Screening: The Letter of recommendation from previous or current landlord

When calling a previous landlord, there are several questions you can ask to help you get more information on the tenant.  Some landlords will answer questions over the phone, and some will require a fax and a signed release of information from the tenant.

Questions to Ask

• Were there any other people on the tenant’s lease?
• What was their address? (They should know this relatively quickly, or they could be a bad reference)
• Was their rent $xxx? (Give an amount other than the correct amount and see if they correct you – otherwise this may be a bad reference!)
• Is their rent current?
• Are they being evicted / have they been evicted? (If rent is not current, this may be why they are looking for a new place!)
• Did they have any pets?
• Were there any complaints from other tenants?
• Did they cause any major maintenance issues?
• Would you rent to this tenant again?