Is there any way to prove i mailed a check?

[amo_mea_filiis.]

My landlord has had my first rent check for 2 weeks (same town so would have been delivered day after mailing) and has done nothing with it.

 

In the future, like the check i'm mailing on wednesday, is it possible to prove i mailed it?

 

I'm also thinking of opening a second checking account just for rent. I would just transfer a few dollars over the rent amount each month into the account. Yes i balance my checkbook, but i dont like for my account to be hundreds over what it should be.

 

I cant call her because doing so opens giant cans of worms. The check was for 2 months rent minus a handful of things that she owed me (thermocouple for heater, overflow pipe on hot water heater, etc) so i dont want to debate with her about anything.

 

So how do i prove mailed checks and should i open an account for rent?

[xixstar]

Certified mail with signature required.

[AK_Mom4]

You could mail it with delivery confirmation for $0.75 extra. Or an emailed return reciept for $1.15

 

I particularly like the idea of the separate checking account for the rent. We had a landlord that would sit on checks too. And then tell us he lost them after 6 months.....

[amo_mea_filiis.]

I know certified would prove that i mailed her *something* but shes strange enough that i could see her saying that certified letter wasnt a rent check.

 

When my father paid the rent, he had everything direct deposited.

 

I could always send the check to housing, or ask them to deal.

 

I will go to the bank on wednesday to see about a second account.

[gardenmom5]

for future mailings - you can send certified mail. the landlord can refuse it, but there would be a record he did. the trick is someone must be at his residence/mail address to receive it.

for past mailings, you can only prove if someone has cashed it. if they are holding it and doing nothing, you don't have much recourse.

[bnbacademy]

If you are desperate, you could stop payment on the uncashed check, send another as certified mail or direct deposit, whichever you choose, but this may cause more trouble than help.

[plansrme]

Do you have online billpay with your bank? The bank mails the check, and you can go on at any time and see what has been send out or not. I pay everything with billpay, and we have only very, very rarely had an issue with a check arriving late.

 

Terri

[MomatHWTK]

If she cashes the check, it will be deemed an acceptance of your accounting. She may be holding it to decide whether or not she's going to accept your deductions. :confused: But, in future, you can mail it "Certified, Return Receipt Requested." You will need to take the item to the post office and pay a service fee for these extra steps but, it will require the recepient to sign a receipt upon delivery.

[newlifemom]

You could get a money order or bank check. At least the funds will be out of your account. I am not sure what to do your concern of proving they have it. I suppose cert. mail or something like that is your best option. You could drive it over and get a receipt I suppose, but that would put you in contact with them and it sounds like you want to avoid that.

[TranquilMind]

My landlord has had my first rent check for 2 weeks (same town so would have been delivered day after mailing) and has done nothing with it.

 

In the future, like the check i'm mailing on wednesday, is it possible to prove i mailed it?

 

I'm also thinking of opening a second checking account just for rent. I would just transfer a few dollars over the rent amount each month into the account. Yes i balance my checkbook, but i dont like for my account to be hundreds over what it should be.

 

I cant call her because doing so opens giant cans of worms. The check was for 2 months rent minus a handful of things that she owed me (thermocouple for heater, overflow pipe on hot water heater, etc) so i dont want to debate with her about anything.

 

So how do i prove mailed checks and should i open an account for rent?

 

Why won't you just know when it has been cashed? I can't imagine the landlord is just not going to cash the check! Once you have deducted it from your balance, you still know how much you have, so I guess I don't understand.

 

As a landlord, I'm a little perplexed as to why you would be making deductions from rent, as I don't allow that. If I owe a tenant for something I have agreed to pay, I mail a check to the tenant. But I guess that is a different issue.

 

I'd also be annoyed if a tenant made me be home and sign for the rent check. I guess there is a back story here that we don't know.

[newlifemom]

Why won't you just know when it has been cashed? I can't imagine the landlord is just not going to cash the check! Once you have deducted it from your balance, you still know how much you have, so I guess I don't understand.

 

As a landlord, I'm a little perplexed as to why you would be making deductions from rent, as I don't allow that. If I owe a tenant for something I have agreed to pay, I mail a check to the tenant. But I guess that is a different issue.

