How Important Are References? Helpful Tips 5 & 6

Helpful tip 5

Did you know that before a prospective tenant pays the holding deposit that they are supposed to receive the Energy Performance Certificate, How to Rent Guides and a draft copy of the tenancy agreement that they will be signing.  Every prospective tenant we have will be sent our Application For a Tenancy email enclosing these documents.  This is also the only way they are given the bank details in which to make a payment of the holding deposit.  This ensures that a tenant cannot claim at a later date that they were not furnished with the documents before making their final decision.

Helpful tip 6

Referencing prospective tenants will give you an indication of how a tenant will behave.  Using a good referencing firm is vital.  Fraudulent documents and information can be given and how certain are you that you can spot a fake ID or proof of address.  This is why Julevic Property Consultants will always fully reference tenants whether they are paying in advance for the tenancy term or not.  Right to Rent checks are carried out on every prospective tenant and it doesn't matter if they were born in the UK or overseas. Full credit checks are carried out too as well as a landlord reference.

What happens if they are living with parents?  In these circumstances I will ask whether they have ever rented a property and obtain information about this property and the landlords details.  You can never be too careful as this can be a way around having a poor previous landlord's reference.  We've got it covered and won't ignore any red flags!

Following the Tenant Fee Act 2019 being introduced did you know that if a tenant gives false or misleading information the one weeks' rent holding deposit paid can legally be retained.  When Julevic Property Consultants receive an enquiry for your property we pre-qualify the prospective tenant making sure that they meet the referencing criteria.  Calls coming through the marketing platform are recorded and any emails enquires received are responded to promptly and they are asked to complete a series of questions to make sure they meet the referencing criteria prior to viewing.