Think of your screening process as building a case for a great tenant. The application is the initial claim, and a portable screening report provides the verifiable evidence - confirming income, credit, criminal and rental history. But every good case needs witnesses. That’s the role of a reference check. It’s your opportunity to speak with the people who have firsthand experience with the applicant, from previous landlords to current employers. This step is your final layer of due diligence. Using a strategic list of tenant reference questions helps you confirm the facts, uncover new details, and gain the confidence you need to protect your investment and make the right choice.
A comprehensive screening report is your foundation, but tenant references are the final, crucial layer of due diligence. Think of it this way: a report tells you what an applicant has done, while references tell you who they are. "Checking references carefully is very important for landlords. It helps you learn a lot about potential tenants and avoid problems later on, like late rent or property damage." It’s a simple step that can save you a world of trouble down the road by confirming the information you see on paper.
"Talking to a potential tenant's references is a very important step to help you find someone who will pay rent on time and take good care of your property." While a Portable Tenant Screening Report gives you the hard data—credit history, income verification, and background checks—a conversation with a previous landlord or employer adds color and context. It’s your chance to get a firsthand account of their reliability and character. This combination of quantitative data and qualitative insight gives you the most complete picture, helping you make a confident and informed decision for your rental property. It's about verifying that the responsible person you see in the application is the same person their previous landlords and employers know.
A screening report is a snapshot in time, but a reference is a story. "Asking questions to references helps you learn about a tenant from other people," giving you perspectives that fill in the gaps numbers on a page can't. You can find out if they were a considerate neighbor, how they communicated about maintenance issues, or if they left their last apartment in great condition. These are the details that truly define a great tenant.
"Spending a little extra time and effort to talk to references can greatly increase your chances of finding a good, reliable tenant." It’s an investment that pays off by protecting your property and ensuring a positive landlord-tenant relationship from the start.
While checking references is important, doing it correctly is even more so. You need to be mindful of the law to protect yourself and treat all applicants fairly. "Always check with a local real estate lawyer and look at fair housing laws. This makes sure you don't ask questions that could lead to claims of unfair treatment or discrimination." Your questions should always be consistent for every applicant and directly related to their ability to be a good tenant.
It's also important to know how to spot fake references. Unfortunately, some applicants may provide a friend posing as a landlord to hide a problematic rental history. As one source notes, "Fake references often hide problems like late rent, property damage, or being a bad neighbor." Learning to ask probing, open-ended questions can help you verify that you’re speaking to a legitimate source.
A comprehensive screening report gives you the hard data, but references provide the human story. They add color and context to the black-and-white facts of a credit score or background check. To get a complete picture of a potential tenant, you’ll want to hear from a few different people who know them in different capacities. The goal is to gather insights from their past rental experiences, their professional life, and their personal character. Each type of reference holds a unique piece of the puzzle, helping you make a more informed and confident decision.
This is your most important call. Previous landlords have firsthand experience with the applicant as a tenant, making their feedback the best predictor of future behavior. They can tell you if the applicant paid rent on time, took care of the property, and followed the terms of the lease. Speaking with a past landlord is the most direct way to avoid problems later on and confirm that the person you're considering is a responsible renter. Always try to speak with the most recent one or two landlords to get a current and accurate picture of their rental history.
An employer reference is your key to verifying financial stability. While your screening report may include income verification, a quick call to an applicant’s employer confirms that they are currently employed and holds the position they claim. This conversation isn't about their job performance; it's about confirming the facts. You can simply ask to verify their job title and employment status. This step gives you confidence that your tenant has a steady source of income and will be able to pay rent on time and consistently. It’s a simple check that solidifies the financial information provided in their application.
Personal references, like friends or colleagues, can offer a different kind of insight. While you should take their glowing reviews with a grain of salt (no one lists a reference who will speak poorly of them), these conversations can still be valuable. They can provide insight into a tenant's character and general lifestyle. You can ask about their responsibility, cleanliness, and how they handle disagreements. This helps you understand the applicant as a person and neighbor, which is just as important as their ability to pay rent. It helps round out the picture of who might be living in your property.
