On his phone
He gave his job, his income and his move-in date when he applied, with no account to make, so you could judge the application before ordering anything.
Know your tenant before you sign
Order a credit-backed reference from the application in one press, filled in from what the applicant already told you. They complete one secure form, on their phone if they like, and the result comes back to their record, then to the tenancy.
What you stop doing before a tenant moves in
Tenant referencing checks an applicant before you let to them: their credit, whether the rent is affordable on their income, their employer and their current landlord. In LetCompliance a full reference is ordered from the applicant’s application in one press, they complete one secure form, and the result comes back to their record, typically within 1 to 3 working days.
1press, from their application to the order
Typing their details in twice
Order a reference from their application and the order fills itself: their name and email, the property they applied for and its rent, their move-in date for the referencing team, and any address history they gave.
Chasing the paperwork
The applicant gets one email with a secure form, from the referencing partner rather than from you. It asks for their income and job, where they have lived and their current landlord, and their referees are contacted directly.
Wondering where it has got to
Its status changes on the Referencing page as it moves, and you are emailed the moment the result is ready. A full reference typically takes 1 to 3 working days, because it waits on people replying.
Deciding on a pass or a fail alone
When a result leaves you unsure, a Tenant Risk Report has a credit risk analyst read the affordability, the income and the references you hold, grade the risk and give a straight recommendation, from £79.
One press, and the order fills itself
Owen Fletcher applied for Flat 3, 27 Kingsley Road, Sheffield, in the sample account. His name, email and move-in date, typed once on his phone, fill the reference order, so nobody types them twice.
In between, his application reached your list, and one press of Order a reference opened the order.
On your order
His name and email fill in, with the flat and its rent, and picking him links the finished reference back to his record.
How to order a tenant reference
From an application, from a tenant already on file, or for someone you type in. Each check is paid when you order it.
Open the applicant
On their application, press Order a reference, and their name, email and move-in date fill the order. Or pick a tenant already on file, or type in someone new.
Choose the check
A full reference (£24.99) covers credit, affordability, their employer and their landlord. A guarantor reference (£19.99) checks the person standing behind the tenancy, and a credit check (£12.99) runs on the details you enter.
Check the let
The property and its rent, whether it is the whole home or a room, and whether two people are applying together, so they are assessed on their combined income.
Pay, and the applicant is emailed
The check is billed to you, never the tenant. The applicant gets one email with a secure form, and you are emailed when the result is ready.
The finished report opens from the Referencing page, and when the applicant becomes your tenant, the result moves to their tenancy.
Referencing is one step of the let. The rest is in the same login.
The applicant, the reference, the agreement and the rent sit on the same record, so nothing is typed in twice, and the deposit and certificate dates are watched in the background.
Applications and viewings
Applicants apply from one link with their income, job and Right to Rent status asked up front, and every one of them is on one list.
Sample account with made-up details, 18 Oct 2026 A second read on the result
A Tenant Risk Report has a credit risk analyst grade the risk as low, medium or high, with the reasons, from £79, or £149 with the guarantor assessed too.
Sample account with made-up details, 18 Oct 2026 The tenancy and its agreement
Once you have chosen, the agreement is drafted from the same tenancy and e-signed in the same account.
Sample account with made-up details, 16 Oct 2026 Rent by Direct Debit
The rent is collected from the due date into your own Stripe account, with no commission, and each payment posts to the ledger by itself.
Sample account with made-up details, 17 Oct 2026
A full reference is £24.99, paid per check
Referencing is on every plan. Each check is paid when you order it and billed to you, never the tenant, with no VAT added. The rest of the let is priced by portfolio size, from £7.99 a month.
Want a second read on a result? A Tenant Risk Report is £79, or £149 with the guarantor assessed too. How the Tenant Risk Report works
How to reference a tenant in the UK
To reference a tenant, ask for their details up front, check their right to rent, then order a credit-backed reference that checks their credit, affordability, employer and current landlord. Read the result before anything is signed, and keep it with the tenancy.
Ask for the details up front
An application that asks for their income, job, move-in date and Right to Rent status before the viewing saves asking twice, and the rent affordability calculator shows whether the income covers the rent.
Check the right to rent
Every tenant aged 18 or over, before the tenancy starts, whatever else you order. The Right to Rent check wizard walks through which documents count.
Order a credit-backed reference
A full reference checks their credit, the rent against their income, their employer and their current landlord. The applicant fills in one secure form and their referees are contacted directly, so it typically takes 1 to 3 working days; what holds a reference up is mostly people replying.
Read the result, then decide
If the income falls short, ask for a guarantor and reference them too, then put their promise in a guarantor agreement. Judge on the checks, never on children or benefits.
Keep it with the tenancy
Ordered for someone on file, the result is written back to their record, and it moves to the tenancy when the applicant becomes your tenant. The longer guide to tenant referencing covers the warning signs to look for.
What tenant referencing costs
An agent prices referencing on its own list. Doing it yourself costs your time, and the credit check still has to be bought. In LetCompliance a full reference is £24.99 and a guarantor reference £19.99, billed to you per check, with the result kept on the tenancy. The published prices of other referencing services are set beside it in tenant referencing services compared.
Through a letting agent
- What it costs
- On the agent’s own price list
- Who checks credit and income
- The agent, or the referencing firm it uses
- Who contacts the referees
- The agent, or the referencing firm it uses
- Where the result is kept
- In the agent’s file
Doing it yourself
- What it costs
- Your time, and any credit check you buy
- Who checks credit and income
- You, from payslips and statements
- Who contacts the referees
- You, by phone and email
- Where the result is kept
- Your inbox and a folder
LetCompliance
- What it costs
- £24.99 a full reference, £19.99 a guarantor
- Who checks credit and income
- A regulated UK credit reference agency, through the referencing partner
- Who contacts the referees
- The referencing partner, directly
- Where the result is kept
- On their record, then on the tenancy
Tenant referencing rules in England, in brief
The duties and limits that apply while you reference an applicant, each with its source.
