What to record per issue
- Date reported and how (text, email, call).
- Property and unit.
- Description of the problem in the tenant's words, plus your own note after looking at it.
- Priority: emergency, urgent, or routine. Heat, water, and safety issues usually cannot wait; how fast you must respond is set by state and local law, so know your local rule.
- Who did the work: yourself, a vendor, or the tenant (if your lease allows tenant arrangements).
- Date completed and the outcome.
- Cost, with the invoice or receipt filed.
- Photos, before and after when relevant.
Example
| Reported | Unit | Issue | Priority | Done | Cost | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2 | 2B | Kitchen faucet leak | Routine | Oct 5 | 145.00 | Closed |
| Oct 9 | 1A | No heat | Emergency | Oct 9 | 380.00 | Closed |
| Oct 15 | 2B | Loose deck board | Urgent | Open |
How it connects to your other records
- Each completed job with a cost goes into the expense log with its receipt reference, so nothing is missed at tax time.
- Repair vs. improvement matters for taxes: a fix that keeps the property working is usually a current expense, while work that adds value or extends the property's life is usually depreciated. The Schedule E guide covers the distinction with IRS links.
- Recurring issues at one unit are easy to spot when every issue is a dated row: the log tells you when a repair has become a pattern worth fixing properly.
Why the file matters
If a tenant later claims a problem was ignored, the log shows the report date, your response, and the completion date. If a deduction is questioned, the invoice is already tied to the expense entry. And when you sell, a maintenance history is useful evidence of how the property was kept. Keep the log and its receipts per the retention periods in how long to keep rental records.
General record-keeping information, not legal or tax advice. Response-time and habitability rules are local; check yours.