How to keep a record of everything you send and hear from tenants

Why the record matters

A dispute is rarely about what happened. It is about what each person can show. A dated message that says "the lease ends June 30, please confirm by May 15" settles an argument that a phone call cannot.

The same records answer a code inspector, an insurance company, or a court. A repair request that sat for ten days looks different when the log shows you replied in one.

What to keep

• Notices you send: entry notices, rent changes, lease renewals, violation notices.
• Requests you receive: maintenance, accommodation, lease questions, move-out notices.
• Your replies, with the date and what you promised.
• Delivery proof: a sent email, a mailing receipt, or a signed acknowledgement.
• Call summaries: write two lines after any phone call and email them to the tenant as a recap.

A tenant's text message is a record too, but texting has its own rules on consent. See the post on texting tenants before you start.

How to organize it

1. Keep one thread per issue, not one thread for everything. A new subject gets a new subject line.
2. Put the unit and the topic in the subject: "12B, window latch repair".
3. Reply in the same thread so the history stays together.
4. Save a copy to the unit's folder when the issue closes.
5. Never delete a message about a dispute, even a rude one.

Write each message so a stranger could follow it: the date you saw the problem, what you will do and by when.

How long to keep it

There is no single rule for tenant messages. Records that support rental income and expenses follow tax rules: the IRS says to keep records until the period of limitations for the return runs out, which is generally three years from the date you file, longer in some cases. See the IRS page How long should I keep records?. Your state may set longer limits for lease and deposit disputes, so a safe habit is to keep tenant files for several years after a tenancy ends and check your state.

When you finally delete a tenant file, do it on a schedule, not case by case.

Two habits that make the record better

First, use the same short structure for every notice: what, where, when, what happens next. A tenant who gets four notices a year in the same shape learns to read them quickly, and you learn to write them quickly.

Second, confirm in writing anything that was agreed out loud. If you tell a tenant at the mailbox that you will fix the gate this week, send a line that evening: "As we discussed, the gate latch will be fixed by Friday." It takes thirty seconds and it is the line that decides the argument months later.

Example a made-up tenant in 12B emails on May 2 that the bathroom fan is loud. You reply the same day that a vendor will visit by May 9. The vendor visits May 8 and you email the tenant to confirm. A thread of three messages shows the request, your promise and the fix, each with its date.

How DoorKeeping handles it

Email to tenants goes out from DoorKeeping, and each message is filed with the tenant and the unit, with its date. You can ask Claude or ChatGPT: "Show me everything I sent to the tenant in 12B about the window." You get the thread in date order.

Anything with a legal or money effect, such as a notice or a charge, waits for your one-tap approval before it is sent, so the record shows what you chose to send.

Sources

1. IRS: How long should I keep records?, read Oct 30, 2026

Questions

Is an email a valid record of a notice to a tenant?

It is a dated record of what you sent. Whether email counts as valid notice depends on your lease and your state, so check both.

Should I keep tenant messages after they move out?

Yes, for several years, since deposit and damage disputes can come after a move-out. Check your state's limits.

What if a tenant only calls?

Write a two line summary right after the call and email it to the tenant. That turns the call into a dated record.