Landlord Reference Letter
A reference from a previous landlord is the strongest card in a rental application. If you're the landlord writing one — or the tenant asking — this is the compact format screening agents actually read.
- For rental applications
- The 5 facts screeners want
- Fill-in template
- Free
The template
Date
Re: Rental reference for tenant full name
To whom it may concern:
I am the owner / property manager of property address. Tenant name rented this property from start date to end date at $rent/month.
During the tenancy, rent was paid on time each month / with the following exceptions…. The unit was kept in good condition, and the full deposit was returned / deductions were…. I would / would not rent to this tenant again.
Questions welcome at phone / email.
Sincerely, ______________
The five facts that matter
Dates, rent amount, payment record, condition, would-rent-again. Everything else is garnish — a letter with those five, verifiable by phone, moves applications.
Frequently asked questions
Should a landlord reference be notarized?
Rarely required — screening services verify by phone instead. Include reachable contact details and skip the notary unless asked.
My previous landlord is overseas and writes in Portuguese.
Get the letter anyway — a certified English translation makes it fully usable here. That's a two-minute job at CertMyTranslation.