The date
Paper diary
Dated by you, in your own hand. Pages are easy to lose, and hard to search.
BuildMyEvidence
Each page goes in on the day it happened, with the day you added it alongside.
Paper diary vs BuildMyEvidence
Keep your diary. This builds the file you hand over.
Keeping a diary is the advice you’ll hear most — from tenant lawyers and workplace guides. It works. Keep writing it. BuildMyEvidence takes each page, on the day it happened, and puts it beside the texts, emails, photos and letters that go with it — both sides, in order — and builds one numbered, dated file to hand over.
Diary, journal, notebook or log — whatever you call it, it works the same way here.
Free to build, every tool, no card. $59 once per case, only when you download your file.
Sample case · not a real dispute
Repairs at 14 Elm St
ItemTheir sideYour side
014
Mar 11Diary page, Mar 11 — photoadded Mar 12
Mar 11Diary page, Mar 11 — photoadded Mar 12
015
Mar 13Text: “Back Friday.”pasted in
Mar 13Text: “Back Friday.”pasted in
016
Apr 14Emailed asking for a date in writingforwarded in
Apr 14Emailed asking for a date in writingforwarded in
No reply recorded · 5 weeks
Every entry: date it happened · date written
- Two datesOn every entry. The date written can’t be changed.
- FingerprintedEvery file, on arrival — anyone can check it hasn’t changed.
- Both sidesIn order. When they didn’t reply, that shows too.
- Free to buildEvery tool, no card. Pay only when you download.
What advisers say
Tenant lawyers and state workplace guides give the same first piece of advice: write down what happened and when, in a journal or log. Our own tip: note who was there, too.
The difference
What a diary can’t do on its own
A diary is the right habit. It just can’t hold everything else, or hand itself over.
Everything else
Paper diary
Texts, emails, photos and letters live somewhere else.
BuildMyEvidence
Beside the diary entry they belong to, in order.
The other side
Paper diary
Your side, in your words.
BuildMyEvidence
Both sides, in order. Silence shows as a line of its own.
Handing it over
Paper diary
Photocopy the pages and explain them.
BuildMyEvidence
One numbered, dated case file, with your pages included.
Keep writing
Keep your diary. Bring the pages in.
Your paper diary stays your original. BuildMyEvidence keeps a dated copy of each page beside everything else.
- 1
Photograph the page
Flat, in good light, the whole page in the picture.
- 2
Add it on the day it happened
One page, one entry. Or type it as a diary entry if that’s easier.
- 3
Keep the paper diary safe
It’s your original. The record shows both the day it happened and the day you added it.
Paper diary or BuildMyEvidence
| Compared | Paper diary | BuildMyEvidence |
|---|---|---|
| Easy to start | Pen and paper | Phone or computer |
| The date written | Written on the page by you | Recorded for you; can’t be changed |
| Texts, emails, photos, letters | Kept somewhere else | In the same record, in order |
| The other side’s replies — and silences | Not unless you write them | Both sides; no reply shows |
| Finding an entry | Flip through the pages | Every entry, by date |
| If the diary is lost or damaged | The pages are gone | A copy of each page is in your account |
| A file to hand over | Photocopies | One numbered case file |
| Cost | A notebook | Free to build. $59 once per case |
Not a law firm and no legal advice. We never write your words or say who’s right.
When a diary is enough
If it’s a short run of dates and nothing else, a paper diary is a fine record. Keep it somewhere safe. When there are messages, photos, letters and replies from the other side too, and someone needs to read it all, that’s when one dated record to hand over helps. You can bring your pages in any time.
What you hand over
One file. Every page numbered and dated.
- SummaryWhat the record shows, counted.
- ChronologyEvery event, numbered, in order.
- CorrespondenceBoth sides. No reply shows too.
- PromisesAnd what came after.
- Your statementIn your own words, never ours.
- The files themselvesEach with its fingerprint.
What it costs
Free to build. $59 once, when you hand it over.
Use every tool on as many cases as you need. You pay only when you download the finished file for a case.
$59
Once per case
- Free to build — every tool, unlimited cases, no card
- Read everything first, before you pay
- No subscription. Nothing renews.
Charged by Highfield Digital, Inc. Once paid, the sale is final.
Questions
- Should I stop keeping my paper diary?
- No. Keep writing it — it’s your original. Photograph each page and add it here so it sits beside everything else.
- How do I bring in pages I’ve already written?
- Photograph each page and add it on the day it happened. The record also shows the day you added it, so it stays honest.
- Can I type my diary instead?
- Yes. Use Diary entry, and set the day it happened.
- What does it cost?
- Building your record is free, with every tool. You pay $59 once per case, only when you download the finished file.
- Is this legal advice?
- No. BuildMyEvidence isn’t a law firm. It keeps your record in order — what you do with it is up to you.
Keep your diary. BuildMyEvidence builds the file you hand over.
No card. $59 once per case at download.
Made by Highfield Digital, Inc. · Related: Notes app vs BuildMyEvidence · Putting six months in order when you didn’t keep notes / We never sell your record or your data.