Landlord Reference Letter for Tenant Template

If your existing tenant is looking to move and rent a new house or condo, he/she may require you to write a reference letter, which will be presented to prospective landlords as proof of prior tenancy. The purpose of the letter is to establish the tenant’s credibility and reputation in terms of timely payments, responsible behavior and conduct.

Before you start writing the reference letter, collect all the information on the tenant, including his/her full legal name, the date of tenancy and its duration. You also need to refer to your records to check whether the tenant was prompt and regular with rent payments. Any complaints against the tenant also need to be taken into consideration. For instance, if the neighbors regularly complained about noise, you should mention the same in your reference letter. Moreover, you should inspect the property to take note of the condition it is in, and how the tenant maintains it.

Begin the letter with ‘To whom it may concern’ and go on to state the purpose of the letter. In the introduction, you should mention the details of the tenancy, its type and duration. Then you need to go on about the conduct of the tenant and your experience with him/her. Mention any complaints you received or have against the tenant but don’t be overly critical. You also need to clarify whether the tenant is leaving or is being evicted, since this will be of interest to the prospective landlord. End the letter by offering further assistance if required and leave your contact details before signing off.

Landlord Reference Letter Sample

June 12, 2013

To whom it may concern,

This reference letter is to verify that (name of tenant) has been renting my property, located at (complete address) since (date of tenancy) for a period of (approximate duration of tenancy).

(Name of tenant) has been a (good/fair/average/difficult) tenant and my experience with him/her has been (excellent/very bad). He has been (rarely/always/mostly) prompt with his rent payments and (did/did not) create any issues for me. Moreover, there have been (no/a few/a lot of) complaints against (name of tenant) from (any/many) neighbors.

He/she has (always/rarely) been considerate about the property and its maintenance. In all his time, he has (not) caused (any/some) damage to my property and has been (very/fairly) responsible.

If you need any other information or assistance, please feel free to contact me at (address/phone number).

Sincerely,

Your signature