Golden Rule #7: Keep a ‘paper trail’

I’ve come across a number of landlords that have problems with uncommunicative tenants.  It’s common for landlords to communicate by text with their tenants. This is convenient and informal, but you should make sure you can get copies of any SMS messages in the event of problems in the future.

If problems do come up, my advice is to start writing to your tenant instead, and keep copies. If you do end up going to court for possession, you’ll then have a ‘paper-trail’. This evidence can be used to demonstrate to the court that you’ve done everything possible to try to resolve matters with your tenant.

For example, if you need to inspect the property, or for a gas safety check to be carried out, and your tenant is not responding to text messages or calls, you should start to write letters (or instruct a solicitor to write letters), giving notice of the inspection and the purpose of it. If there’s still no response, you should follow this up with further letters. If your tenant ever makes a claim against you for disrepair, you’ll be able to prove that you’ve not been able to gain access to the property in order to inspect and carry out any repairs, despite your best efforts.

The court is not likely to take the tenants claims as seriously if you can prove they’ve not allowed access for the landlord to inspect or repair. The same rule applies to rent arrears or other breaches of the tenancy agreement – keep your tenant informed with regular letters and statements and keep copies.