Talking to a previous landlord is one of the most valuable steps in your screening process. While a tenant screening report gives you the hard facts about credit and background, a conversation can fill in the details and give you a real sense of what it’s like to have this person as a tenant. It’s your chance to hear firsthand about their reliability, responsibility, and communication style directly from someone who has been in your shoes.
Think of it as getting the story behind the data. A quick, focused call can confirm the information you have and uncover insights you’d never find on paper. To make the most of that conversation, you need to ask the right questions. Let’s get into the specifics.
This is the big one. Consistent, on-time rent payments are the foundation of a good landlord-tenant relationship. While a credit report shows financial history, a past landlord can tell you about their specific rental payment habits. You want to know if they were a set-it-and-forget-it type of payer or someone you had to chase down each month.
Start with direct questions that leave no room for ambiguity:
A history of on-time payments is one of the strongest indicators of a financially reliable tenant. Getting this confirmation helps you avoid the financial risks and stress that come with late or missing rent, which is a primary goal for any landlord looking to find great tenants.
Your property is a significant investment, and you need a tenant who will treat it with respect. A previous landlord can give you a clear picture of how the applicant cared for their last home. This goes beyond normal wear and tear; you’re looking for signs of responsibility or neglect. A tenant who takes pride in their living space is less likely to cause damage that leads to expensive repairs down the line.
Ask specific questions about their upkeep habits:
The answers will help you gauge whether the applicant is likely to be a responsible steward of your property. This insight is crucial for protecting your investment and ensuring a smooth turnover when they eventually move out.
A great tenant does more than just pay rent and keep the place clean; they also respect the terms of the lease and communicate effectively. The lease is your legal agreement, and you need to know if an applicant has a history of following the rules. This includes everything from policies on pets and guests to noise levels. Equally important is their communication style, especially when it comes to important matters like maintenance requests or moving out.
Here are some key questions to ask:
A tenant who respects the lease and communicates clearly is easier to manage and helps create a more harmonious living environment for everyone. This information gives you confidence that you’re choosing someone who will be a responsible and considerate member of your property’s community.
After you’ve spoken with a previous landlord, your next call should be to the applicant's current employer. This conversation is all about confirming that the information on their application is accurate and that they have a stable source of income to comfortably cover rent. While a screening report gives you a financial snapshot, a quick chat with an employer provides real-time verification and a bit more context about the applicant's reliability.
This isn't about digging for personal gossip; it's a straightforward business check. You’re confirming employment details and getting a sense of their job stability. Keep the conversation professional and focused on the facts. Remember to always stay compliant with fair housing laws and avoid questions that could be seen as discriminatory. Stick to questions directly related to their employment and ability to meet financial obligations. This call helps you build a complete picture of the applicant, ensuring they are as dependable as their application suggests.
Your first goal is to simply verify the facts. You want to make sure the applicant works where they say they do and earns what they claim. Start with the basics to confirm what’s on the application. Many companies have strict policies about what information they can share, so keeping your questions direct and to the point is the best approach.
You can ask questions like:
These questions are professional and get right to the heart of what you need to know. They help you confirm that the applicant has the financial means to pay rent each month.
Beyond just confirming their current salary, you also want to get a sense of their job stability. A tenant with a steady, long-term job is often a more reliable one. This part of the conversation helps you understand if their income is likely to remain consistent throughout the lease term. A stable job history often points to a responsible individual.
Consider asking questions that provide insight into their role and performance:
The answers to these questions can tell you a lot. An employer who speaks positively about an employee's reliability and future at the company is a good sign.
