The £500 Note: How a Messy WhatsApp History Can Lose You a Deposit Dispute
It's one of the worst parts of being a landlord: a deposit dispute. You've withheld £500 for damage, and your tenant is challenging it with the Tenancy Deposit Scheme (TDS).
The tenant claims, "The damage was caused by a leak I reported in March, but the landlord never fixed it." You know they only told you in July, but your only "proof" is a messy, disorganised WhatsApp chat history from six months ago. Who will the adjudicator believe?
In a dispute, the burden of proof is on you, the landlord.
Why a Formal Log is Your Best Defence
A casual text history is not a professional maintenance record. Adjudicators need clear, time-stamped evidence. Here's what a proper log provides:
- A "Single Source of Truth": A dedicated system (like a dashboard or spreadsheet) shows every issue, on every property, in one place.
- Clear Timestamps: It proves when an issue was reported, when you responded, and when it was resolved. This defeats any "you were too slow" claims.
- Proof of Action: It shows the steps you took. "Spoke to tenant 10/05, AI triaged issue 10/05, Plumber contacted 11/05, Job completed 13/05."
- Tax & Compliance: A clean log makes your end-of-year tax return a breeze. It's a complete record of all repair expenses, ready for your accountant or HMRC.
Your WhatsApp History is a Liability, Not a Log
Relying on texts and memory is a recipe for failure. Messages get deleted, context is lost, and it looks unprofessional.
The Solution: An Automated Logbook
This is why we made the Lettie dashboard a core feature. When a tenant reports an issue to Lettie on WhatsApp, your system automatically creates a new, time-stamped issue card.
- Every message is logged.
- Lettie's AI summary and urgency rating are saved.
- You can drag the card from "New" to "In Progress" to "Resolved."
- You can add your own private notes ("Called ABC Plumbers, quote £150").
When the tenancy ends, you have a perfect, unchangeable record of every maintenance issue, ready for any dispute.
Stop risking your deposit. [Get an automated maintenance log today.]
