Tenancy Setup & Management
Landlord reference letter: what to write, with a free template
A landlord reference letter is a written statement from a current or former landlord confirming the facts of a tenancy: who rented the property, for how long, whether the rent was paid in full and on time, how the property was kept, and whether the landlord would let to that tenant again. No law obliges you to provide one, but if you do, it must be accurate, factual and free of discriminatory content, because an inaccurate or unfair reference can expose you to a defamation or Equality Act claim. This guide covers what a reference must contain, gives you a template to copy for the tenant leaving your property, gives you a second template for requesting one when you are the landlord doing the vetting, and explains where the legal lines fall as at July 2026.
What a landlord reference letter should contain
A useful reference deals in verifiable facts and nothing else. The prospective landlord is trying to answer one question, whether this person pays the rent and looks after the property, so the letter should give them the evidence to answer it and stop there. Include:
Your name, address and contact details, and your relationship to the tenant, whether you are the owner or the managing agent
The full name of the tenant and the address of the property they rented
The exact start and end dates of the tenancy
The monthly rent, and confirmation of whether it was paid in full and on time, with a factual note of any arrears or late payments
The condition in which the property was kept, and whether there was damage beyond fair wear and tear
Whether there were any breaches of the agreement, complaints or disputes
A closing statement on whether you would let to the tenant again
The date, and your signature
Leave out anything you cannot evidence. Character impressions, opinions about the tenant's private life, and speculation about why they are moving all belong nowhere near a reference letter, and every one of them adds risk without adding information.
Landlord reference letter template
Copy this, replace the bracketed fields, and delete anything that does not apply. It is written to be factual enough for a positive reference and honest enough for a mixed one.
[Your name] [Your address] [Your phone number and email] [Date]
To whom it may concern
Re: Tenancy reference for [tenant's full name]
I am the [landlord / managing agent] of the property at [full property address]. I am writing to confirm the details of [tenant's full name]'s tenancy at that property.
[Tenant's full name] rented the property from [start date] to [end date] under an assured tenancy. The rent was £[amount] per calendar month.
During the tenancy, the rent was [paid in full and on time throughout / paid in full, with [number] late payments in [month/year], all subsequently settled / left in arrears of £[amount] at the end of the tenancy].
The property was [returned in good condition, with no damage beyond fair wear and tear / returned with damage to [describe factually], for which £[amount] was deducted from the deposit].
[There were no complaints or breaches of the tenancy agreement during the tenancy. / The following matters arose during the tenancy: [describe factually and without characterisation].]
[I would be happy to let to [tenant's full name] again. / I would not let to [tenant's full name] again.]
I confirm the above is accurate to the best of my knowledge. Please contact me on the details above if you require anything further.
Yours faithfully,
[Signature] [Your name]
Everything in that letter is a fact you can produce evidence for, which is exactly the standard to hold yourself to. Landlords who track rent through Open Banking rent tracking can write the payment paragraph from the actual record in seconds rather than reconstructing a year of payments from memory, which is where inaccurate references usually begin.
What you can and cannot lawfully say
Three areas of law shape a reference, and all three are settled as at July 2026.
Accuracy. You are not obliged to give a reference at all, but a reference you choose to give must be accurate. A statement that is untrue and damages the tenant's ability to rent elsewhere can found a defamation claim under the Defamation Act 2013, where truth is a defence. This cuts both ways: an unjustified negative reference is a risk, and so is a glowing reference for a tenant who left owing thousands, because the landlord who relied on it has been misled. Write what happened.
Discrimination. The Equality Act 2010 prohibits detrimental treatment connected to a protected characteristic, so a reference must not mention race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, pregnancy, age or sex, and must not gesture at them. Since 1 May 2026 the Renters' Rights Act 2025 has additionally made it unlawful to discriminate against prospective tenants because they receive benefits or have children, which means a reference should not record that a tenant claimed Universal Credit or had a family, since it is irrelevant to how they behaved as a tenant and its inclusion invites a claim.
Data protection. A reference discloses personal data, so under UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018 you need a lawful basis, you should disclose only what is relevant and proportionate to the request, and you should keep a copy of what you sent. The safest practice is to obtain the tenant's consent before releasing a reference, and to send it to the requesting landlord or agent directly rather than handing it to the tenant to pass on. The Information Commissioner's Office is the supervising authority if a tenant complains about what you disclosed.
How to request a reference from a previous landlord
When you are on the other side of the transaction, vetting an applicant, the previous landlord reference is the single most informative check available to you, because it describes actual tenancy behaviour rather than financial data. It is also the slowest, and it is the step that most often stalls the process, as our guide to how long tenant referencing takes sets out. A clear, short request that is easy to answer gets replies faster than an open-ended one.
