Rental Reference

What is a Rental Reference?

This Rental Reference is for use by a landlord or property manager in Australia who wishes to recommend one or more tenants. It may be used in connection with residential or commercial leases. tenants often request a rental reference from previous landlords or property managers, when the tenants apply for new rental properties.

This document provides a simple way for the landlord or property manager to provide details about the property which the tenant previously rented, and about how the tenant performed.

Use this document to recommend a previous tenant and to provide an overview of how it was to rent to them.

What is the diffference between a Rental Reference and a Rent Receipt?

This Rental Reference is a letter in which the landlord can provide a range of information about the tenant, such as whether they paid all of their rent on time, how well they kept the property, and how good they were to deal with. It is usually provided around the time that the tenant is moving out of the property.

A Rent Receipt is a document that a landlord gives to a tenant when the tenant makes a payment of rent. It may be provided every time that the tenant pays rent. Rent Receipts give tenants evidence that they have submitted payments to the landlord as required. They also give landlords a way to track incoming payments and monitor late payments or bounced cheques. For tenants who pay their rent in cash, a rent receipt is often the only written proof they have to show that they paid rent at all.

Is it mandatory to have a Rental Reference?

No. A Rental Reference is not mandatory in Australia. However, landlords often provide a Rental Reference, especially to good tenants. In tight rental markets, it can be difficult for tenants to find a property to rent if they do not have Rental References to provide.

What is not allowed in a Rental Reference?

The Rental Reference should not include false or misleading information.

The landlord should make sure to provide true and accurate information in the Rental Reference, to the best of their ability.

What are the prerequisites of an Rental Reference?

Before a landlord provides a Rental Reference, the tenant should have actually lived in the landlord's property.

Who is involved in a Rental Reference?

This Rental Reference may be prepared by the landlord and given to the tenant. Alternatively, if the landlord used a property manager, then it may be prepared by the property manager.

What has to be done once a Rental Reference is ready?

Once the document has been prepared, several copies of it may be printed and signed. One copy may be provided to the tenant, who may then provide it to new prospective landlords when applying for new rental properties. The person preparing this letter may keep the other copy for their own records.

In many cases, prospective new landlords (who receive the Rental Reference) like to follow up by actually phoning the previous landlord. Therefore, the person preparing this document should consider whether they are willing to discuss the tenant, and if so, they should take care to enter accurate contact information.

What must a Rental Reference contain?

Various details can be included in this Rental Reference, such as

• The tenant's name.
• The address of the relevant property.
• The dates when the tenant lived in the property.
• The landlord's name and contact details.
• The amount of rent that the tenant paid.
• Whether or not rent was paid on time.
• Whether the tenant kept the property clean and tidy.
• Whether the landlord had to file any formal notices in relation to the tenant.

Which laws are applicable to a Rental Reference?

Rental references in Australia are generally not subject to any specific laws. It is important, however, to always be truthful and accurate in the recommendation.

In addition, each state and territory has its own residential tenancy legislation, and commercial tenancy legislation, both of which apply to many aspects of landlord and tenant relationships.

How to modify the template?

You fill out a form. The document is created before your eyes as you respond to the questions.

At the end, you receive it in Word and PDF formats. You can modify it and reuse it.