Proof of Service and Delivery: The Records That Settle Arguments
"I never received it" ends most disputes unless you can prove otherwise. What counts as proof of delivery for each method, and how to record it so it holds up.
Notices, demands, contracts, formal letters: the document is only half of it. The other half is proof that it reached the right person, by the right method, on a provable date. When a recipient says "I never got it", the argument is settled by the delivery record, not by the letter. Here is what to keep for each method, and the habits that make it hold up.
Start with the rules
Many notices have a required method of service, set by contract, statute or court rules: a particular address, a particular method, a deemed-delivery date. Those rules vary by jurisdiction and by document, so check them before you send. The best delivery record in the world does not help if the method was not one the rules allow.
What to keep for each method
| Method | What proves it |
|---|---|
| Hand delivery | A signed receipt, or a signed statement from the person who delivered it: date, time, address, who received it or where it was left, and a photo of the document at the door or letterbox |
| Tracked or signed-for post | Posting receipt, tracking reference, and a saved copy of the delivery confirmation with signature, captured on the day |
| Ordinary post | Certificate or proof of posting, plus a copy of what was in the envelope |
| The sent email with full headers, the attachment as sent, and any reply or read receipt | |
| Courier or process server | Their signed statement or affidavit of service, with photos and GPS or time data if they provide it |
| Online portal or secure link | The platform's record of when the document was made available and when it was opened or downloaded |
Prove what was inside
A tracked envelope proves an envelope arrived. Keep an exact copy of the contents as sent, not a later draft, and record which version it was. For important notices, photograph the signed document next to the addressed envelope before sealing. For email, keep the attachment exactly as it left, not a re-saved copy.
Capture confirmations on the day
Tracking pages expire. Courier portals get cleared. Save the confirmation as a PDF or screenshot when it appears and file it with the notice. The same goes for email: forwarding a message strips useful headers, so export or file the original.
Record the attempt, not just the success
Failed attempts matter. "Attempted at 18:40, no answer, card left" is evidence of diligence, and in some systems it affects whether service is deemed. Log every attempt with date, time, method and outcome, in the same way you would log a phone call properly.
Use more than one method for anything important
A notice sent by tracked post and email is much harder to deny than either alone. Note in each that the other copy was also sent. If the recipient later confirms receipt in any way, such as a reply or a payment referencing it, file that confirmation too; see how to document a verbal agreement for turning conversations into written confirmation.
Keep it all together
The notice, the envelope photo, the posting receipt, the tracking confirmation, the email copy and the attempt log should sit in one place, with the matter they concern. A delivery record that has to be reassembled from three inboxes and a drawer is a record that will have a gap when you need it. In arrears and eviction work especially, a clean chain of notices is often the whole case; rent arrears: how to document and chase shows how that chain builds.
