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Tenant Referencing - What Information do you need to provide?

Tenant Referencing Explained - What do you need to provide

It’s important that we match the right tenant to the right landlord. Part of that process of finding you the right property to rent, and finding a landlord an appropriate tenant involves referencing. This allows the landlord to make an informed decision as to which applicant they wish to accept.

The tenant referencing process involves a series of tenant checks that we make on behalf of the landlord. They determine whether you can afford to pay the rent, and identify any issues that would prevent you from renting.

We use a third party referencing agency to handle the background checks of potential tenants. They will check for the following criteria

  1. Affordability. Your annual income must be at least 30 times your annual rent, in order to be considered as a tenant. For example, if the monthly rental figure was £800 you would have to have an income of at least £24,000 Per annum. There may be an occasion where you fall short of this affordability check, for instance if you are a student. In these cases the landlord may accept a guarantor. Guarantors will be discussed lower down the page.
  2. Proof of Deposit: In most cases a landlord will require five weeks worth of rent, paid up front as a tenancy / security deposit. This deposit will be held in an authorised and regulated deposit scheme. If your landlord has given the option of Deposit Replacement Insurance, you may not need to pay a deposit up front.
  3. Income Check. We will require a contact at your place of work to verify your income. You will need to provide an email contact., but please note that only company email addresses will suffice, a hotmail or gmail email address will not be accepted. If you cannot provide this contact then we will need to see your last three months wage slips.
  4. Previous Landlord. Where you have rented before, we will seek a landlord reference which will enquire whether rent was paid up to date; if there was any damage to the property; and if they would be willing to rent to you again in the future.
  5. ID. You will need to provide a passport if you are a british citizen. If you do not have a passport, then a birth certificate AND driving licence will be required. For those applicants that are not British Citizens, you will be asked to provide a copy of your passport and your visa showing your right to live in the UK. Please note, that the length of your visa must be longer than the term of your tenancy. We will not be able to accept a tenant for a three year tenancy if the visa is only one year long.
  6. Right To Rent Check. This is similar to the ID mentioned above, but we have to go through a specific check to assess your right to live and rent in the uk. For instance, if you have a travel visa, this may make you ineligible to rent in the UK.
  7. Credit Check. Credit reports will be assessed to determine your current credit score and previous credit history. This will identify if there are any previous credit problems, such as County Court Judgments (CCJs), adverse credit, or bankruptcies. If you believe there might be an issue here, let us know so we can discuss your options. You may need a guarantor in order to be accepted. In all applications a credit check will be carried out.

Guarantors

If a guarantor is required they too will have to pass the checks above. However, a guarantor will need to earn 36 times the monthly rent in order to qualify. Your guarantor must be a British Citizen, with permanent residence in the UK.

Detailed Application Registration

We ask that all prospective tenants submit a detailed application registration form before making an offer on a rental property. This form will be provided at any viewings you may attend. If you’d like to fill out a form in advance, you can either download the form here, or alternatively contact your nearest branch who will be happy to take your details over the phone.