I certainly can see how he'd take that to mean you weren't there - evicted or otherwise

BAH! If no one entered a forwarding request and the mail has not piled up, he shouldn't "assume" anything other than business as usual.

My father was a postman for 20 years, he used to go to work at 4AM and was home by 3PM, our mail was in the box by 10AM, noon at the latest (not his route,) but not anymore. It's a miracle if it's in the box by 3PM, and if it's really my mail or the guy that lived here over 7 years ago. I need a rubber stamp that says "NOT AT THIS ADDRESS."