Landlord Quick Tip

Tip #23: Build a Tenant File Checklist

Whether it’s doing your taxes, collecting unpaid rent, filing an eviction, or defending a lawsuit for injury or discrimination, what you have — or don’t have, in your files will decide the outcome.

Here’s a good way to organize your tenant files, so you are sure to have the information you need, when you need it:

The signed, completed application

The screening reports

Notes from all reference checks– personal, employment and emergency contact verifications

The signed lease

Copy of the first check/s

The signed move-in checklist and any amendments, along with photos, videos (or links to retrieve them)

All correspondence, including phone messages, repair requests, notes of conversations

Repair records

Record of each month’s payments

Tenant updates, including lease amendments, updated credit screens (long-term tenants), updated employment, reference, contact info

Copies of restraining orders, divorce decrees, police reports

Move-out Checklist and Photos/Video

Forwarding address

Security deposit reconciliation

Much of this information is confidential so make sure you keep it private, and safe. 

Kudos if you calendar 90 days before move out — so you can take steps to retain your tenant before they start to look around.  Remember not to shelve files where there’s unpaid debt — you have years to collect it.

Did we leave anything out?  What else do you keep in your tenant files?  Comment below if you have more suggestions.

Last week’s Landlord Quick Tip

Do you have a tip to share with other landlords? Contact our editor at kim@joinaaoa.org.

 

American Apartment Owners Association offers discounts for landlords on products and services related to your rental investment, including real estate forms, tenant debt collection, tenant background checks, insurance and financing. Find out more at www.joinaaoa.org.

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Filed under: AAOA Forum

This entry was posted on Monday, September 28th, 2009 at 10:30 am and is filed under AAOA Forum. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

1. Landlord Quick Tip | AAOA - American Apartment Owners Association said at October 5th, 2009 at 9:11 am

   [...] We’d love to know!  Share your comments below.   See last week’s Landlord Quick Tip.   Do you have a tip to share with other landlords? Contact our editor at [...]

2. HE said at October 5th, 2009 at 1:22 pm

   [...] We’d love to know!  Share your comments below.   See last week’s Landlord Quick Tip.   Do you have a tip to share with other landlords? Contact our editor at [...]

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