Landlord reference check: 15 questions to ask | August

15 questions to ask a previous landlord during a reference check

A landlord reference check is a call to a tenant's previous landlord to verify how they actually behaved during their last tenancy. Whether they paid rent on time, looked after the property, communicated when problems arose, and left on good terms. It is the one part of tenant screening that reveals conduct rather than circumstance, and no credit report or payslip can replicate it. This guide sets out the 15 questions worth asking, what each answer really tells you, how to confirm you are speaking to a genuine landlord, and the UK rules that govern the process.

Why a previous landlord reference carries so much weight

A previous landlord has watched the applicant live in a property for months or years. That first-hand record of payment, property care and conduct is evidence you cannot obtain from a credit file or an employer's letter, which is why a landlord reference check sits alongside affordability and identity checks as a core screening step rather than an optional extra.

A reference call lets you assess five things in particular: payment reliability, whether rent arrived in full and on time or whether there were periods of rent arrears; property care, whether the tenant maintained the home or caused damage beyond fair wear and tear; communication, whether they reported maintenance promptly and responded to messages; conduct, whether there were complaints from neighbours or breaches of the agreement; and the end of the tenancy, whether they gave proper notice and returned the property in good order.

It pays to screen for affordability before you reach the reference stage, because an applicant who fails the standard income multiple is already higher risk. A common benchmark is an annual income of at least 30 times the monthly rent, which is roughly two and a half times the annual rent, and our tenant rent-to-income calculator checks any applicant or joint applicants against your rent in seconds.

How to verify you are speaking to a genuine landlord

Before asking a single question, confirm the reference is real. A minority of applicants supply a friend or relative posing as a former landlord, so a few checks protect you from a fabricated reference.

Search the property address on the Land Registry to confirm who owns it. Check Companies House if the reference claims to let through a limited company. Call the number provided and confirm it matches details you can find independently rather than relying on a mobile number supplied by the applicant alone. Ask for proof of ownership, such as a mortgage statement or a Land Registry title, and cross-reference the tenancy address against council tax records. A genuine landlord will not object to proving they own or manage the property. If something feels inconsistent, treat it as a prompt to dig further rather than a formality to wave through.

The 15 questions to ask in a landlord reference check

1. Can you confirm that [tenant name] rented your property at [address]?

This opening question establishes the basic facts and confirms you are speaking to the right person about the right tenancy. Listen for immediate, accurate confirmation. Hesitation or confusion about basic details is the first sign of a reference that does not hold up.

2. What were the tenancy dates?

Clear start and end dates let you check the account against the applicant's stated rental history. Gaps can be innocent, but they are worth understanding. Watch for vague answers such as "I think it was around the spring", which suggest the reference does not know the tenancy well.

3. Did the tenant pay rent on time and in full each month?

This is the single most important question in any landlord reference check, because payment reliability is the clearest predictor of a smooth tenancy. An unequivocal "yes" is what you want. Any hesitation deserves a follow-up about the circumstances and whether late payments were flagged in advance. A landlord who uses rent tracking may be able to quote specific payment dates, which adds credibility to the answer.

4. Were there ever any periods of rent arrears?

This goes a step beyond timing. Even where rent eventually arrived, sustained arrears point to financial instability. If there were arrears, establish how much, for how long, why, and whether the tenant communicated about the problem. A one-off shortfall caused by a bank error or a job change is a very different signal from chronic non-payment, and the reason matters as much as the fact.

5. How did the tenant look after the property?

Condition affects both your asset and your future income, so you want a sense of how the applicant treats a home that is not theirs. Positive answers are specific: "kept it spotless", "we had nothing to do at the end". Be alert to diplomatic phrasing such as "they had their own way of doing things", which often softens a real concern.

6. Were there any maintenance or repair issues the tenant caused?

This separates fair wear and tear from actual damage. You are not asking about normal ageing, but about harm the tenant caused and how they responded to it. Accidents happen; whether the tenant reported them, accepted responsibility and paid for repairs tells you more than the damage itself.

7. Did the tenant report maintenance problems promptly?

Good tenants flag a leak while it is still a small job. This question reveals whether the applicant is proactive or whether minor faults were left to worsen. A landlord describing unreported issues that became expensive is describing a cost you may inherit.

8. How was communication throughout the tenancy?

A tenancy is far easier to manage when the tenant responds to messages, attends inspections and behaves reasonably. "Always responsive" and "straightforward to deal with" are the answers you want. "Hard to reach" or "argumentative" are worth probing, because poor communication tends to surface at the worst moments.

9. Were there any complaints from neighbours?

Neighbour disputes and anti-social behaviour can ground a possession claim under a Section 8 notice and can sour relations around your property. "None at all" is the answer you are listening for. If there were complaints, establish their nature, frequency and how they were resolved.

10. Did the tenant keep to the terms of the tenancy agreement?

This broad question captures unauthorised occupants, pets kept without permission, subletting and smoking in a non-smoking property. A clear "yes" is essential, and any admitted breach of the tenancy agreement needs a full explanation before you weigh it.

11. How much notice did the tenant give before leaving?

Proper notice shows respect for the arrangement and lets a landlord limit void periods. Since 1 May 2026, under the Renters' Rights Act 2025, all private tenancies in England are periodic and a tenant ends one by giving two months' notice, so that is the benchmark to measure against. Notice that met or exceeded the requirement is reassuring; abrupt departures suggest the applicant may treat you the same way.

