Letting Agents
Most letting agents carry out some form of tenant referencing, but before we get started, ask yourself these questions…
- Why do you carry out tenant referencing?
- What features are important in a reference?
- What types of check do you expect?
- What are you looking to get out of a tenant reference?
Once you’ve answered these questions, you’ll better understand what you need from your referencing provider.
When we’ve asked letting agents these very questions, they’ve said they carry out checks to PROTECT their landlords – but what does this mean?
Different referencing companies have different opinions about what constitutes a reference, and different letting agents have different requirements. But we like to think if you want to protect your landlords, then it’s worth doing this properly.
Your Options
We offer three levels of tenant referencing to suit your timeframes, budget and level of security required.
Insight
We’ll assess whether your tenant is suitable for a tenancy by checking a range of credit information. This reference includes a range of financial and identity checks, and you’ll get an instant report - Perfect for when you’re on a tight deadline
Enhance
With this reference you’ll receive all the information you get with an Insight, and we’ll also get a financial and current landlord or letting agent reference. If necessary, we’ll verify future employment and additional sources of income - Ideal for when you need more information and security that the information provided is truthful
Optimum
Includes all the features of our Insight and Enhance references – and our Legal & Claims team will assist you in evicting a tenant if they fail to pay their rent in the first 12 months - For the most security a Rentshield Direct reference can provide
Optimum – our Legal & Claims Team will assist you
We’re so confident of the quality of our checks that with our Optimum reference that our legal & claims team will assist you in evicting any tenants who fall into arrears in the first 12 months of their tenancy. In the event of a tenant failing to pay their rent, you’ll have full access to our expert legal & claims team, so from serving the first notice to regaining possession of the property, we’ll be there to hold your hand, every step of the way and make sure you’re compliant with eviction processes.
The Rentshield Direct Default Database
As part of a market leading tenant referencing and lettings insurance provider, we’re able to check if applicants appear on our Default Database. This shows if a rent guarantee claim has been made against them in the past – indicating if they’ve historically defaulted on their rent, and if we’re still pursing the applicant for unpaid rent. We include this check as standard with all our tenant referencing products.
