sent payment not actually sending payment. There are some shitty landlords out there. If it's a matter of them wanting to jack up the rent or something and they can't because you have a lease then it would be way easier for them to just not renew your lease when it ends than try to do a bs eviction.

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AethericEye OP t1_jadlvdz wrote

There is definitely a lot more to the story. We're just the tenants, been here some years, and are just now learning about the family drama around this property... control has just changed hands and the vibes are bad... Pretty sure he wants to sell it ASAP.

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Obwyn t1_jadq3rx wrote

He can sell it even with tenants still under lease. Just whoever buys it would have to honor the existing terms of the lease until it runs out.

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Zorak6 t1_jadnt20 wrote

One thing you can do is write them an email expressing this exact concern. This can help establish that you think they may pull something like this and gives electronic proof that you contacted them about your concern. You can also include as an attachment a picture of the check you are going to send them. By documenting things like this, you gain a lot of credibility if things go to court.

Another method is to wire them the money, or at least offer to wire them the money (in email) and let them refuse. If they refuse a payment method AND claim there was no check and you continuously offer other ways to pay (in email.. or text btw.. or both), then they will have a very hard time winning an eviction case as you can prove you tried everything to get the money to them in a way that provides you with proof and that they refused.

If you take these steps and they understand the law at all, they won't be "finding an empty envelope" in the first place.

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anita1louise t1_jadt8ku wrote

Send a postal money order, that’s how I pay my rent.

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remarkablemayonaise t1_jadzf5w wrote

This sounds ridiculous, which must mean it's USA. You pay the check into the landlord's account directly, or you can do the same with cash. You do a direct deposit. You get written evidence (email) that the landlord only wants a check in an envelope to a certain address. If you have certified postage the onus is on the landlord to prove the envelope was empty. After all they could have given you a bank account number or a way to give cash in hand.

I seriously doubt you can evict tenants if the only argument is that it's uncertain whether the envelope was empty or not.

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WaterChi t1_jae0f3y wrote

If you are worried about them throwing a check away ... have a lawyer send it certified mail. That way the lawyer can testify the check was in the envelope and they had to sign they received the envelope.

Nobody screws with something a lawyer sends them unless they are stupidly rich.

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brknsoul t1_jae3g5c wrote

Don't post cash, ever.

Money should never leave one hand without a receipt entering the other.

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Haunting-Ad-9790 t1_jaec92c wrote

Videotape yourself in the post office putting the check in the envelope, sealing it, handing it to the worker, paying for its certified delivery, and your receipt. That's the only way I can see that you can prove the rent was mailed.

Maybe there's a service where you can transfer the money and someone can hand deliver a check to the landlord. Then that service could vouch that it was delivered if the landlord says it wasn't. Like a service that delivers court papers.

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religionlies2u t1_jaecsc9 wrote

Get a money order from the post office and mail it Certified, Return Receipt. This way the post office has a record of both you purchasing the order, him cashing the order and he has to sign that he received it. You get a postcard back in the mail when he signs.

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DiarrheaTNT t1_jaeojaz wrote

Why wouldn't you just mail a check certified mail?

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303elliott t1_jada1jl wrote

Cashier's check is the safest way

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karebear66 t1_jada8mj wrote

US post office has many trackable services. Ask them for the best. Do the same at your bank. This is another question, how do you know if there really is a new landlord? It could be a scam. Can you contact the old one and ask him?

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AethericEye OP t1_jadb3dg wrote

Thanks for the concern there, but yes, this has been a large conversation including all involved parties.

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nullrecord t1_jadb8ri wrote

A technically correct answer would be - blockchain / cryptocurrency. It is a traceable ledger of transactions.

But easier / more practical / more stable is to do a bank transfer to his bank account.

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