Proof of Receipt for a Quebec Lease Notice: Email, Mail or by Hand

The burden of proof is on the landlord

Example: you sent the notice to Luc in January. In April, Luc says he never received it. Without proof of receipt, you cannot show that he got it, or when.

What counts is the date of receipt, not the date you sent it. It shows that the notice arrived within the allowed window, for example between January 1 and March 31 for a 12-month lease ending June 30. It also starts the one-month period the tenant has to refuse or announce they are leaving.

According to the Tribunal administratif du logement (TAL), the notice can be delivered:

• By registered mail.
• By hand, with an acknowledgment of receipt.
• By any other means that gives valid proof of receipt.

Registered mail: allow for delivery time

Example: you send the notice by registered mail on January 4, 2027. The Canada Post delivery confirmation shows it was delivered on January 7. That is the date that counts.

Allow a few days for delivery. The risk: a tenant who is away, or who never picks up the letter at the post office. You may then end up with no proof of receipt. To limit that risk:

• Mail the notice at the start of the window, not at the end.
• Keep the mailing receipt and write down the tracking number.
• Save or print the delivery confirmation as soon as it is available.
• If the letter is not picked up, deliver the notice another way before the window closes.

By hand: the signed acknowledgment of receipt

Example: on January 10, 2027, you hand the notice to Julie and Marc, who both signed the lease. On the copy you keep, each one writes the date and their name, then signs in the TAL form's acknowledgment of receipt box for hand delivery.

The date the tenant writes becomes the date of receipt. It is simple proof, as long as the tenant agrees to sign.

If they refuse, do not insist. Write down what happened and deliver the notice another way, such as by registered mail.

Email: you need a confirmation of receipt

Example: you email the notice on January 5, 2027. The tenant replies the same day: “Got the notice, thanks.” That dated reply is a confirmation of receipt. An email that gets no reply is weak proof.

With ProprioSign, each tenant gets their own link and must click to confirm they received their notice before it is shown. That click is dated and recorded with the IP address and browser. Opening the email alone does not count.

What is not enough:

• An email sent with no reply or confirmation.
• A read receipt: the tenant can choose not to send it.
• An open of the email or a link: some email antivirus tools open links automatically, which records an open even when nobody has read anything.

Difficult cases: a bailiff

Example: Marc does not pick up his registered letter, does not answer emails and does not open his door. It is March 10, and the window closes on March 31.

In that case, you can have the notice served by a bailiff (huissier de justice), which means having it delivered officially. It is a formal option, useful when the other methods do not work. Do not keep it for the last days of the window.

Checklist

Example: you have 3 units and 5 tenants who signed a lease. That means 5 notices, 5 proofs of receipt and 5 reply periods to track.

For each tenant:

• Keep a complete copy of the notice you sent, with both pages.
• Keep their proof of receipt: delivery confirmation, signed acknowledgment or email confirmation.
• Write down their date of receipt and their reply deadline, one month later.
• Send at the start of the window, so you have time if something goes wrong.
• If there is no confirmation after a few days, deliver the notice another way before the window closes.