Personal references are a bit different from landlords or employers. They’re usually friends or family, so you can expect a glowing review. But that doesn't mean they aren't useful. The key is to listen carefully to how they answer your questions. Vague praise or hesitation can speak volumes. Your goal here isn't just to confirm that the applicant is a nice person, but to get a sense of their personality and how they might fit into your property's community. Think of it as filling in the human element that a credit report can't show you. By asking the right questions, you can learn to interpret the subtext and get a much clearer picture of your potential tenant.
You want a tenant who is responsible and easy to work with. To gauge this, ask questions that reveal how they act under pressure. A great one is, "How do they typically handle disagreements or problems?" A reference who says, "They're calm and respectful when issues come up," is giving you a major green flag. This suggests they'll report real problems without becoming demanding over minor things. On the other hand, if the reference hesitates or gives a vague answer, it might be a sign of trouble. Don't be afraid to be direct. Asking something as simple as, "Would you happily recommend them as a tenant?" can often give you the most honest insight into their reliability.
A person's daily habits can tell you a lot about how they'll treat your property. Ask the reference, "How would you describe their home?" This simple question can reveal if they're generally tidy or tend to be messy. You can also inquire about their hobbies or what they do in their free time to understand their lifestyle. Someone who enjoys quiet activities is less likely to cause noise complaints. It's also smart to ask practical questions about whether they have pets or if they smoke. Finally, establish context by asking, "How long have you known the applicant?" A lifelong friend's perspective is valuable, but it's good to know the depth of their relationship when weighing their answers.
Think of reference checks as the final piece of the puzzle. Your applicant’s screening report gives you the hard data—credit score, income, and background history—but conversations with references provide the human context. While most applicants are honest, it’s your job to protect your investment by being thorough. Paying attention to what’s said, and just as importantly, what isn’t said, can help you avoid a difficult tenancy.
These red flags aren’t automatic disqualifiers, but they are signals to pause and ask more questions. A single issue might be explainable, but a pattern of them should give you serious pause. Trust your intuition. If a conversation feels off or the answers seem evasive, it’s worth digging a little deeper to understand why. The goal is to find a responsible tenant who will pay on time, care for your property, and be a good neighbor. A few careful questions can help you do just that, ensuring you have all the information you need to make a confident decision as a landlord.
A tenant's payment history is one of the most reliable predictors of their future behavior. If a tenant often paid their previous landlord late or didn't pay at all, they might do the same to you. When you ask a prior landlord about rent payments, listen carefully to their response. Do they answer quickly and confidently, or is there a long pause? Vague answers like, "It was mostly fine," are a sign to press for more detail. Ask a direct follow-up: "Were there any months where the rent was paid after the due date?" Consistent late payments can affect your cash flow and create unnecessary stress, so this is a critical area to verify.
It’s important to know if an applicant will treat your property with respect. When speaking with a previous landlord, ask about the condition of the unit when the tenant moved out. If a tenant caused major damage to a previous property beyond normal wear and tear, they might not take good care of your rental either. A great way to get a clear answer is to ask, "Did you return the full security deposit?" If the answer is no, ask what repairs were needed. This helps you understand if the deductions were for minor cleaning or for significant issues like broken appliances or holes in the wall.
Sometimes, how a reference answers is more telling than what they say. If they sound unsure or vague when answering basic questions about the tenancy, it might be a red flag. This could indicate they don't actually know the applicant well or are trying to conceal negative information. Be equally wary of a reference who sounds overly enthusiastic or scripted, as they could be a friend posing as a landlord. A genuine reference should be able to speak naturally and provide specific examples. If the conversation feels forced or the answers are too generic, trust your gut and proceed with caution.
Unfortunately, some applicants will provide fake references to hide a problematic rental history. Fake references often hide problems like late rent, property damage, or being a bad neighbor. Finding these early helps you avoid risky tenants. To verify a reference, do a little homework. You can often use public records to confirm if the person listed as a landlord actually owns the property. For employer references, call the company’s main line from their official website, not the number the applicant provided, and ask to be transferred. A few minutes of due diligence can confirm you’re speaking to a legitimate source and protect you from a dishonest rental application.
