quick answer for Australian renters
Situation playbookWhat to say when a rental reference is still pending
A clear pending status is more useful than implying that a reference has already arrived.
- Market
- AU
- Jurisdiction
- Australia
- Updated
Short answer
Tell the property contact exactly what is pending: permission to name the referee, availability to respond, or the reference itself. Ask how to handle the unfinished step and how updates should be provided. Do not list a person as confirmed before they agree or claim a response you have not received.
Continue in RentFiles
Turn this guide into a clear application pack
Create a personal rental profile alongside the required application process, without treating a pending reference as complete. Fill before choosing whether to pay for PDF export.
Continue with the Rental cover letter guide.
- Create a personal rental profile, delivered as a shareable PDF, to complement the process required by the agent or landlord.
- Fill your application before you choose whether to pay for a PDF export.
- RentFiles helps organise the file; the agent or landlord decides the application outcome.
Useful context
Name the stage that is actually pending
“Reference pending” can mean different things. You may still be asking the person to participate, the person may have agreed but not responded, or you may not know whether the recipient has received a reply. Write the specific stage rather than treating all three as complete.
Use the property's actual instructions for a required field or deadline. A private status note does not tell you whether a portal permits later updates or when it contacts a referee. Ask the recipient instead of guessing.
Working checklist
Choose the next step from the answer you receive
These are preparation choices, not rules about every application system.
- Permission still pending: say you are awaiting permission; do not describe the person as confirmed.
- Permission agreed, response pending: identify that distinction and ask how the recipient wants the status recorded.
- Recipient confirms later updates are allowed: follow the route it gives and state only the update point you can actually meet.
- Form requires a completed contact entry: ask what to do before entering a provisional or invented name.
- Reference remains unavailable: use the linked limited-references guide for discussing a suitable alternative instead of repeatedly labelling it “nearly ready”.
Practical example
Fictional example: the former manager is away
Ari, the contacts and dates in this example are fictional. Ari has permission to name a former property manager but has been told that the person is away until 16 October. Ari does not know whether a reference response will be available by then.
- Permission to name the former manager: agreed on 8 October; recorded as agreed, not as a completed reference.
- Availability: the person said they are away until 16 October; no response date promised.
- Reference response: not received or confirmed; remains pending.
- Employer contact: agreed to discuss work dates only; not presented as a replacement tenancy reference.
- Question for the property contact: can the tenancy reference be updated later, and what should Ari enter in the meantime?
Practical example
Copy and adapt: notify the property contact
Choose the sentence that matches the real stage and replace all bracketed details.
Subject: Pending reference: [property reference]
Hello [recipient name], I am preparing my application for [property reference]. My [reference relationship and period they know] is currently [awaiting permission to be named / agreed to participate but not yet able to respond / awaiting confirmation that a reply has been received].
I do not want to mark this step as complete while it is still pending. Could you confirm how I should record the status and whether an update can be provided later? If so, please tell me the route and any deadline for the update.
[If relevant: I have another willing contact who can discuss [specific subject and period], but they cannot speak for the missing tenancy period. Would that be useful for any part of your request?] Thank you, [applicant name].
Keep in view
Keep the contact's details and status accurate
Provide information relevant to the recipient's application process and handle identity or financial material carefully.
A pending reply does not establish why someone has not responded or what they would say. Keep the explanation factual and avoid sending private correspondence about the referee as a substitute for their response.
For a reminder to a willing referee, use the separate follow-up guide. RentFiles can help organise the details you enter in a personal rental profile PDF; it does not contact referees or control another application system's reference process.
Questions
Common questions
Clear answers for the decisions people usually pause on.
Can I say “reference available on request” before asking the person?
That wording can imply availability. Describe permission as pending until the person has agreed, and ask the recipient how to handle an unfinished step.
When will the application system contact my referee?
This guide does not know the trigger for your property's process. Ask the recipient when contact occurs and what the applicant and referee should expect.
Can an employer replace a tenancy reference?
Describe only the work facts the employer can discuss and ask the recipient whether that helps. Do not relabel a work contact as a person who knows an unrelated tenancy.
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