 

I'd also be annoyed if a tenant made me be home and sign for the rent check. I guess there is a back story here that we don't know.

 

Landlords do operate differently. I have have had some tell me to do the work [whatever needs to be done, like painting or replacing something that they are required to do] and deduct from the rent. I've also had them tell me to call and pay for the plumber, exterminator, etc and deduct from the rent. I've also had landlords who pay for a company to handle those things and I am to call them. Then I had the landlord who did it all himself, including taking a jackhammer, yes a jackhammer to the kitchen floor the day after Thanksgiving. :eek: I didn't think we would be able to use the kitchen for a month. Believe it or not, he fixed the problem and replaced the tile, I think the next day. [He was a pretty good landlord. iirc :D]

 

Point being, they were all very different. :tongue_smilie:

[Susann]

You could mail it with delivery confirmation for $0.75 extra. Or an emailed return reciept for $1.15

 

I particularly like the idea of the separate checking account for the rent. We had a landlord that would sit on checks too. And then tell us he lost them after 6 months.....

:iagree:

[amo_mea_filiis.]

Why won't you just know when it has been cashed? I can't imagine the landlord is just not going to cash the check! Once you have deducted it from your balance, you still know how much you have, so I guess I don't understand.

 

As a landlord, I'm a little perplexed as to why you would be making deductions from rent, as I don't allow that. If I owe a tenant for something I have agreed to pay, I mail a check to the tenant. But I guess that is a different issue.

 

I'd also be annoyed if a tenant made me be home and sign for the rent check. I guess there is a back story here that we don't know.

 

I bought the part for heater in November, and the landlord has still not sent anything.

 

She is a huge pain to deal with. 2 weeks after we moved in, there was a roof leak and she freaked and told me that i must have done something. It only leaked with really heavy rain. It wasn't fixed until April (the leak was seen in august of the previous).

 

I deducted about a hundred and put in a letter with receipts with the check.

[Parrothead]

If you want the funds immediately deducted from your checking account use your bank's bill pay service or get a money order.

 

In a situation like this you need to photo copy the check, the receipts and the front of the envelope that you use to mail the lot and send it with delivery confirmation.

 

Using bill pay will eliminate much of the above hassle. As the bank generally does take on the liability for late fees. They would be proof that the check was mailed. You'd, of course, have to mail copies (you keep the original receipts) of the receipts for repairs separately.

[elegantlion]

I bought the part for heater in November, and the landlord has still not sent anything.

 

She is a huge pain to deal with. 2 weeks after we moved in, there was a roof leak and she freaked and told me that i must have done something. It only leaked with really heavy rain. It wasn't fixed until April (the leak was seen in august of the previous).

 

I deducted about a hundred and put in a letter with receipts with the check.

 

Did she agree to this? If not, she may be holding onto the check to decide how to proceed. I agree some landlords operate differently, but unless it's agreed that you can deduct rent it could be an issue. And by agreed, it should be in writing.

[QueenCat]

Did she agree to this? If not, she may be holding onto the check to decide how to proceed. I agree some landlords operate differently, but unless it's agreed that you can deduct rent it could be an issue. And by agreed, it should be in writing.

 

That's what I was thinking... if she didn't agree to it in writing, then you could be violating your lease by not paying the full amount.

[cindergretta]

Do you have online billpay with your bank? The bank mails the check, and you can go on at any time and see what has been send out or not. I pay everything with billpay, and we have only very, very rarely had an issue with a check arriving late.

 

Terri

 

:iagree: This is how we pay our bills, too. For us, it is free.

 

Fwiw, when we rented, it was in our lease that there would be *no* deductions for things bought or repairs made. We *had* to let them know in writing what was needed and wait upon them :glare: to come deal with it. If we did anything ourselves, even with their knowledge, we were not reimbursed nor could we deduct.

 

:grouphug:

[MomatHWTK]

You are on a bit of shaky ground if you are handling things piecemeal rather than through appropriate legal venues. You may want to check with your local housing agency or look up the laws for your state online with regard to landlord repairs. :001_unsure:

 

 

Here's some information on PA's laws:

http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/pennsylvania-tenant-rights-withhold-rent-repair-deduct.html

Edited August 28, 2012 by MomatHWTK