Can I skip referencing?
We strongly advise you reference everyone over the age of 18 who is going to be living in the property.
This is because referencing gives you useful information to help you make an informed decision about whether you should take someone on as a tenant.
However, there is no obligation to go through referencing or wait until the reports are completed if you are already happy with your tenants, for example, if you are renewing your 'Rent Now' tenancy.
What do the reports mean?
References will have a result (pass or fail) and an overview of the information that the tenant supplied. Depending on the type of referencing you order, this can include a credit score, confirmed income and a scan of their photo ID. See what is included here
Referencing is for the landlord's information only. Ultimately, it is up to the landlord who is referenced and who is then accepted as a tenant. It is possible for a tenant to fail referencing, but for the landlord to still decide to let their property to them.
You can find out more about what to do if a tenant fails referencing here.
What about Rent Guarantee Insurance (RGI)?
Note that Rent Guarantee Insurance is available only where either:
- all tenants pass our Comprehensive Referencing service, and/or
- those who don't can supply a suitable guarantor
If neither of these are the case, we will not be able to offer Rent Guarantee Insurance.
Can I just reference one applicant or selected applicants?
Yes you can. Once your lead applicant has placed a holding deposit you will be given the option to reference all tenants, or just select one or a few. However, if not all of the tenants are referenced this will affect your eligibility for RGI.
We do also recommend that all tenants over the age of 18 are named on the tenancy agreement, even if they aren't referenced.
What about Right to Rent?
Referencing should not be confused with checking a tenant's right to rent. Checking tenants' right to rent is the landlord's legal duty. You can read more about checking a tenant's right to rent here.
You can also read this blog post on Right to Rent be landlord law expert Tessa Shepperson.