What do you do with warranties, installation materials, etc.?

What do you do with warranties, installation materials, etc.?

CA · Member since 2019 · 18 posts · 1 vote

How do you store all the installation materials that come with everything you buy for your properties? A great example: the allen key that comes with a new sink. Similarly, what about installation guides, warranty information, etc? I'm guessing some of the more seasoned property managers on here might have some tricks of the trade on this. Or, is it just large filing cabinets? Or, do you not store them at all and just assume if something goes bad you'll just replace it? This is for ~20-25 doors. 

I store things in a file cabinet today and although it works, it's a lot of effort for the occasional payoff. Hence, I'm wondering how others do it. Thanks!

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Rental Property Investor · Springfield, MO · Member since 2019 · 462 posts · 365 votes
6y

I only keep the warranty info and a copy of the receipt in a folder for each unit. All the other junk such as manuals, allen keys, marketing materials, etc goes right into the trash. If I really need them in the future then all the manuals can be found online and all the 'tools' they come with are trash anyways and not worth using twice. 

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  • Rental Property Investor · Springfield, MO · Member since 2019 · 462 posts · 365 votes
    6y

    I only keep the warranty info and a copy of the receipt in a folder for each unit. All the other junk such as manuals, allen keys, marketing materials, etc goes right into the trash. If I really need them in the future then all the manuals can be found online and all the 'tools' they come with are trash anyways and not worth using twice. 

  • CA · Member since 2019 · 18 posts · 1 vote
    6y

    Thanks @Jon Reed, I appreciate the advice! That makes sense. It's just frustrating the one odd time when some special item-specific tool is needed for a repair, but it doesn't happen that often. And less paperwork would be a big win. 

  • JD MartinBusiness Member
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    Rock Star Extraordinaire · Northeast, TN · Member since 2015 · 10k+ posts · 16k+ votes
    6y

    I put them all in files, then put the file in my file cabinet. You'd be more surprised than not how often a manual can come in handy, especially if something breaks and you need to order a part. If you don't want the paperwork you could take them apart and scan them, but honestly: I have a decent number of rentals and lots of manuals and I still have not filled up anywhere near 4 filing drawers with receipts & manuals. All of the manuals for everything in my own home fit in one half of a portable filing box.

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  • CA · Member since 2019 · 18 posts · 1 vote
    6y

    Makes sense! Thanks @JD Martin!

  • Rockaway, NJ · Member since 2016 · 2k+ posts · 2k+ votes
    6y
    Personally, I save everything in a file cabinet. You can, in theory, throw out manuals as they are available online, but I'd rather spend one min storing it and one min to find it as opposed to spending half an hour searching online for the proper manual. Some are easy to find, others are not. If it comes with an allen key or cheap wrench, those should be thrown out. They're cheap and your toolbox should already have them. If its a special key needed to access a reset button or anything that isn't present in the average toolbox, you keep that. I would tape the key to the manual so everything is in the same spot.
  • Richmond, VA · Member since 2016 · 215 posts · 129 votes
    6y

    If you're filing the manuals, you could always get snack or sandwich sided zip locks and staple them to the manual/folder.

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