How-to

How to group relationship evidence into categories

Why grouping into categories helps

A common approach when preparing a set of material for review is to sort it into a handful of broad categories first, then order each category by date. This makes it easier for anyone reading the set to find their way around, rather than working through everything in one long, mixed pile.

What is actually requested for a given application is set out in the published guidance on GOV.UK, and questions about a specific case are best directed to an IAA-registered adviser or an SRA-regulated solicitor. The categories below are simply one way some people find it helps to group items while organising, not a list of what is requested.

• Photos
• Messages and call logs
• Joint records, such as shared bills or a tenancy
• Correspondence addressed to both people
• Records of travel together

Photos

Photos are often grouped together as their own category, sometimes arranged by date or by occasion. Some people find it helps to keep a short caption with each photo or group of photos, noting roughly when and where it was taken.

• Group photos by year or by event, whichever makes the set easier to scan.
• Keep a brief note of date and location alongside each photo or group, where known.
• Store the original file where possible, rather than only a screenshot of it.

Messages and call logs

Messages, chat exports and call logs are another category some people keep separate from photos and paperwork. Screenshots or exported chat files can be grouped by conversation and by date range, in whatever way makes the set easiest to follow.

• Group by platform or conversation thread, then order by date within each group.
• Label a screenshot or export with the date range it covers.
• Keep the full export file where a platform offers one, alongside any screenshots.

Joint records, such as shared bills or a tenancy

Documents that show two names on the same account or agreement, such as a household bill, a tenancy document or a joint bank statement, are often kept as a separate category from personal correspondence. Some people find it helps to keep this group ordered by document type, then by date within each type.

• Keep each type of joint record (for example, tenancy documents or utility bills) in its own labelled group.
• Order each group from oldest to newest.
• Keep full documents together, rather than only an extract or a single page.

Correspondence addressed to both people

Letters, emails or official correspondence addressed to both people at the same address are sometimes grouped as their own category, separate from joint financial records. This can include anything from official letters to everyday post where both names appear.

• Group by sender or organisation, then order by date.
• Keep the envelope or header information where it shows both names and the address.
• Note the date received, if it differs from the date printed on the item.

Travel together

Records of travelling together, such as boarding passes, booking confirmations or itineraries, are another category some people set apart from day-to-day correspondence. Keeping this group in date order alongside the other categories can make a set easier to follow as a whole.

• Group travel records by trip, then order the trips by date.
• Keep booking confirmations together with any boarding passes or tickets for the same trip.
• Note the destination and dates for each trip if they are not clear from the document itself.

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