Tips for Choosing a Personal Reference for an Apartment Rental Application

By: ROS Team

We live in a world where we are dependent on others for food and for safety. Sometimes, in the real estate market, we need others to get a place to live. In particular, it may be necessary to get someone to vouch for our ability to pay bills on time. This is what’s referred to as a personal reference.

How Many References Are Enough?

There is no set number of references that must be submitted with the rental application, but landlords usually require two references. It’s up to you who you ask to be your reference.

How Many References Are Enough?

Suggested References:

Past Landlords: If you’re applying for another rental property, a past landlord would make a good reference. This is why it’s a good idea to leave your previous apartment on good terms.

Your Boss or Co-Workers: A manager or co-worker may also be a good personal reference because they’re familiar with your professional conduct and can vouch for your level of responsibility.

Mentors: Don’t neglect to include life coaches and/or mentors as references; they know about your values, your goals, and your ambitions. Their nice words and recommendation may hold significant weight.

Avoid These People as Application References:

Partners: Your partner may know you better than anyone, but their reference may not carry as much weight with the prospective landlord because your partner’s opinion may be considered biased.

Immediate Family Members: As with partners, family members probably aren’t the best references for apartment applications given their possible bias.

Avoid These People as Application References

Best Friend: Friends always have nice words to say, so their opinion would also be biased.

Why do Landlords Ask for a Reference Letter in the First Place?

Landlords are in the business of protecting their investment; they literally give their property to complete strangers to live in for a year or more. This is where reference letters come in–they help reduce the risk of giving someone who has a history of being late on rent payments and careless with property access to their investment.

Why do landlords ask for the reference letter in the first place?

A Few Additional Tips On References:

Ask your prospective references for permission to be used as references and then let them know the purpose of your request;
Maintain a running list of possible references to choose from; and
When you mention the names of the people, also mention your relationship with them.