Rent and Credit > How landlord references work

How landlord references work

Wollit Team2 minute read · Updated 14th September 2024

In the UK, when you want to rent a place to live, the landlord or letting agent (a person who helps landlords rent out properties) will usually ask for references.

These references help the landlord know if you will be a good tenant. They give information about your past renting history, job, income, and if you can be trusted.

The main reason for landlord references is to help the landlord decide if renting to you is a safe choice. By giving references, you can show that you have a history of being a responsible tenant who pays rent on time and takes good care of the property.

What is usually included in a landlord reference?

A typical landlord reference will include things like:

Your name and the address of the property you rented before;
The dates of your previous rental;
How much rent you paid;
If you paid your rent on time;
How well you took care of the property;
If there were any problems or complaints during your rental;
And if the landlord would rent to you again.

The reference may also include information about your job, income, and anything else that shows you can pay rent and be a good tenant.

How can I provide landlord references?

When applying to rent a property, you will usually be asked to give the contact information for your previous landlords or letting agents. You’ll basically be asked for information like:

The name and contact details of your previous landlord or letting agent;
The address of the property you rented before;
And the dates of your previous rental.

You don’t need to reach out to your old landlord to get a piece of paper or something. The landlord or letting agent you are applying to will contact your previous landlord to ask for a reference by themselves. They may do this by phone, email, or by sending a form.

What else do landlords check?

Previous landlord references aren’t the only thing that landlords check when you apply to rent a place.

They often also ask for employer references – in fact, most landlords are more likely to ask for one of these than to ask for a landlord reference. Knowing that you were on good terms with your previous landlord is nice, but they’re far more concerned about your ability to pay rent. If you’re self-employed, expect to be asked for accountant references instead.

Not surprisingly, a large number of letting agencies (and even some private landlords) also ask to run a credit check on your file. They’ll want to know your score, your credit history, and how you’ve handled debt before. Knowing that you’re responsible is, again, very important for UK landlords and letting agencies.

This is why it’s so important to build credit – it props up in so many situations when living in the UK.

One of the ways to do this is by signing up to a credit-building subscription like Wollit.

Wollit works by reporting a fixed fee monthly subscription as a loan repayment to the credit reference agencies (Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion). This helps you build or rebuild your credit history by showing that you can pay debt on time.

It can even report your existing monthly rent payment to Experian, adding another line in your credit report that shows landlords and lenders that you're responsible and pay your bills when they’re due. In time, this will help you improve your credit so you won’t need to be worried about any credit check ever again – regardless if it’s from a landlord, a bank, or someone else.