Property Management
Tenant Document Storage: Best Practices
How to store tenant documents securely and legally under GDPR.
The Landvale Team·Updated 1 July 2026·5 min read
Key takeaways
You are a data controller under GDPR the moment you hold tenant data.
Store only what you need, for as long as you need it.
Right to Rent, references and tenancies have different retention rules.
Access should be role-based and audited.
Landvale is GDPR-compliant by default.
GDPR in one paragraph
GDPR requires you to hold personal data only for a legitimate purpose, only for as long as needed, only with appropriate security, and to give the data subject rights to access, correction and (usually) erasure.
Tenant document retention
•Right to Rent — length of tenancy + 1 year.
•Tenant references — length of tenancy + 1 year.
•Tenancy agreements — length of tenancy + 6 years.
•Deposit protection — length of tenancy + 6 years.
•Correspondence — length of tenancy + 6 years, ideally.
Landvale's GDPR posture
Landvale enforces retention schedules automatically, provides role-based access, and produces a data subject access report in one click.
Frequently asked questions
Yes — any landlord holding tenant personal data must register (fee typically £40/year).
