Employers never give 2 weeks notice when they fire you.

Videotape yourself in the post office putting the check in the envelope, sealing it, handing it to the worker, paying for its certified delivery, and your receipt. That's the only way I can see that you can prove the rent was mailed.

Maybe there's a service where you can transfer the money and someone can hand deliver a check to the landlord. Then that service could vouch that it was delivered if the landlord says it wasn't. Like a service that delivers court papers.

F Scott Fitzgerald said in Tender Isnthe Night: most people think everybody feels about then much more violently then they actually do - they think other people's opinions of them swing through great arcs of approval or disapproval.

I'm annoyed, but they're just trying to earn a paycheck. I immediately say no thank you, but not rudely, and close the door. Why waste your or their time? The less time they spend talking to someone definitely not interested, the more time they have to find someone who is. So it's not rude to be direct.

If they're religious or not my political persuasion, and I'm not busy, I engage them. They'll never convince me. I'm not going to debate them, no point. But the more time they waste on my doorstep, the fewer people they'll bother.

In my experience, if you're having major misgivings about something, walk away. More often than not, you'll be better off.