Tips & Techniques
Paper Files
Disorganized and incomplete paper files can create a whole bunch of downstream problems. How about we are scheduled to be in court next week and can’t fine the signed lease or signed rules? Or we failed to confirm the occupant was the titled owner and the taxes were current and then suddenly, then tenant passes away and the family lives in Michigan and want's nothing to do with the home? In both cases the park must spend $1K’s or even $10K’s to remedy something that could have been avoided if we kept better records and followed our own best practices.
Success here means the manager has a file cabinet at home or in the office that contains all the paper tenant files. The documents in each file are organized using some sort of system to ensure the most important among them are accounted for and easily available including the application, signed lease, signed rules, copy of the title and proof of payment or the prior year’s taxes. The files are kept “under lock and key” and treated as highly confidential and not shared with anyone.
All the tenant docs are in one file cabinet, which is located in a safe and secure place
For each tenant there is an application, lease, signed copies of the rules, title to the home, proof of payment of prior year's taxes
The files also contain all legal notices we've served the tenant, correspondence, notes, letter, etc...