Rental references: choose the right person for the question

Provide information relevant to the recipient's application process and handle identity or financial material carefully.

Use the reference details relevant to the application and the recipient's accepted channel. Keep private notes, other people's information and unrequested records out of the shared introduction.

Bring the reference context into your Rental Passport alongside household, work, income and residential history. RentFiles helps organise the profile; it does not contact referees, certify their statements or decide the rental outcome.

Start with the property's actual request. A previous property manager may know about a tenancy they managed; an employer may know about your work; a personal referee knows you in another context. Keep those roles separate rather than implying that every contact can confirm income, payment history and how you live.

This guide does not prescribe a nationally compulsory referee type, a number of references or a ban on family and friends. Ask the recipient which relationship is suitable for this application. If you have no previous landlord, explain that limitation before offering a different type of contact.

Choose someone whose knowledge is relevant and current enough for the question. A flattering description is not a substitute for a truthful relationship label, and being named as a referee does not mean the person has already provided a reference.

Record only the details needed for the accepted process. Keep the contact sheet privately while preparing the application; a public example or broadly shared introduction is not the place for a real referee's phone number or email address.

Check the contact against the person's own response before entering it into the form. If the referee declines or is unavailable, ask the recipient about a suitable alternative. Do not use another person's identity or supply a number that will be answered by someone pretending to be the referee.

As a practical preparation step, ask the person whether they are comfortable being listed and contacted. Explain the type of application and the relationship you intend to state. Do not treat an old application as confirmation that the same contact details and availability still apply.

A short message can read: “I am preparing a rental application. Would you be comfortable being listed as my previous property manager for the tenancy you managed? If so, which contact details and times are appropriate?” Adapt the role to the actual relationship. This is an illustrative request, not a statement of a universal legal consent procedure.

A referee's opinion and a document record are different kinds of information. A positive personal description does not establish a rent-payment ledger or independently verify every statement in the profile.

Use accurate status notes while preparing: contact proposed, permission asked, details confirmed, or reference requested through the recipient's process. Do not describe a reference as completed merely because the person agreed to be contacted.

Keep names, relationships and dates consistent in the form and profile. If a contact detail changes after submission, follow the recipient's correction process. Sending an update does not prove that the application was amended or the referee contacted.

Illustrative only. The names and arrangements here are fictional; no real contact details or completed references are supplied. Replace the labels with accurate facts and enter private contact details only through the appropriate channel.

Olivia asks each person before adding their details. She labels what each knows instead of writing “all references verified”. None of the rows proves that a reference has been requested, received or accepted.