Document Storage for Park Operators: Keep It for Seven Years, Find It in Seven Seconds
A folder structure, naming convention, and retention policy that holds up under audit and litigation.
When a tenant disputes a charge from 4 years ago, you have about 60 seconds before they conclude you don't have the records. When the IRS audits your capex, you have 7 days before non-compliance becomes the problem. Document storage isn't glamorous, but the operators who get it right spend less than 5 minutes a year on retrievals.
The seven-year rule
Federal tax records: 7 years. State landlord-tenant statutes vary, but 7 years covers all but California (which is 10). Default to 7 unless your state requires longer. The rule isn't "keep it 7 years and shred" — it's "have it findable for 7 years" and don't actively destroy it after 7 unless you have a documented retention policy that requires it.
Folder structure that scales
Top level: Year. Sub-level: Park. Sub-level: Tenant (lot number + name). Sub-level: Document type (lease, applications, payments, work orders, notices, correspondence).
This structure lets you ZIP an entire tenant's file when their lease ends and archive it without re-organizing.
Naming convention
Date_TenantLast_DocType_Detail.pdf. So: 2025-04-15_Smith_Notice_LateRent.pdf. Sortable, searchable, and unambiguous when emailed to your attorney.
Cloud vs. local
Cloud, with two-factor auth and operator-controlled access logs. Local-only storage on a laptop fails the day the laptop dies — and laptops die. Park software that stores documents centrally with role-based access is the cleanest setup. Failing that, a Dropbox/Google Drive with a documented backup is acceptable.
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