Tenant Reference Check Record

Who this is for

A record of the checks made on one applicant. Each referee gets a line — who they are, how they were contacted, when, and what came back — and the list underneath tracks the documents and checks you have actually completed.

Landlords who do their own referencing rather than paying an agency, and agents who want a signed page in the file showing what was asked and what was answered.

What this helps you track

• Who was approached for a reference and in what capacity
• When each was contacted and whether a reply came back
• What the reply actually said, in your own words
• Which documents you have seen with your own eyes
• What is still outstanding before a decision is made

How to use it

1. Write the applicant, the property they have applied for and who is doing the checking at the top.
2. Add a line per referee — a previous landlord, an employer, a character referee, a guarantor's referee — with the contact details you were given.
3. Record the date you made contact and the date a reply arrived. A long gap with no reply is itself worth knowing.
4. Write what came back in the outcome column, plainly and in your own words, rather than a verdict.
5. Work through the checklist and tick only what you have genuinely seen or completed; the last line is for the checks that apply where the property is, and the browser version lets you add your own.
6. Sign and date the sheet, keep it with the application, and handle the applicant's personal details according to the rules where you are.

Formats

• Printable PDF (A4 and US Letter)
• Fillable PDF with form fields
• Fill in online, saved in your browser

The printable is laid out inside a box that fits both A4 and US Letter, so the two files are identical and neither one is scaled. The fillable PDF has real form fields. The online version keeps what you enter in your own browser and builds the completed PDF on your device.

How to print

Download the A4 or US Letter file to match the paper in your printer, open it in a PDF reader and print at 100% — not "fit to page", which shrinks the writing space. Both files leave a 14 mm margin, which clears the unprintable edge on home printers. To print the online version with your entries in it, use the Print this sheet button, which prints only the sheet and none of the page around it. More on printing.

Questions

What checks does a landlord have to make?

That depends entirely on the country and sometimes the region, so this sheet names none of them. The list is the ordinary practical one; add the checks required where your property is on the blank lines.

Can I keep copies of the documents?

How long you may hold somebody's identity documents and personal information, and whether you may copy them at all, is set by the data rules where you are. The sheet records that you saw a document, which is often enough.

What if a referee will not answer?

Write the dates you tried and leave the reply column empty. A run of unanswered attempts is a fact worth having in the file, and it is better than a blank sheet.

Does a completed sheet mean the applicant passed?

No. It records what you asked and what you were told. The decision is yours, and the notes area at the foot is where the reasoning belongs.