Mail landlord and tenant notices online
By Justin Winter · Updated September 16, 2026
The short answer
Tenants and landlords can send notices as USPS Certified Mail for $12.99, or $14.99 with an electronic Return Receipt. USPS records the mailing date and, with the receipt, the delivery date. No printer, no post office trip.
The math
The math on one certified letter.
| Option | Cost | Your time |
|---|---|---|
| paperplane, Certified + Return Receipt | $14.99, all in | About two minutes |
| At the counter | USPS fees, plus printing, an envelope and the trip | About ten minutes at the counter, plus the drive and the line |
USPS charges the same fees whoever hands the letter over. The difference is the trip, the form and the slip you keep for a year.
The math
What the letter costs against what it asks for.
If your deposit is $1,200, the demand costs $14.99: about 1% of what you are asking for. Use your own amount.
Usually the right pick: Certified + Return Receipt · $14.99
Most landlord-tenant statutes turn on dates: when notice was given, when the cure period started, when the deposit clock ran out. A notice you cannot date is a notice that did not happen, as far as a court is concerned. Certified Mail timestamps the mailing; the electronic Return Receipt timestamps the delivery.
Deposit demands are the classic case. In some states a landlord who ignores a written deposit demand can owe more than the deposit. Check your state’s rule; the delivery record is what shows the demand arrived. Send it Certified with Return Receipt, keep the PDF, and note the tracking number from your receipt email.
For routine correspondence — a maintenance request, a heads-up about a repair visit — First-Class at $0.99 is plenty, and it creates a paper trail that email sometimes does not (some leases specify notice "by mail"). Read your lease: if it names a notice method, match it exactly.
Both sides can use the same flow: landlords sending non-renewal or entry notices get the same proof-of-mailing protection tenants do. The letter is printed and handed to USPS the next business day, and you can watch tracking from the status page.
This page is general information about USPS mailing options, not legal advice. Notice rules vary by state and by document. Check your lease, contract or local rules, or ask an attorney, before relying on it for a deadline.
Questions before you send
Why not go to the post office myself?
You can, and if your time is free it costs less. USPS charges the same fees whoever hands the letter over; paperplane does not replace the post office, it replaces the trip. The mailing record comes from USPS, not from us. $12.99 covers the printing, the envelope, PS Form 3800, a USPS address check before you pay and a handoff the next business day. For a letter you already know how to send, the counter is a fine choice.
What if they refuse the letter?
USPS tracking records what happened to it, including refused or unclaimed. You still have the mailing record. Rules on what that means vary, so check with your court or an attorney if a deadline depends on it.
If something goes wrong, do I pay?
If we cannot mail the letter, the hold on your card is released and you are not charged. If a letter fails after your card is charged, you are refunded automatically and in full.
Does a security-deposit-demand-letter demand have to be Certified Mail?
Not always by statute, but Certified with Return Receipt is the standard because it proves both mailing and delivery. If your state’s deadline is, say, 30 days from the demand, the delivery record establishes the clock.
Can I send a notice to my landlord’s registered agent?
Yes — address it to whatever notice address your lease or the state business registry lists. Addresses are verified against USPS data before payment, so typos get caught early.
How fast does the notice arrive?
Letters are handed to USPS the next business day; First-Class and Certified typically deliver in 3–5 business days. If a statutory deadline is tight, Priority ($24.99) delivers in 1–3 days.