Check the right to rent first
You must check that every tenant aged 18 or over has the right to rent in England before a new tenancy starts, whether or not you order a reference.
Source: GOV.UK, Check your tenant’s right to rent (opens in a new tab)
The tenant never pays for it
A landlord or agent may only require the payments the Tenant Fees Act permits, such as rent, a capped tenancy deposit and a holding deposit. Anything else is a prohibited payment, a referencing or credit check fee included.
Source: Tenant Fees Act 2019, section 3 and Schedule 1 (opens in a new tab)
A holding deposit gives you 15 days
A holding deposit is at most one week’s rent. Unless you agree another date in writing, the tenancy agreement must be entered into by the fifteenth day after you receive it, or the deposit is repaid within 7 days. You may keep it if the applicant gave false or misleading information, fails the Right to Rent check or pulls out.
Sources: Tenant Fees Act 2019, Schedule 2 (opens in a new tab) and GOV.UK, Tenant Fees Act guidance (opens in a new tab)
Never on children or benefits
Since 1 May 2026 in England, nobody letting a home may stop a person renting it, or apply a rule that makes renting it less likely for them, because a child would live with or visit them or because they claim benefits. The guide to screening tenants within the law covers the rest.
Sources: Renters’ Rights Act 2025, section 33 (opens in a new tab) and section 34 (opens in a new tab)
A guarantee ends with the tenant’s death
A guarantee given on or after 1 May 2026 does not cover rent for the period from the tenant’s death, with its own rules where there are joint tenants.
This is not legal advice. The guide to running a tenant credit check covers consent and data in more depth.
Tenant referencing questions, answered
Straight answers to what landlords ask most about referencing a tenant.
Still have a question?
What is tenant referencing?
Tenant referencing is the set of checks a landlord runs on an applicant before letting to them: their credit history, whether the rent is affordable on their income, their employer and their current landlord. A full tenant reference in LetCompliance covers all four, credit-backed through a regulated UK credit reference agency. The Right to Rent check sits beside it as a separate legal duty.
How much does tenant referencing cost?
In LetCompliance a full tenant reference is £24.99 and a guarantor reference £19.99, paid per check with no subscription for the check and no VAT added. A credit check on its own is £12.99, ordered from inside an account, and a Tenant Risk Report, a credit risk analyst’s read of the applicant, is from £79. You pay, not the tenant.
How long does tenant referencing take?
A full or guarantor reference typically takes 1 to 3 working days, because it waits on the applicant filling in their form and on their employer and landlord replying. A credit check on its own is usually back in minutes when the details match the applicant’s credit file, and takes 1 to 3 working days when they need a manual check. You are emailed the moment the result is ready.
How do I reference a tenant?
Ask for their details up front, check their Right to Rent, then order a credit-backed reference that checks their credit, affordability, employer and current landlord. Read the result before anything is signed, ask for a guarantor if the income falls short, and keep the result with the tenancy. In LetCompliance the reference is ordered from their application in one press.
Can a landlord do a credit check on a tenant?
Yes, and the applicant should know it is coming. The application form in LetCompliance tells them that if their application goes ahead, the landlord may ask a regulated UK credit reference agency to carry out a reference or credit check using their details. A credit check on its own is £12.99 and needs a date of birth and an address history that match their credit file.
Can I charge a tenant for referencing?
No. In England a landlord or agent may only require the payments the Tenant Fees Act 2019 permits, such as rent, a capped tenancy deposit and a holding deposit of up to one week’s rent, and a fee for referencing or a credit check is not one of them. Every check in LetCompliance is billed to you, never the tenant.
What does the tenant have to fill in for a reference?
For a full or guarantor reference, one secure form, sent to them by email from the referencing partner rather than from you. It covers their income and job, where they have lived and their current landlord, and their referees are then contacted directly. A credit check on its own asks nothing of them: it runs on the details you enter.
How much does a tenant need to earn to pass referencing?
No law sets a figure. A common rule of thumb is a yearly income of about 30 times the monthly rent, and about 36 times for a guarantor, who pays it on top of their own housing costs. The rent affordability calculator works both out, and two people renting together can be assessed on their combined income.
What happens if a tenant fails referencing?
You decide, with the result in front of you. If the income falls short, a guarantor reference (£19.99) checks someone who will stand behind the tenancy, and it needs the tenant’s own reference first. If the result leaves you unsure either way, a Tenant Risk Report has a credit risk analyst read it and grade the risk. In England, a child living with them or a claim for benefits cannot be the reason.
Is a Right to Rent check part of tenant referencing?
It is a separate duty that sits beside it. In England you must check that every tenant aged 18 or over has the right to rent before the tenancy starts, whether or not you order a reference. The application asks for their Right to Rent status up front, and you record the check on the tenant in LetCompliance.
Do I need a paid plan to order a tenant reference?
No. Referencing is on every plan and paid per check, and applications are open on every plan too. Viewings and holding deposits come with the 3-day trial and every paid plan, from £7.99 a month. The free plan is £0 for one property and keeps rent tracked on the tenancy with receipts, the tenant portal with repairs, the certificate dates with email reminders and the 0 to 100 compliance score. Making Tax Digital and Direct Debit collection need Single.
