The number of people renting rather than buying property around the country is on the rise for many reasons. This rise in renters means landlords can afford to be picky about their choices, so passing a tenant referencing fast and without any issues is a very important part of the process.

The tenant referencing process is a simple thing in itself, but you still need to know what your potential obstacles may be. In this guide, we will cover what you need to do to pass it with minimum bother:

Be Honest

Rather than having the letting agent or landlord find out any unpleasant information about you, it’s always better to be upfront about your issues and let them know what they need to know before they find out themselves. If there are some prior experiences you may have had with landlords that lead to poor references or a bad credit rating, then these will be the thing the new landlord will need to know.

Being honest from the beginning will let you approach the situation in a way that will give you an edge later on. Being upfront and sharing what happened shows integrity and a will to admit the truth. When the tenant reference check is conducted, landlords and letting agents will always prefer it when someone puts their cards on the table, saving them the time to research you and your personal history. Remember, they will likely find anything you’re hiding regarding tenancies, so being honest about things is the best policy.

Get Your Paperwork Together

This is often something people tend to get intimidated by during the referencing process. Though it may not necessarily stop you from passing the check, it will cost you valuable time if you don’t have the documents done beforehand. Competition for rented accommodation is stiff, so you will need every edge you can get. The paperwork will include references for renting, both for employers and previous or current landlords, passport and visa if required and bank statements. Having those on hand will make things go faster, letting you into your potential new property before other people who take longer to process their documentation.

Inform Your Referees

Many tenants will mistakenly believe that their landlords and letting agents won’t decide to call their referees. Don’t assume that, and remember that a good tenant referencing check will also include at least one call to the previous landlord and current employer of a potential tenant. Still, most letting agents and landlords will go about that far.

If your referees ask the landlord or letting agent to call them later, they may follow up on the call once or twice, but usually no more. You need to contact the people you named as referees, so they will know the call is essential.

Answer All Correspondence Promptly

Unresponsive referees may happen, but a tenant who avoids acting when prompted to respond is something else entirely. If you receive a request for information from the letting agent or landlord, you will answer them immediately, without any delays whatsoever. As part of the tenant referencing process, you are expected to fill out forms and complete certain boring tasks, but you would only harm your chances if you put off things later down the line. Get them done fast, and you will have a better chance of passing the tenant checks and getting the rental you want.

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