Documenting a rental problem
How to photograph and record repair issues, damage, and messages with a landlord, and keep those records safe on your phone.
You notice the stain on the ceiling has spread, or the heating is out for the third time this month. Before you do anything else, take out your phone. The best rental records are the ones made on the day.
This is general information, not legal advice. Tenant rights differ by country, state and city. A local tenant union, housing advice service or lawyer can tell you what applies.
In the next ten minutes
- Take a wide photo that shows the room, so anyone can tell where it is. Then take close-ups.
- If it helps, put something for scale in a close-up, like a coin or a ruler.
- Send a short, polite repair request in writing, by email or text, and keep a copy.
Over the following weeks
Take new photos from the same angle every so often, so the record shows whether things get better or worse. Keep a short log: the date, what you reported, how, and what happened next. Save every reply.
Group the photos by issue, such as the leak or the heating, and by date. A one-page summary at the top, listing each problem, when you first reported it and where it stands, lets an advisor understand things in minutes. If neighbors have the same problem, ask whether they are keeping records too.
When you move in, and again when you move out, photograph the whole home. That single habit settles a lot of deposit disputes.
Originals and location
Original photos carry the date and time, and often the location. For your own records, that location helps show the photo is from your home. Keep the originals untouched. If you later post photos online, share a copy with the location removed.
Keeping copies safe
Most rental records are not secret, and an ordinary album plus a backup off the phone is usually enough. If you share the home with someone you would rather not show, a locked album or a vault app such as VaultWell (coming soon) can keep them out of view.
Stay factual in every message. Your landlord may share them later too.