Once you have a list of references, the next step is making the call. This isn't just about ticking a box on your checklist; it's your chance to get a three-dimensional view of your applicant beyond what's on paper. A thoughtful conversation can uncover details about their reliability, communication style, and how they care for a property—things a standard report might not show. To make these calls truly effective, you need a strategy. It involves asking the right kind of questions, choosing the best way to communicate, listening for subtle cues, and doing a little homework to ensure the person on the other end of the line is who they say they are.
The key to a revealing reference check is to get the person talking. If you only ask questions that can be answered with a simple "yes" or "no," you're missing a huge opportunity. Instead of asking, "Did they pay rent on time?" try, "Can you tell me about your experience with their rent payment habits?" This prompts the reference to provide a more detailed story. Prepare a list of open-ended questions before you call. Your goal is to start a conversation that gives you a genuine sense of the applicant as a tenant, not just to confirm basic facts. Think of it as an interview for one of your most important business partners.
While sending an email might feel faster, a phone call is almost always the better choice. Speaking directly with a reference allows you to hear their tone of voice, which can tell you a lot. A warm, enthusiastic recommendation sounds very different from a hesitant, carefully worded one. Phone calls also let you ask spontaneous follow-up questions based on their answers, digging deeper into areas that seem important. Plus, it’s much harder for an applicant to fake a reference over the phone. An email or text can be easily passed off to a friend, but a live conversation requires more specific knowledge and is harder to script.
During the call, what a reference doesn't say can be just as important as what they do say. Pay close attention to their delivery. Does the previous landlord pause for a long time when you ask about property damage? Does their tone shift when you bring up communication? These hesitations can signal that there's more to the story. Make sure you give the reference plenty of space to talk without interrupting them. Sometimes, if you just stay quiet for a moment, they will fill the silence with more candid information. Active listening is one of your most powerful tools for getting an honest assessment.
Unfortunately, some applicants may provide fake references, listing friends or family as former landlords or employers. That's why a quick verification check is a crucial part of your due diligence. Before you call, do a little online research. For a previous landlord, you can often find the property address online and see if the owner's name matches the reference provided. For an employer, try calling the company’s main phone number and asking to be connected to the reference. This simple step helps you avoid rental scams and ensures the information you're gathering is legitimate, protecting your property and your peace of mind.
Even with a solid list of questions, it’s easy to make a few missteps during the reference check process. Being aware of these common pitfalls will help you gather the most accurate and useful information to make your final decision.
It can be tempting to skip reference calls, especially when you have a great application and a clean background check in hand. But this is one of the biggest mistakes you can make. A comprehensive screening report provides the hard data, but references add the human story. Talking to a previous landlord or employer gives you context that numbers alone can’t, helping you find a tenant who will not only pay on time but also take good care of your property. Think of it this way: the report tells you what happened, while the reference can tell you why.
To get the full picture, you need to get the reference talking. If you only ask questions that can be answered with a simple "yes" or "no," you’re missing out on valuable details. Instead of asking, "Did they pay rent on time?" try, "Can you tell me about the applicant's payment history?" This phrasing encourages the reference to share more information, giving you deeper insight into the applicant's reliability and character as a tenant. Open-ended questions are your best tool for uncovering the nuances that a simple checklist can’t capture.
Pay close attention to the details and compare what the reference says with the information on the rental application. Did the applicant say they lived at the property for two years, but the landlord says it was only nine months? While small discrepancies can be honest mistakes, significant differences are red flags. Don’t be afraid to politely ask for clarification, as these inconsistencies can reveal potential issues that you’ll want to address before signing a lease. Your job is to verify the information you've been given, and that includes noting when the stories don't line up.
