Who to ask
Choose someone who knows you well and can speak to your reliability — a colleague, former housemate, mentor, or long-term friend. Avoid close family members as agents may consider them biased.
References
Personal references for your rental application
A personal reference adds a human layer to your application. It tells landlords and agents that someone who knows you is willing to vouch for your character and reliability.
What they should cover
How long they have known you, in what capacity, and why they believe you would be a responsible tenant. Specific details are more convincing than vague praise.
Written vs verbal
Some agents prefer a written letter they can file; others will call the referee directly. Provide both — a short written reference and the referee's phone number and email.
Give your referee a heads-up
Let them know an agent or landlord may contact them, what the property is, and roughly when to expect a call. Referees caught off-guard may not respond promptly.
Common mistakes
- • Listing a referee who does not answer calls or respond to emails
- • Providing no context about the relationship — agents want to understand credibility
- • Using family members as your only personal reference
- • Not informing your referee before the agent contacts them
Present your references clearly in one document
RentFiles organises your references alongside identity, income, and rental history in a professional format.