What's an Issue?

When you enter the Tracker Tool the first thing you have to do is to create your Issue.

An Issue is the thing you are dealing with - the problem you are trying to solve. You need to give your issue a name and brief description.

For example, if you are trying to get your money back on a faulty kettle your issue name might be: 'Faulty Kettle'. If you are trying to get your deposit back from a landlord, your issue name would be: 'Getting deposit back from landlord'.

It’s a good idea to put key information in your description and to print it out to keep it safe. You need to say what the problem is; when it started; and who is involved including - including names and phone numbers.

It's tempting to put every detail of your case into the description. Don't - just give a very brief outline and key names and numbers.

For example

Problem:

Landlord refused to give me back my deposit at the end of my tenancy.

When did this happen?

Wrote to landlord on 8 March 04 telling him I was leaving, and asked him for deposit.
Moved out on 8 April 04. No contact from landlord. No payment since.

Who is involved:

Landlord: E Scrooge (tel 01234 567890)
Address: Letting Agency, 31A Oxford Road, Manchester M1 3RQ

It isn't always so obvious what the problem is - for example if you are being evicted for not paying your rent, this might be because you're not be getting all the benefits you’re entitled to, and you might owe other debts. In this situation there are a number of 'issues' to solve and you should get some expert advice.