Keeping records organised for a dispute

By The StrongRoom team · Published 2026-10-30 · Updated 2026-10-30 · Last verified on iOS 26.x on 2026-10-30

In a dispute, a tidy record is easier to use than a messy one: one folder per matter, files named with the date, originals kept as they are, and a second copy somewhere else. That is about organising, not about what a court or tribunal will accept. This page is not legal advice. Ask a lawyer, a tenants' or workers' organisation or a legal aid service what you should keep and how.

Start with the right adviser

What counts as useful evidence, and what a decision-maker will accept, depends on the country, the type of dispute and the forum. A screenshot may be helpful in one setting and carry little weight in another, and sometimes the original message, with its details, matters more than a picture of it. So before you spend effort organising, ask someone who knows:

• In the United States, LawHelp.org links people to free legal information and help from nonprofit legal aid groups in their state.
• In England, Citizens Advice gives free advice on work, housing, family, law and courts and other topics; its pages cover England and link to the other nations.
• Elsewhere, look for your national legal aid service, a tenants' union, a workers' centre or a support organisation for your kind of dispute.

If your safety is at risk, speak to a helpline first.

Principles that hold almost everywhere

1. Keep originals. Do not edit, crop or rename the only copy. Work on copies.
2. Date everything. Put the date at the front of the file name, year first, so files sort in order: "2026-03-14 letter from landlord.pdf". Write the date you received or took it, and note anything you remember about it separately.
3. One folder per matter. Not one folder for everything. Keep each dispute apart.
4. Add context in plain words. A short list of what happened and when, written soon after, helps you later. Keep it factual.
5. Do not alter or delete. Deleting messages or photos can hurt you. Ask your adviser before you delete anything related to a dispute.
6. A second copy. One copy on a phone is a single point of failure.

How a Vault helps with the practical part

• Import. Bring in screenshots and photos from Photos, and letters or PDFs from Files. Photos and files are stored as they are, with no recompression. Imported photos and videos are named by date and time; files from Files keep their names, so date them before importing.
• Folders. Make a folder per matter, one level deep. Folder names are encrypted along with everything else. Search works across folders, and filter chips narrow by photos, videos or documents.
• A private place. The Vault has its own pattern or passphrase and locks when you leave the app (immediately by default), so a dispute with someone you live with or work beside does not sit in the camera roll.
• A Duress Vault erases these records. If you set up a Duress Vault, opening it erases every other Vault. Do not keep evidence only on a phone with one; keep a current Export Package.
• A second copy you control. An Export Package is an encrypted copy of the whole Vault. Save it to a computer or drive, and keep the Recovery Phrase on paper elsewhere. Make a new package after you add a lot, because an old one does not contain newer items.
• Nothing leaves the phone by itself. There is no account and no cloud, so the records are not on someone else's server. That also means no copy exists unless you make one.

What StrongRoom does not do for evidence

• It does not prove that a file is genuine, unaltered or from a given time. It does not stamp, sign or certify anything. Do not describe a Vault as proof.
• It does not remove or change metadata. The file is kept as it is.
• It does not capture web pages, texts or call logs. Ask your adviser how to preserve those.
• It does not give legal advice or tell you what is admissible.
• A Share Package can send items to another StrongRoom user, but your lawyer may not use the app, and its open count and expiry are enforced only by the recipient's app. Ask the adviser how they want to receive files.

Limits to plan for

• The free app holds up to 10 items in one Vault. A long dispute can pass that; Pro removes the limit. Items already in a Vault stay open and exportable if you stop paying.
• If you lose the phone and have no Export Package and no Recovery Phrase, the Vault is gone. Keep paper originals too.
• A person who has your pattern or passphrase, or a phone with spyware, can still reach what is in the Vault. See the limits page.

A simple routine

1. Ask an adviser what to keep.
2. Create a folder for the matter.
3. Save each new item with the date in its name, and import it into the folder.
4. Write a short, factual log of what happened and when.
5. Once a week, or after a big addition, make an Export Package and store it away from the phone.
6. Bring only the records your adviser asks for.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

• LawHelp.org, checked on 2026-10-30.
• Citizens Advice, checked on 2026-10-30.