The franchise disclosure document and agreement, the receipt for the initial fee, equipment and vehicle purchase invoices, the premises lease, licence applications, the training agreement, the corporate formation documents, and bank records tracing each payment from its source to the business.
Keep the transaction file as it is created
A franchise purchase produces most of the needed evidence naturally, provided nobody throws it away. Keep the disclosure document as received, with its date, and every version of the agreement that was negotiated. Keep the fee receipt and the wire confirmation. Keep invoices for the vehicles, tools and equipment, and the delivery records, since these show the money bought operating assets rather than a promise. Keep the lease and any licence applications with their filing dates. On the source side, keep the statements showing where the funds came from, whether business earnings, an asset sale or a loan, and if borrowed, the loan agreement showing what secures it, because borrowing secured against the assets of the enterprise itself is not treated as the investor's own capital at risk.
Hypothetical example: a Tyendinaga digital-accessibility consultancy has signed client letters but has not documented who owns the new U.S. enterprise. Build a transaction file that connects nationality, ownership, funds, purchases, licences, lease, client pipeline, and forecasts. The reviewer should be able to follow the money from lawful source through commitment into the operating business. A polished business plan cannot substitute for missing bank or ownership records. When a document changes, preserve the earlier signed version and explain the commercial reason for the revision instead of quietly replacing it.