What Good Process Serving Attempt Notes Include

Good process serving attempt notes include time, place, what happened, and photos when appropriate. A field guide for PPS Serve servers.

Attempt notes are the product when service is not completed, and they are the backbone of proof when it is. A company cannot fix a thin note after the fact. If you want to work with PPS Serve, write notes as if a lawyer who was not in the car has to rely on them. Write facts, in order Every attempt note should answer: - When: date and time - Where: full address, unit number, and how you identified the location - What you did: knocked, waited, spoke with someone, left as instructed - What you saw: lights, vehicles, mail, furniture through a window — only what you actually observed - Who you spoke with: name if given, or “adult male, declined name” - How it ended: served, no answer, wrong address, refused, access blocked Short paragraphs beat one run-on sentence. Details that save the next attempt - Gate or office hours - Dogs or other access issues - Whether the name on the mailbox or directory matched - Neighbor comments that are clearly labeled as a neighbor’s statement - A better time window if someone at the property offered one Do not pad notes with theories about the case. Photos and documenting attempts Photos help when they show the door, building identifier, mailbox, or a vehicle that matches the assignment. They do not replace the written note. Good photo habits: - Capture the address or unit marker in at least one frame - Take the photo at the time of the attempt - Keep the frame professional — the building, not bystanders - Pair each photo with the note for that visit Do not photograph children, mail contents, or anything that is not needed to identify the location or the attempt. What to leave out - Legal conclusions (“this was evasion,” “they are avoiding”) - Insults or jokes - Medical guesses - Arguments with the recipient - Internal company slang the clie