Sustainable Living
Renting References: What You Need To Know
Renting references are essentially evidence, via various documents, to prove that you’ll be a reliable tenant.
If you’re moving for the first time, there are a lot of things to remember. It can get pretty overwhelming to keep a handle on everything and figure out what information you need to collect and provide to your landlord. Here at Clooper, we believe that finding your home needn’t be stressful or difficult. That’s why we’ve compiled some basic information about what renting references you’ll need to provide. It’s always best to show up prepared, after all!
SAFETY FIRST
Before you give anyone your personal information, be sure to get their name and contact details and ensure they are who they claim to be. If bank statements are required for renting references to prove your income, do not show your account numbers. Similarly, if you are aware you have bad credit, always be open and honest. Explain your situation to the landlord and especially mention it if you are going through a letting agency. If you fail a credit check and have already progressed somewhat with a letting agency, you may not get a refund on any fees you’ve already paid.
On that note: you should never, ever be charged a fee for a credit check. If a landlord or letting agency is trying to coerce you into paying for a credit check, avoid them. You can also report them to the Trading Standards team.
THE BASICS
As previously stated, renting referencing and reference checks prove a number of things to your landlord, or whomsoever you are renting from. Namely, that you are who you say you are, and you have the financial means and stability to pay the rent for your new home.
To prove this, you may be asked for various identification and documents, such as:
- Your right to rent. Landlords and letting agencies are required to carry out ‘right to rent’ checks. This is to ensure that the renter has a legal right to live in the United Kingdom. You can find out more, and check how you can confirm your right to rent, here.
- Proof of identity via a passport or driving license. A driving license is ideal, as your address can be checked this way also.
- Proof of address. Often the tenants last few months of utility bills, a bank statement with the name and address, or a hospital appointment letter.
- Bank statements to confirm your wages and ability to keep up with rent. Remember, always hide your account numbers.
- Employers reference. This could be a reference letter from your employer, or even a phone call between the two.
- A reference from a previous landlord.
PROVIDING A GUARANTOR
Landlords and agencies may ask you to provide a guarantor. A guarantor is an individual that can pick up your rent if you fall behind on payments, or cannot meet rent for whatever reason. This can usually be any UK resident from the ages of 18 – 75. This could be your friend, relative, or parent, as long as they are reliable.
Your landlord may want to perform credit checks on your guarantor for the same reason they check yours. Your guarantor will also be required to agree in writing to the position and its duties, as a legal requirement.
CREDIT CHECKS
Credit checks are carried out to see how reliable you are. Notably, they’re to see if you’ve come up against trouble paying bills in the past. This will affect your chances of successfully renting.
As stated earlier, if you have a bad credit history, be open about it. It may not ruin your chances to rent. If you explain, landlords and agencies may well be understanding. You can also perform other actions to further plead your case as reliable if you have bad credit. These could be providing a guarantor, for example, or a ‘character reference’.
UNABLE TO GET A REFERENCE?
For whatever reason, you may be unable to provide the references requested. As important as it is to be open about your credit, it’s important to be open about this, also. Explain fully why you cannot get a reference/references.
You may be able to provide a ‘character reference.’ A character reference is a letter from a previous landlord, an employer or a close family member. These could include things such as:
- A period of tenancy from a landlord, ie how long you’ve been renting from them.
- The condition you left your last property in.
- Whether or not you are a good neighbour / reliable neighbour.
- The person providing your reference may also note if you’ve had troubles with legal issues, or your lack thereof.
- Information such as whether you have a pet, if your job is stable, how long you’ve been at your job, if you pay bills on time in a shared accommodation etc.
Be aware that it’s always best to have an adequate amount of references. Not only this, it would benefit you to have them ready before you begin talks with landlords or a letting agency. It’s always best to be prepared!
Looking for some more tips to help with renting? We’ve got your back. Check out our post here on how to move out on a budget.
This blog post is not intended to constitute legal or financial advice.
