I know i cannot charge a fee to a new tenant in my properties for referencing.
I know i am not obliged to give a reference to an enquiry for references for old tenants
What i’m not 100% on:
1 if I am asked for a reference for an old tenant can i charge a fee for providing a reference? i think it is in order
2. if I am asked for a reference from a Landlord outwith the UK. i am pretty sure i can charge a reference but its unusual
(With a good tenant i provide as a matter of course FOC,)
You can charge a fee to a landlord for a reference, but its a bad idea imo. If everyone starts doing this youll eventually have to pay for one yourself for a new tenant and it just becomes a money shuffling exercise.
In addition to David’s point, the process of providing a landlord reference is also very quick. I’ve never known it to take more than a couple of mins as they are generally simple Yes/No questions, so I’m not sure how you would go about quantifying a fee for this.
No point getting a current landlord reference. They will never say if it’s a problem tenant as they want rid.
Dont charge for referencing. It’s taking advantage.
Ah just read that you only charge for bad tenants, ok I tend to agree there…
thanks for the replies. The question wasn’t about whether one should or should not charge but to know exactly what the law is. It would appear it’s simply:
You can charge another landlord for references but you can’t charge a tenant.
Letting agents can charge landlords a fee for tenant referencing. Under the Tenant Fees Act 2019, a letting agent cannot charge a tenant a fee for a reference. The cost of referencing and other fees associated with setting up, renewing or ending a tenancy, is the responsibility of the landlord.
I don’t mean to be pedantic but the extract does not say that a landlord can charge another landlord for a reference.
Doesn’t take long to provide a reference so why charge?
As said, you can charge a landlord for a reference, although if your Council introduce Selective Licensing in your area they will probably require you to provide a reference regardless of whether youre paid.
This must be a joke? It will take you 2 minutes to respond to an email asking for a reference; why would you charge for that?
If they’re a good tenant, do it out of common decency and if they’re a bad tenant, then surely you just decline?
Ailish, take a moment to read posts , he isn’t asking for opinions just what the law is. Try and stay friendly and professional or dont post
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