Subject: Tenancy reference request for [applicant's full name]
Dear [previous landlord's name],
[Applicant's full name] has applied to rent my property at [your property address] and has given your name as their previous landlord at [previous property address]. They have consented to my contacting you for a reference, and I attach their signed consent.
I would be grateful if you could confirm the following:
The dates of the tenancy, and the monthly rent.
Whether the rent was paid in full and on time.
Whether there were any arrears at any point, and whether they were cleared.
The condition in which the property was returned, and whether any deposit deductions were made.
Whether there were any complaints, disputes or breaches of the agreement.
Whether you would let to them again.
A short reply to these six points is all I need. If it is easier to speak by telephone, I am available on [number].
Many thanks for your time,
[Your name] [Your contact details]
Send it to a contact you have verified independently, not simply the number the applicant gave you.
How to spot a reference that is not what it seems
Two failure modes account for almost every bad previous-landlord reference, and they pull in opposite directions.
The first is the fake. Tenancy fraud has grown alongside rental competition, and the easiest fraud to commit is a friend or relative posing as a former landlord. Verify the referee independently before you weigh a word of what they say: check the Land Registry title for the property they claim to own, which costs a few pounds, and call a number you sourced yourself. A referee who is evasive about the property address, or whose details do not match the title, has told you everything you need to know.
The second is the oversold reference, which is more common and harder to detect. A landlord who is desperate to see the back of a difficult tenant has every incentive to write warmly about them, and a reference that gushes without specifics is a warning rather than a reassurance. The defence is to ask questions that require facts, not adjectives, which is what our list of questions to ask a former landlord is built for. Ask when the tenancy ended and why, ask what came out of the deposit, ask whether they would let again, and listen for hesitation.
Across the self-managing landlords August supports, the previous landlord reference is the check most often skipped when a void is looming, and the one most often wished for afterwards. It sits alongside the credit check and the other reference checks rather than replacing any of them, and the full process is covered in our guide to tenant referencing.
Do you have to give a tenant a reference?
No. There is no statutory duty on a landlord to provide a reference for a departing tenant, whatever the tenant or their prospective landlord says. But there are good reasons to write one anyway. Withholding a reference from a tenant who paid reliably harms them and helps nobody, and the market only works because landlords tell each other the truth. Refusing to give a reference to an otherwise good tenant, particularly one leaving after a dispute, also looks retaliatory if it is ever examined.
What you must not do is charge for it. Under the Tenant Fees Act 2019, charging a tenant for a reference is a prohibited payment, whether you are referencing an incoming tenant or writing a letter for an outgoing one. Keep a copy of every reference you write and every reference you receive alongside the tenancy file; August's document management keeps them attached to the property, which matters if a tenant later disputes what you said about them.
Frequently asked questions
Can a landlord refuse to give a reference?
Yes. No law compels a landlord to provide a reference, and you may decline without giving a reason. If your experience of the tenant was poor, declining is often safer than writing a negative reference, though a factual negative reference is lawful provided everything in it is true and evidenced.
Can a landlord give a bad reference?
Yes, if it is accurate. Truth is a defence to defamation, so a reference that factually records arrears, damage or breaches is lawful. What is not lawful is exaggeration, speculation, or any reference to a protected characteristic or to a tenant's benefit status or children.
Can a landlord charge a tenant for a reference?
No. Reference and referencing fees are prohibited payments under the Tenant Fees Act 2019. A first breach carries a penalty of up to £5,000, and the payment must be repaid within 28 days.
How long should a landlord reference letter be?
One page. A reference that runs longer than the facts require is usually padding it with opinion, which is exactly the material that creates risk. Confirm the dates, the rent, the payment record, the condition and your recommendation, then stop. If you want the payment record to hand whenever a reference is requested, you can start with August for free.
Final thoughts
A landlord reference letter is a short document with a long shadow. Write only what you can evidence, leave out everything you cannot, and never let a protected characteristic or a tenant's benefit status anywhere near it. When you are the one requesting a reference, verify the referee before you trust the reference, and ask questions that demand facts rather than praise. The whole exchange only works if landlords are honest with each other, which is worth remembering on the days when it would be easier not to be.
Disclaimer: This article is a guide and not intended to be relied upon as legal or professional advice, or as a substitute for it. August does not accept any liability for any errors, omissions or misstatements contained in this article. Always speak to a suitably qualified professional if you require specific advice or information.
Author
August Team
The August editorial team lives and breathes rental property. They work closely with a panel of experienced landlords and industry partners across the UK, turning real-world portfolio and tenancy experience into clear, practical guidance for small landlords.
