If you’re a landlord, it’s likely that a time will come when your tenants decide to move on and find a new place. On top of checking out the property for damage, interviewing new applicants and deciding what refurbishment might be needed between lets, there is one job you may be asked to perform – a character reference for your tenant.
If they’ve been careful tenants, good neighbours and paid their rent on time – it’s the least you can do and pretty much essential to them, if they’re moving on to another rental property.
We look at what you need to know about writing a character reference for your tenant, with some handy hints to make it less of a chore.
A character reference for a tenant is much the same as any other formal letter you might need to write, so keep it clear, concise, informative and to the point. Give it a title – Character reference for my tenant, Joe Bloggs would do.
Make sure you check the letter carefully or spelling and punctuation errors before mail or email it off too.
Think about what you, as a landlord, would want to know about a prospective tenant and include these key points:
You’ll need to tailor your character reference letter to your tenant’s situation, but here is a character reference template, which should work for most landlords
Dear
Tenant reference for [tenant’s name]
I am writing to confirm that [tenant’s name] has rented property at [address] from me since [start date].
[Tenant’s name] has been an excellent tenant. Over the past [number of years], they have paid their rent on time each month.
I can confirm that they have been friendly, responsive and accommodating during my visits and have never made unreasonable requests.
They have kept their property clean and tidy inside and out and reported any issues to me in a timely fashion.
I would be happy to rent property to them again in future.
[Add if appropriate] Their [dog/cat] is well-behaved. It has never caused damage to the property and I have not received any complaints about it from neighbours.
I am pleased to recommend [tenant’s name] to you, and I am confident that you will find them responsible tenants.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me [phone number/email address].
Yours sincerely,
Once a tenant is installed in your property, getting them to leave on whatever grounds isn’t always easy. Someone may look great on paper, and have the background checks, credit history and bank statements to prove that they have the means to pay their rent on time. But that’s not the same as a character reference from someone who had lived experience of renting property to them.
If you’re considering a tenant, and they haven’t provided a reference with their rental application, this may ring alarm bells. People who haven’t rented property before may be able to provide you with a charter reference from another source – an employer or university teacher, if they’re a student, for example.
For people who have rented property, it’s worth being proactive and contacting their landlord yourself with a tenant reference request of your own. Your letter should ask for all the information that you would include in a tenant reference letter, if writing it yourself, so:
Remember that it’s against the law to discriminate against any potential tenants because of their race, religion, sexual orientation or other protected characteristics, so keep your questions on the topic of their tenancy.
If you’re a new landlord, who’s confused about all your responsibilities to your tenants, we can help. Get in touch to talk about our services for landlords today.
Do you have any questions about the topic above? Our team of experts is here to help in answering any query you may have.
Fueled by his desire to be the best, most reputable estate and lettings agent in town, Steve has spent his career cultivating The Property Shop. Steve prides himself on his authenticity, honesty, and knowledge-base which is emulated by The Property Shop and his team.
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