- What is tenant referencing?
Tenant referencing is the process of verifying a prospective tenant before you grant a tenancy. A full reference confirms their identity, checks their credit history for arrears, CCJs and bankruptcies, verifies their income and employment, and obtains a reference from their current or previous landlord. We then issue a written suitability recommendation based on all of it.
- How long does tenant referencing take?Our Instant ID and Credit Check returns results in as little as one hour. A Full Tenant Profile typically takes 2 working days, because it depends on employers and previous landlords replying. Our team chases referees directly rather than waiting, and you can track every application's progress live from your dashboard.
- Who pays for tenant referencing, the landlord or the tenant?
The landlord or letting agent pays. Charging a tenant for referencing is a prohibited payment under the Tenant Fees Act 2019 in England, with equivalent bans in Wales and Scotland. Referencing costs are treated as part of the cost of setting up a tenancy. Our pricing is pay-as-you-go from £10.95 per check, with no set-up fee, monthly charge or credit bundles.
- What is the difference between a credit check and a full tenant reference?
A credit check is one data source. It confirms identity and returns credit history, but it tells you nothing about whether the applicant can actually afford the rent or how they behaved as a tenant. A full reference adds verified income, employment confirmation and a landlord reference, then combines them into an affordability assessment and a suitability recommendation.
- What happens if a tenant fails referencing?
A fail is information, not an automatic rejection. The usual routes are a guarantor, which we can reference separately with a Guarantor Suitability Check, or accepting the tenancy with rent protection in place. Note that taking a large sum of rent in advance is no longer available as a workaround, since the Renters' Rights Act caps advance rent at one month.
- Can you reference tenants with no UK credit history?
Yes. Applicants who have recently arrived in the UK usually have no credit file, so a standard credit check returns nothing useful. Our Overseas Tenant Referencing service builds the assessment from other evidence instead, including international employment and landlord references, income verification and immigration status, alongside a Right to Rent check where the property is in England.
- Does tenant referencing include a Right to Rent check?
Right to Rent is a separate legal duty, not part of a standard reference. Landlords in England must confirm every adult occupier has the right to rent before the tenancy starts, and penalties apply for failing to do so. The duty does not currently apply in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland. We offer Right to Rent checks on their own or bundled with referencing.
- Has the Renters' Rights Act changed tenant referencing?
It has raised the stakes considerably. Since Phase 1 took effect on 1 May 2026, Section 21 no-fault eviction is abolished and large rent-in-advance payments are restricted, so the two traditional fallbacks for a marginal applicant have gone. Referencing is now the main point at which risk can be managed, and decisions need to be documented and affordability-based.
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Over 45,000 Processed Online Applications
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Over 95% Pass Rate
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Over 15 Years Experience
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Incident-Free Tenancies based on our Suitability Recommendations
Referencing Services for Letting Agents, Landlords, and Tenants
Tenant Screening’s comprehensive referencing services and credit checks help letting agents, private rental landlords, HMO property specialists, property management companies and student letting rental businesses to ensure that the risk is minimal when signing tenancies placing new tenants into their properties. We work closely and help prospective tenant’s going through background screening to secure the tenancy.
Letting Agents
Balancing the daily demands of running a successful letting agency with maintaining quality of service and tenants is a challenging task, we understand the issues that you face daily. Our checks can help reduce some of theses pressures.
Landlords
The rise of the do-it-yourself landlord has seen many buy-to-let investors choose to let and manage their own portfolio. Our range of tenant referencing products can service the needs of both agents and private landlords.
Tenants
We work with you to provide your prospective landlord with the relevant information that they need to make an informed decision proving your suitability for tenancy and helping you to get accepted and secure the property.
At Tenant Screening, we understand that finding the right tenant for the property is essential for any landlord or letting agent. We offer a range of services to help you screen prospective tenants, including income and landlord reference checks and credit checks. Our fast and comprehensive suitability reports will give you all the information you need to make an informed decision about your tenant.
Tenant referencing is an important part of the property letting process, and we take it very seriously. We understand that you need to be confident that you are renting to the right people, and our comprehensive background and credit referencing checks will provide you peace of mind.
We will run a thorough check on each screening element of potential tenant, looking for any red flags that might indicate they are a risk or simply just not suit to proceed with. We will also check their references carefully to make sure they are from reliable sources.
Only when we are completely satisfied that we have received and compiled all information on the prospective tenant will we provide our recommendation if they are suitability or not. This rigorous process may take a little longer than some of our competitors, but we believe it is essential in order to protect your interests.
Why Check and Reference Potential Tenants?
We appreciate the importance of getting quality tenants in your properties to provide hassle-free, long-serving tenancies. We utilise a blend of technology and experienced personnel to make accurate decisions ensuring monthly commitments can be met and your property is treated with the respect it deserves.
Tenant Referencing in 4 Simple Stages...
We provide a quick, easy and affordable way to reference your prospective tenants; offering credit checks, Income verification, background referencing and right to rent checking services
Application
Enter your property details followed by your applicant’s contact detail. An application is then automatically sent to your applicant to complete. Once complete you are prompted to review before authorising us to start the referencing.
Our System
We will obtain a credit history report instantly and send reference requests to employment and landlord references.
Information Gathering
Our team will chase any outstanding references and obtain all information required to make a rounded application decision.
Summary Report
The application is reviewed by a case manager and the reference check is concluded. Once finished you will receive an email report with our findings and recommendations.