Referencing
What is actually in a tenant reference
People imagine a mysterious score. It is more ordinary than that. Here is the list your agent is really getting.
Who you are
We check that the person on the application can be matched to the name and the addresses you gave. That is an identity check, not a background novel. A passport or driving licence is the usual way through. If you live overseas at the moment, or your documents are from outside the UK, a person may look at copies instead of an automatic match. Have them ready as photos. There is a packing list on what you will need.
Where you have lived
Address history shows you are not a name floating free of any building. It also helps the identity check, because people are found at addresses. You do not pass or fail for having moved. You cause a delay if a year is missing and you hope nobody notices. Write the awkward stays down. Shared houses count. Your parents’ house counts.
Whether the rent fits
Income is checked against what you said, and then set next to the rent and the commitments you already have. This is the part tenants worry about, and it is explained without the fake maths on the affordability page. The agent wants a tenancy that lasts. You want the same thing, even if this week you mostly want the keys.
A look for things that are not true
Referencing also watches for applications that are invented: a doctored payslip, an address that is not a home, a person applying in someone else’s name. That protects you as well as the landlord. A fake applicant in the queue is someone you are competing with for a real flat. If your file is honest, this part should feel invisible.
What the agent receives
They get the outcome of those checks, not a dump of your grocery shopping. When it is done, you can see that it is done by signing in. The agent may still run their own process on top. Some want a guarantor. Some want to meet you again. The reference is the part we do. The offer of the tenancy is the part they do.
If you are an agent reading this because a tenant sent you the link, the version written for your side of the desk is on for letting agents. Landlords have their own page too.
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