Before you apply
- Save every listing screenshot for the unit you apply to — price, promises, included amenities.
- Keep copies of what you submit: application, pay stubs, references, application-fee receipt.
- If a leasing agent promises anything verbally ("we'll replace the carpet"), follow up by email so the promise has a record.
At signing
- Get the complete lease — every page, every addendum, every rule attachment — before you sign, and keep the signed copy forever.
- Get the security deposit receipt in writing, with the amount and where it's held if your state requires that disclosure.
- Record who your landlord actually is: legal entity name, mailing address, emergency contact. This is on the lease — photograph it separately.
In the full guide (3 more sections)
- 🔒 Move-in day (the hour that decides your deposit)
- 🔒 During the tenancy
- 🔒 Moving out
The complete edition — every section, updated as it improves — is in the Records Readiness Library.
Educational content, not legal/tax/medical advice — Service Boundaries.