A Landlord Reference Letter is a message written by a previous landlord to a future potential landlord to advocate for a tenant during the rental application process. It usually includes information about their history with the tenant, how well the tenant maintained the property and whether they consistently paid rent on time.
It can provide important information for a potential landlord when screening tenants. While it’s not a requirement, it is a common courtesy to both assist a quality tenant, as well as help fellow landlords.
Benefits to the landlord may not seem obvious but there are some good reasons to write a landlord reference letter. Those include:
The benefits to the tenant, which are a little more obvious, include:
Tenants may feel uncomfortable or unsure about how to request one from a current or former landlord. Tenants should take the following steps when requesting a landlord reference letter:
You are not limited to requesting a landlord reference letter from only your last landlord. You can request one from other past landlords if you believe it will help increase your chances of securing a new rental unit.
Depending on the tenant, this letter may contain a variety of information. When writing a landlord reference letter, think about those things that would be important to you if you were screening them as a potential tenant.
The letter should be straightforward and to the point. Avoid writing a long letter with unnecessary information. The following three topics should be addressed in every landlord reference letter:
The general structure is as follows:
When writing a landlord reference letter you should include the following specific information:
To whom it may concern:
My name is Jim Smith and I am the landlord at 123 Main Street, Philadelphia, PA. John Doe was a tenant there from March 2021 to March 2022 with a monthly rent of $900.00.
The tenant was responsible, always paid their rent on time, and left the property in good condition.
I highly recommend them as a tenant. Please contact me if you have any questions.
For more examples of landlord reference letters see the attached templates at the top of this article.
There are certain things you cannot or should not discuss based on federal and your state’s laws. Avoid providing any of the below information:
After writing the letter, you may still have questions about the legality of its contents. If so, have your attorney review it before sending it to the tenant or potential landlord.
Besides the specific content above, here are some additional tips:
A time will come when a tenant asks you for a reference letter and you will not in good conscience be able to write one. When this happens you have a few options:
Writing a landlord reference letter can have a long term impact on your credibility as a landlord. Be careful when accepting a tenant’s request to write one. It is bad practice to write a letter simply to get your tenant to move out of your unit and become someone else’s problem.
Standard Residential Lease Agreement
Month-to-Month Rental Agreement
Rental Application Form
Residential Sublease Agreement
Room Rental Agreement
Lease Termination Letter