12. What condition was the property in at the end of the tenancy?

This is where the previous landlord's check-out report matters. You want to know whether the property came back clean and in the condition it was let, allowing for fair wear and tear. "Ready to re-let immediately" is positive; "needed a deep clean and some repairs" warrants more questions.

13. Were any deposit deductions made, and if so, what for?

Deductions tell a clear story about how the tenancy ended. If the previous landlord claimed against the deposit for cleaning, damage or unpaid rent, you want the detail, and whether the deduction was agreed or disputed through adjudication. It is also worth confirming the deposit was protected and the deduction handled through the scheme's process, which signals a thorough landlord and a legitimate claim.

14. Would you rent to this tenant again?

This is the question that cuts through diplomatic language. A landlord who had a genuinely good experience answers "absolutely" without pausing. Hesitation, a qualified "it depends", or a polite "probably not" are all worth investigating. Apply some judgement in the other direction too: an unusually eager endorsement can come from a landlord keen to move a difficult tenant on.

15. Is there anything else I should know?

An open question often surfaces the most useful information, because it gives the previous landlord room to raise something that did not fit the earlier questions. Positive colour is welcome. Concerning detail, even when delivered gently, deserves weight. Pay as much attention to what is left unsaid as to what is volunteered.

Red flags to listen for during the call

Even a landlord who answers every question can leave you uneasy, and certain patterns should raise your guard. Vague or evasive answers from someone who should know the tenancy well suggest either a fake reference or something being withheld. Excessive enthusiasm can indicate a landlord trying to pass a problem tenant along. Reluctance to provide documentation or specific examples undermines the reference's credibility. Inconsistencies with the application, whether on dates, rent or names, need resolving before you proceed. Heavily diplomatic phrasing, such as "we worked through some issues", often masks a more serious account. And a landlord who sidesteps the "would you rent again" question is usually answering it.

What to do with an imperfect reference

Few references are flawless, and the real question is whether a concern is a deal-breaker or something you can manage. Minor issues, such as one or two late payments with a documented cause, may be acceptable where everything else is strong, particularly if you secure a guarantor. Moderate concerns, such as regular late payment or poor property care, call for firmer safeguards: a guarantor on a higher income, or more frequent inspections within what the law now allows. Serious red flags, including significant arrears, deliberate damage, anti-social behaviour or a previous possession claim, will usually rule an applicant out, because these patterns tend to repeat. Whatever you decide, treat every applicant by the same standard and record your reasoning.

Document every reference call

Keep a record of each conversation: the date and time, the name of the person and how you verified them, the questions asked and the answers given, and your overall impression. This protects you if a rejected applicant questions your decision, and it lets you compare applicants objectively rather than from memory. Storing these notes alongside the rest of an applicant's file keeps the whole screening record in one place, and August's document management holds references, identity checks and tenancy paperwork against each property and tenancy so an evidence file can be produced as a single dated record if it is ever needed.

Staying within the law

A landlord reference check must comply with data protection law and with the rules on fair and lawful letting. Handle any personal information you gather in line with UK GDPR, store it securely, and use it only to assess the applicant's suitability. Treat all applicants consistently and assess them on their ability to pay and sustain a tenancy, not on any protected characteristic. Since 1 May 2026, the Renters' Rights Act 2025 makes it unlawful to discriminate against applicants because they receive benefits or have children, so affordability must be judged on total income rather than its source.

You also cannot pass the cost on to the tenant. Under the Tenant Fees Act 2019, charging a tenant or applicant for referencing or reference checks is prohibited, and the landlord absorbs the cost. A thorough check still pays for itself many times over by reducing the risk of arrears, damage and a possession claim later.

Where reference calls fit in the wider screen

A landlord reference is one component of a complete screen, not the whole of it. Used alongside identity verification, a credit check, income and employment verification, a Right to Rent check and a review of address history, it builds a rounded picture of an applicant. For the full sequence and how the new regime shapes it, our guide to the tenant referencing process sets out each step in order, and where an applicant relies on benefits, our guide to letting to tenants on Universal Credit and housing benefit explains how to assess affordability fairly. Speaking to the previous landlord yourself, rather than leaving it to a referencing service, lets you hear tone and hesitation and ask the follow-up questions that a standard form never captures.

Frequently asked questions

What questions should you ask in a landlord reference check?

Confirm the tenancy and its dates, then ask whether rent was paid on time and in full, whether there were ever arrears, how the property was looked after, whether the tenant communicated well, whether there were neighbour complaints or breaches of the agreement, how much notice they gave, what condition the property was left in, whether any deposit was deducted, and finally whether the landlord would let to them again.

Can a previous landlord refuse to give a reference?

Yes. A landlord is not obliged to provide a reference and may decline, sometimes on the advice of their own letting agent or to avoid any risk of liability. A refusal is not proof of a problem, but it does remove a source of assurance, so it is worth asking the applicant for an alternative previous landlord or weighting your other checks more heavily.

What can a previous landlord legally say about a tenant?

A previous landlord can share factual, accurate information about the tenancy, such as payment history, property condition and conduct. They should keep to fact rather than opinion, avoid anything misleading, and not disclose information relating to a protected characteristic. Both giving and acting on a reference are subject to data protection law.

How many previous landlords should you contact?

Where possible, speak to the current or most recent landlord and at least one before them. The current landlord knows how the applicant behaves now, while an earlier reference is less likely to be coloured by any wish to see the tenant move on. Two references give you enough to spot inconsistencies. If you want your screening records in one place from the first applicant onward, you can start for free.

Disclaimer: this article is for general information and is not legal advice. Always seek advice suited to your circumstances before making a letting decision.