The Importance of Proper Documentation in Property Management

[Gia Hermosillo]

One of the wildest experiences I’ve had in property management happened on the very first day of managing a new property.

I was conducting onboarding calls, getting familiar with tenants, when suddenly—the ceiling collapsed on a tenant’s back.

The tenant had reported the issue for over 14 months to the previous property manager, but nothing had been done. Naturally, they were furious and quickly pursued legal action.

Thankfully, our team had thoroughly documented everything from day one. The initial condition report, tenant communications, and maintenance requests were properly recorded, proving that this issue had existed long before our management began.

When the lawsuit came in, both the property owner and our company were off the hook—all because we had a clear, well-documented paper trail showing that the negligence occurred under the previous management.

This situation reinforced one of the most valuable lessons in property management: Documentation isn’t just paperwork—it’s protection.

✅ Always keep thorough records

✅ Make communication traceable

✅ Ensure maintenance requests are properly logged and addressed

You never know when good documentation will save you from a nightmare scenario.

What’s the wildest property management situation you’ve encountered? Let’s talk in the comments! 👇

[Nathan Gesner]

Quote from @Drew Sygit:

It's like first responders: people don't really care about what they do until they need them.