Attachment provenance sheet

Document workspace

Create a source-and-date sheet for a tenancy application

A tenancy application can become difficult to check when files are named but their dates and purpose are unclear. A one-page source sheet keeps those facts visible.

Market: UK
Jurisdiction: United Kingdom
Updated: 2026-08-05

Short answer

For each attachment, record the source name, date or period, the application question it addresses, the property request that prompted it, and any limitation you can see. Add an excluded-material column for files you decided not to send. This is a record of your own preparation, not a substitute for the recipient's checks.

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Working checklist

Use six fields for each source

Create one row for source, issue date or coverage period, requested field, narrow purpose, visible limitation and send status. If the source has no date, record 'date not shown' rather than estimating one. If the request arrived through a portal, keep the request date in the same row so you can separate earlier and later instructions.

The sheet should not reproduce account numbers, reference contact details or other sensitive contents. Point to the file name you use in your own application copy. That gives you a working trail without creating a new document full of personal data.

Source and label used in your file copy.
Issue date or the exact period shown.
Recipient request and limited purpose.
Limitation, clarification or excluded status.

Action plan

Check date ranges before arranging the file

Read the sheet from the recipient's question backwards. If a request concerns a current period, check that the file you plan to send actually covers that period. If two records overlap, keep both only when each has a different stated purpose. If they answer the same question, choose the clearer current source and preserve the other in your private working folder.

Where dates leave a gap, write the gap as a question for the recipient rather than silently filling it with a narrative. A short factual note can describe what the source says. It cannot turn an unavailable record into proof or decide what a letting agent will accept.

Useful context

Give every attachment a traceable job

A useful source sheet is not a second application form. It is a compact index that prevents a reviewer from guessing why a file is present. Start with the exact property request. Then write the document title as it appears on the source, the period it covers and one narrow purpose such as 'addresses the requested income period'.

The most important field is often the limitation. A document may show a date but not an address, or show an address but not the current period. Recording that limitation helps you avoid describing an attachment as stronger evidence than it is. It also tells you when a direct question to the recipient is safer than adding more files.

Keep in view

Keep the sheet useful without expanding the data set

Keep personal information adequate, relevant and limited to what is necessary for the recipient's stated purpose.

The ICO guidance is under review, so use the current source and do not treat this page as legal advice. This sheet is an applicant-controlled way to organise documents; it does not tell a landlord or agent what it must collect, retain or accept in a particular UK nation.

RentFiles can turn details you choose to provide into a structured tenancy application PDF. It does not validate the documents, determine data-protection compliance or influence a tenancy decision.

Practical example

Example: two files covering the same month

A fictional applicant has two records that both mention the same month. One directly addresses the requested income period. The other contains additional personal information but no clearer date. The sheet marks the first record as the proposed attachment and the second as excluded pending a specific request.

The applicant can then ask a focused question if the first record is not enough. They do not send both files simply to appear thorough. The record of exclusion also makes it easy to revisit the decision if the recipient later requests a different format.

Questions

Common questions

Clear answers for the decisions people usually pause on.

How should I list a record with no visible date?

Write that the date is not shown, record the question it may address and ask the recipient if it needs a dated alternative.

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