Landlord's reference?

Question

how do estate agents use a reference you have gained from your previous landlord?

Do they just ring the pervious landlord to confirm the reference or do they do other checks?

Answer 1

They will generally look to establish the last few years / 2 landlords that you have been renting. Specifics of what is asked varied, with private landlords being generally (although of course not always) more lax and just establishing you are telling the truth - whereas larger agencies may have set questionnaires which can ask about your ability to repay and problems you have faced - essentially, are you a trustable tennat.

Beyond that, credit checks are not uncommon and some agencies will seek a reference from employers as well - often to establish the fact that you do work there and will do into the near future.

If you have problems with any of the above, you might be still accepted but may need a guarantor in place.

Answer 2

We call them and ask them how long you rented and if you were ever late and had bounced checks, ect. Aside from calling we might fax them a paper with questions to fill in that is commonly used by apt managers. We also run an employment check and a one time credit check

Answer 3

Can a landlord check rental history without a persons permission?

Answer 4

They do a credit check, we were shown a whole page of people and their ratings when we made enquiries as to how the agent would guarantee getting the rent for us.

Answer 5

Yes this whould help

They allso use a credit reference

Answer 6

The most common question by far is, "Would you rent to them again?" The answer to that question says everything you need to know.