Requiring a Landlord Reference During Tenant Screening 

If you’re a landlord running a rental business, you understand the importance of verifying that applicants are reliable. A dishonest or unreliable tenant spells trouble not only for missing rent payments but also for the costs of the eviction process and tenant turnover.  

One key step in avoiding unreliable tenants is to require rental applicants to provide references from previous landlords. From time to time, you may also be asked to write a letter or complete a form about one of your tenant’s rental histories for their future landlord. 

For this reason, we’ve created a landlord reference letter template that you can use to request information from a tenant’s former landlord. In this article, we’ll cover the types of information you should and shouldn’t ask about a tenant in a landlord reference request to avoid violating fair housing laws. 

Why Require a Landlord Reference Letter? 

As previously mentioned, thorough and intentional tenant screening is the most effective way for landlords for protect their real estate investments. There is nothing better for your business than a tenant who regularly pays their rent and does not create issues with other tenants. It is always best practice to require prospective tenants to submit applications that detail information like their monthly income, their credit history, and their eviction history. This is the kind of essential information that can determine the qualifications of a tenant.  

The function of following up with prior landlords is as an extra layer of confirmation that a candidate is reliable. For instance, if a tenant cost a lot in maintenance, were regularly late with their rent, or caused internal drama with other tenants, this is something that may not be apparent when the only resource a landlord has is the information gleaned from a tenant application.  

The purpose of a landlord reference request form is to have a list of questions prepared about the tenant that you’d like answered by their current or former landlord. You can send this form to the applicant, who can forward it to their landlord. After their landlord completes the form, they can mail or email it back to you so you can more thoroughly evaluate the applicant. 

Why Write a Landlord Reference Letter? 

While you should always require a landlord reference from applicants, you may occasionally be asked to write a reference by one of your current tenants. Even if the tenant in question wasn’t a good one, you may be contacted to speak to those negatives in the future. Oppositely, if the tenant was a good one, a letter from a fellow landlord who understands the business and what specific information other landlords will value the most is a great way to communicate that great tenant’s value that don’t emerge from numbers and statistics.   

Although writing a letter for one of your tenants doesn’t directly benefit you per say, it does help a future landlord and is a way to pay it forward to someone who was a great tenant and made managing the property easier. And it’s a simple and painless task (especially if you use a landlord tenant reference letter template). 

What Information Should Be Included? 

A landlord reference request form should start by getting the tenant’s consent for you to verify all their previous landlords, and for those landlords to release information about them. This is an important step that ensures the tenant gives you permission to obtain and use information about them. 

The body of the form should then focus on questions you want to zero in on about the applicant. For instance, landlord reference forms usually ask whether the tenant was a prompt payer, whether they incurred any late fees, whether they kept the property clean, or if they violated the lease in any way. If there were any lease violations, you may also want to ask about any cooperative problem-solving or mitigation steps taken by the tenant to resolve disagreements throughout the term. 

Some landlord reference request forms include an open-ended section for the prior landlord to elaborate on any of their answers or include the kind of information that cannot shine through on tenant application alone. For example, a landlord reference letter could include the landlord’s overall impression and additional comments.  

Lastly, every landlord reference form should end with one very telling question: “Would you rent to this tenant again?” This question is an easy way to find out whether the applicant is a worthwhile tenant or not in the opinion of their former landlord. 

What Not to Include 

Any feedback you ask for in a tenant recommendation letter or request form should be strictly related to their eligibility as a tenant and should remain respectful. Not only would it be inappropriate to ask another landlord to divulge personal information beyond that which is strictly necessary, but maintaining a professional voice also lends more authority to your rental business. 

In addition to avoiding asking about personal information that is irrelevant or inappropriate, you should certainly avoid asking about any information related to federally protected classes. The Federal Fair Housing Act, passed in 1968, prohibits any form of housing discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, familial status, disability, or religion. In addition to this law, many states add additional protected classes such as marital status or sexual orientation. These characteristics cannot be considered in housing decisions, so you should not include them in a reference letter or ask another landlord to divulge them. In fact, it’s best to avoid personal or identity-based questions entirely, as it is not necessarily relevant to what is meant to be a professional recommendation. 

In general, aim for an impartial tone and objective language rather than asking for personal impressions and reflections. Instead of vague implications, phrase your questions simply and directly. Remain focused on the tenant’s suitability for renting throughout the form, and if you’re writing a letter, supply only truthful and relevant information.  

A tip: Reading through various landlord reference letter samples can help you capture the right tone and reproduce it in your own writing. 

Conclusion 

Innago’s free landlord reference letter template pdf is a great way to upgrade your tenant screening and ensure you’re getting the fullest picture of a prospective tenant. Other landlords’ experience with the tenant makes their insight valuable to you, and we hope you take advantage of our resource to ensure that each of your future applicants can supply landlord references that qualify them for your units.