Key points

  • Landlord and tenant disputes still require ongoing contact: repairs, rent, access, and formal notices.
  • When the relationship sours, messages can become abusive while the practical matters continue.
  • A filtered relay keeps the necessary communication flowing while removing the hostility.
  • An automatic timestamped record helps if the matter reaches a tribunal.

A friendly note: This guide shares general information to help you understand your options. It isn’t legal advice, and it can’t tell you what to do in your own situation. For that, a lawyer or a free legal service is the best next step, and you’ll find some in Where to get help.

Whether you are a tenant or a small landlord, a relationship that has gone sour does not end the need to communicate. Repairs still have to be reported, rent still has to be discussed, access still has to be arranged, and formal notices still have to be sent and received. When messages turn hostile, you are stuck dealing with someone difficult on matters you cannot ignore.

The problem with the usual options

Blocking is not realistic when a notice could be legally important. Giving out your personal number means hostility lands on the phone you use for everything. And relying on memory or scattered screenshots makes it hard to show what was actually agreed if the matter goes to a tribunal. The same logic applies when selling something online.

A calmer channel that still works

With FenceChat you share a FenceChat email address, and on plans that include it an SMS number, for all property matters. The other party uses it like any normal contact. Their messages are filtered so the abuse is removed and the practical content, the repair request, the rent query, the notice, reaches your inbox and Dashboard. You stay on top of what matters without absorbing the rest.

Keeps the essentials moving: Repairs, rent, access, and notices still reach you, minus the hostility, and all on the record.

A record for a tribunal

Tenancy disputes are often decided on who communicated what, and when. FenceChat keeps every message, original and filtered, with a timestamp, so you have a complete account rather than a partial one. On the Legal plan you can export a timestamped PDF formatted for your representative. In the US, tenancy rules and where disputes are heard vary by state.

Keeping it professional

  • Route all property communication through your FenceChat address so it is in one place.
  • Keep replies factual and focused on the tenancy; filtered replies help you stay measured.
  • Keep copies of formal notices and any acknowledgement in the same place for a complete record. Tenancy laws can set out how formal notices have to be given, so check the rules where you live.
  • Keep your personal contact details out of the dispute entirely.
This is general guidance on communication, not legal advice on tenancy law, notices, or your dispute. Tenancy rules vary by state and country; check your local rules or get advice for your situation.

Where to get help

These services are free or low-cost. If you or someone else is in danger, call your local emergency number first.

Australia

Renting and housing

Free or low-cost legal help

If you feel unsafe

  • Emergency: 000 Police, ambulance or fire, if you or someone else is in danger.
  • 1800RESPECT Free, confidential counselling for family, domestic and sexual violence, any time. 1800 737 732.

United States

Renting and housing

Free or low-cost legal help

If you feel unsafe

United Kingdom

Renting and housing

  • Shelter Advice on renting and housing problems.

Free or low-cost legal help

If you feel unsafe

Frequently asked questions

Is FenceChat only for personal or co-parenting situations?

No. It works for any ongoing contact with a difficult person, including landlord and tenant matters where you must keep communicating about repairs, rent, and notices.

Will the other party know their messages are filtered?

They get a one-time notice the first time they message you, saying messages are processed by AI and stored. You can switch that notice off where telling them could put you at risk. Replies you send through FenceChat still end with a short “Sent via FenceChat using AI” line. They install nothing and keep using ordinary email or text, they never see your real email address or number, and they do not see what was removed.

Can I keep formal notices on record?

Yes. Every message in and out is stored with a timestamp. On the Legal plan you can export a timestamped PDF for your representative.

Does it handle both email and text?

Email filtering is on every plan; SMS filtering is on the Protected and Legal plans. Both are archived in one account.

Will I miss an important notice?

No. Practical and important content is preserved and delivered; only hostile content is removed, and the original is always available.