Referencing
Same day referencing, said plainly
The button says you can have a same day reference. This page is the small print in normal words, so you are not surprised at 4pm.
What we mean by same day
If you give us a complete picture, the reference can be finished on the day you apply. Complete means your identity matches, the addresses cover the period we ask for, and we can see income without waiting for a third person to wake up and check their inbox. For a lot of tenants that is a phone, an ID photo, and Open Banking on the right account. Then the result goes back to the letting agent the same day.
It does not mean a human promise that every life fits an automatic box before tea. If something needs reading, it gets read. Reading takes longer than a clean file. We would rather be slow and right than fast and wrong, because a wrong reference is how people lose a flat or move into one they cannot afford.
Why the button says it anyway
Because for a straightforward renter it is true, and the old way of referencing trained everyone to expect a week. You should not have to plan your move around a stranger’s office hours if the evidence is already in your bank. Same day is the standard we hold the straightforward files to. The button is an invitation to be one of those files, not a guarantee that a missing passport photo will be ignored.
How to actually get it
Read what you will need first, even though it feels like homework. Have the income ready to show. Do the form in one go, on your phone, somewhere you can see the screen. Check the postcodes. Use the name on the document. If you are self employed, describe self employment. Do not borrow a friend’s salary figure because it “looks better”.
When you have sent it, sign in if you want to watch it. If we ask for one more thing, that question is the new start of the clock. Answer it the same day if you still want the reference the same day. There is a longer timing note on how long it takes.
What same day is not
It is not the tenancy agreement, the deposit, or the inventory. The agent may still be showing the flat to someone else until they have read the reference and made their own decision. If you need to know whether you can book the van, ask the agent after they have the result. We can tell you the reference is done. We cannot tell you the landlord has said yes.
You can do this bit on your phone
If your details are complete, the reference is ready the same day. Keep your ID close, answer the questions in order, and sign in later if you want to see where the reference has got to. The button below is the same one as in the header. It does not take you anywhere else.
Apply for a same day reference