Each piece of information you gather—from the application, the screening report, and each reference call—is part of a larger puzzle. Don’t evaluate them in isolation. If a previous landlord gives a glowing review but the credit report shows a history of late payments, it’s worth a second look. Using a verified foundation of data from a trusted screening report allows you to effectively cross-reference the stories you hear and make a decision based on a complete and accurate picture. This holistic approach ensures you’re not swayed by a single charming reference or put off by one minor issue.
You’ve collected the application, reviewed the screening report, and spoken to the references. Now it’s time to connect the dots and see the full picture of your potential tenant. This final phase is all about synthesizing the information you’ve gathered to make a well-rounded, informed decision. It’s less about a single piece of data and more about how all the pieces fit together. By taking a holistic view, you can move forward with a choice that protects your investment and gives you peace of mind.
Think of reference checks as the qualitative story that adds color to the quantitative data in a screening report. A comprehensive report gives you the hard facts on four critical areas: income and employment, past rental history, criminal background, and credit history. These details confirm what’s on the application. The conversations you have with references, however, explain the why behind that data. For instance, a portable screening report might show a late payment, but a previous landlord might explain it was a one-time issue due to a bank error that was quickly resolved. Combining these two sources gives you a much clearer and more nuanced understanding of your applicant.
After doing your due diligence, you can make a final decision you feel good about. Spending that extra time to personally talk to references can significantly increase your chances of finding a reliable tenant. As you weigh your options, trust the complete profile you’ve built. Remember that the tone of voice you hear on a phone call can sometimes tell you more than a simple email or text ever could. When you’ve gathered all the facts and listened to the stories behind them, you’re no longer making a guess—you’re making an educated choice based on solid evidence.
Your work isn’t quite done once you’ve chosen your tenant. It’s crucial to keep organized records of your entire screening process for every applicant. This means saving your notes from reference calls, documenting the questions you asked, and keeping a file of the applications and screening reports. This small effort provides you with the essential information that supported your decision. More importantly, maintaining a consistent and well-documented process for everyone demonstrates fairness and helps ensure you’re complying with fair housing laws. It’s a professional habit that protects both you and your applicants.
What if an applicant is a first-time renter and has no previous landlord references? This is a common situation, especially with students or young professionals. In this case, you’ll want to place more emphasis on the other parts of their application. A strong employer reference can speak to their reliability and character, while a comprehensive screening report will give you a clear picture of their financial responsibility. You're essentially looking for evidence of dependability in other areas of their life to feel confident they will be a great tenant.
How can I be sure I'm speaking to a real landlord and not just their friend? A little bit of homework can go a long way here. Before you call, do a quick online search of public property records for the address provided; this can often confirm if the reference's name matches the owner. You can also ask specific questions that a friend might not know, such as, "Can you confirm the monthly rent amount they paid?" or "What was their unit number?" A legitimate landlord will have these details readily available.
What should I do if a previous landlord gives a vague or overly negative review? When you get a tricky reference, the key is to look for patterns. A vague answer could mean the landlord is trying to be polite while hiding a real issue, while an intensely negative review could stem from a personal conflict. Compare their comments to the information in your screening report and what other references say. If one reference is an outlier but everything else looks solid, you may not need to worry. However, if their comments confirm red flags you saw elsewhere, it’s a sign to proceed with caution.
Are employers actually allowed to share salary information? Company policies on this can vary quite a bit. Many larger companies will only confirm an employee's job title and dates of employment. It never hurts to ask professionally, but don't be surprised if they decline to share financial details. If that happens, you can rely on the income verification in your screening report and the pay stubs the applicant provided. The main goal of the call is simply to confirm they have a stable job.
How much weight should I give a personal reference? Think of personal references as a source for character insights rather than objective facts. Since the applicant chose them, you can naturally expect a positive review. Listen for how they describe the person's lifestyle, responsibility, and how they handle disagreements. This information helps round out your understanding of the applicant as a person, but it should always be balanced against the hard data from a screening report and the direct experience shared by a previous landlord.