March 01, 2026

Many Texas Real Estate Commission and Texas REALTORS® forms and some statutes state that notices are effective “when mailed” or “when sent.” But the United States Postal Service has advised that mail placed in collection boxes or given to carriers may receive a postmark dated later than the actual day the item was deposited—or maybe no postmark at all.

To ensure the postmark matches the date of deposit, the USPS recommends going into a post office and asking for the mail to be given a manual postmark, which is applied at no charge. Some REALTORS® have reported that their requests at post offices for manual postmarks have been denied. To avoid issues when mailing time-sensitive documents or notices, you can:

• Mail well in advance of any deadline.
• Purchase a USPS Certificate of Mailing to document the acceptance date.
• Use Certified Mail when proof of mailing is important.
• Retain receipts or postal clerk-issued documentation showing the date tendered.
• When permitted by the contract or statute, use alternate mail services or couriers, email or other electronic delivery methods, as these will provide immediate delivery records.