Refusing certified mail is not that complicated. You can either avoid receiving it by not being present or you can refuse to receive the contents of the mail which would actually be sending back the materials while the delivery personnel is still there at your doorstep. Certified mail is not delivered to mailboxes or post office boxes. They are always delivered in person and would require the recipient to sign as an acceptance of the mail. It is possible to disagree to sign in at the time of delivery if you are unaware of who the sender is or if you do not wish to receive the mail. You cannot sign and receive the certified mail and then claim to have refused it or not having received it.
Benefits of Certified Mail
There is an impeccable audit trail of certified mail and it is futile to debate or refute when you have signed and received the mail. Certified mail is sent in case of sensitive information being sent over. It is most commonly used when notices are sent from one party to another. Sensitive materials or precious items are also sent via certified mail. Court summons, notices from a landlord to a tenant or vice versa, legal notices of all kinds as well as financial information are usually sent through certified mail.
Disadvantages of Certified Mail
There are some disadvantages of refusing certified mail if you are a party who is the facing an allegation. For instance, if you are a tenant and you haven’t paid your rent or dues then a certified mail from the landlord should be received. Upon refusal of such a certified mail, the landlord would be able to establish in a court of law that he or she tried to contact with you and establish a mode of communication but you rejected it. The same applies to a landlord receiving a certified mail in which an erstwhile tenant requests a refund of the security deposit. Refusing such a certified mail would make the landlord culpable to negligence and unwilling to refund the deposit in the court of law. Refusing certified mail can have mild to severe repercussions later, although at the moment it really means nothing. Consulting an attorney before refusing certified mail is desirable especially if you are the one facing an allegation and the other party is the petitioner or the alleger. In ordinary cases where there is no legal ramification, refusing certified mail doesn’t have much significance.
