Free 3-page printable · No sign-up · No email
The free dispute diary
A proper diary pack, free. A cover to set it up, diary pages to fill in on the day things happen, and a page for every person, call and message. Print it, keep it in a folder, and write it as you go.
Letter size, 3 pages: Cover · Diary page (print as many as you need) · People, calls and messages. Free to copy and share.
A line written on the day says more than a memory months later
A landlord, a contractor, a neighbor, an employer, an insurer, a client who won't pay. Whatever it is, the details fade fast. A diary keeps them: what was said, when, and who heard it.
Inside every diary page
What goes in each entry
01
Date
The day it happened.
02
Time
As close as you can. “About 4pm” is fine.
03
What happened
What was said and done, in plain words. Write what they said, not what you think of them.
04
Who was there
Names, or who they are: “the foreman”, “her husband”. Anyone who saw or heard it.
05
What I kept
Tick what you kept (photo, text, email, receipt, letter) and write down where it’s kept.
06 · The one most people miss
Date I wrote this down
The day you made the entry. Writing it up a few days later is fine. Just be honest about when.
Keeping it well
Four habits
1. Write it the same day
Even two lines. Short and on time beats long and late.
2. One event per entry
A new day, a new call or a new visit gets its own entry.
3. Never rub out
Cross through with one line and write the correction beside it, with the date.
4. Keep what you mention
Put photos, screenshots and paperwork somewhere safe, and note where.
When it's time to hand it over
Your paper diary counts
Keep it on paper for as long as you like. When you need to show someone the whole story, photograph each page and add it to BuildMyEvidence on the date it was written. It sits with your texts, emails, photos and money, in the order it happened, and goes into the one case file you hand over.
- Two dates on every entry: when it happened, and when it was written down.
- Every file you upload is fingerprinted the moment it arrives.
- Drop a whole batch of pages in at once, then sort them onto the record.
Free to share
Tenant groups, libraries, community and mediation centers, family and caregiver support groups: you're welcome to link to this page, print copies and hand them out. No permission needed.
buildmyevidence.com/free-dispute-diary