I had a tenant who split up from partner. So 4 months in issued a notice to leave after 8 weeks. After that rent was 5 days late, stupid excuses even though I know the council gave her most of it already. Her support worker told me.
Awaiting 2nd and last payment 29th of July. She’s has asked me for a reference which I don’t want to give, however fear if I don’t give her a reference she won’t be able to leave and it will end in eviction. Help ? What should I do?
Hi Juliet, it will definitely be much harder for her to find a place to live without a good reference from her previous landlord. You are right that making it harder for her to leave could lead to her staying in your property for longer.
It’s up to you whether you feel comfortable giving a reference (either to her to use or to a tenant referencing company when she is referenced by another landlord). I would just wonder whether being 5 days late with one month’s rent is enough to warrant a bad reference?
Or have things moved on since then?
In circumstances such as this I try to imagine what the ‘reasonable man in the street’ would have to say (and for the benefit of the politically-correct-and willingly-easily-offended brigade… yes, the woman in the street also and any other variation we must now these days think of…)
That said, here it is from the hip:
My best guess is the reasonable man in the street would say the right sequence of things is