What to Include in a Reference for a Former Tenant (Facts You Can Evidence)

An agent wants a former-tenant letter by Friday and the only file is a WhatsApp that they were fine. That chat names nobody. Get written consent that names the recipient, confirm the firm from its own website, then write only what this file shows: dates, rent, arrears if recorded, documented breaches, check-out condition and deposit deductions. Skip character. File consent, the sent copy and who asked.

Tuesday, one let in Chester. Omar has an agent email: need a reference by Friday. The only file is a WhatsApp, “yeah they were fine”. Named consent, a call to the number on the agent’s own website, and a letter that restates the AST — the assured shorthold tenancy, the written agreement for this let — dates, rent, any served notice, check-out and deposit deduction would have been the file. The problem is sending that WhatsApp as Friday’s letter.

ICO consent guidance, latest update 4 August 2026, says a consent request must name the third-party controllers who will rely on it — consent for categories of third parties is not specific enough. LandlordZONE, 1 January 2026: no statutory duty to give a reference; if you write, stick to facts.

Disclaimer: IziRento is operations software, not legal advice. Local tenancy rules vary; check a qualified adviser for binding decisions.

How do you get written consent that names the recipient?

Get it before you send anything. Ask the former tenant to email that you may send a facts letter about this tenancy at this address to a named agent, landlord or referencing firm. Save that message. A WhatsApp that they were fine names nobody and is not a record of who consented, when, how, or what they were told.

The email should show their name, the property, the named recipient, the purpose — a tenancy facts letter — and the date. Save it as a PDF. Executive PM: authorise sharing with the named recipient and keep it on file. ICO: a spreadsheet tick is not evidence. Consent is not always the only lawful basis — named written authority is still the practical file. If they never reply, decline or send nothing. Typical mistake: inventing consent because Friday is close.

How do you confirm the requester before you send?

Look the firm up on its own website and call that number. Match the person and the property. Do not use the phone number, portal or bank details in the incoming email. Note how you checked. Friday’s deadline is urgency, not a reason to skip the call.

The ICO landlord-and-tenant data-sharing case study wants the requester verified, requests in writing, only necessary information, and a record of the disclosure decision. NCSC: contact the organisation from its official website, not the numbers in the message. GOV.UK says do not give bank details or click links if you are unsure; forward suspicious mail to [email protected]. In practice: write the URL and the number you dialled on the requester-check note.

What to include in a former-tenant reference?

Only what this file shows. Open the AST for names, address, dates and rent, the rent schedule for payment and arrears, any notice actually served, the existing check-out report, and the deposit deduction outcome. If a row has no document, omit it. Do not fill gaps from memory or WhatsApp.

LandlordZONE’s safest core is identity, property, dates, and whether rent was paid as agreed. Then evidenced arrears with dates, verifiable breaches, check-out versus inventory, and significant deductions. Neutral language: “rent was paid late on two occasions” beats “unreliable”. Dates and rent live in the tenancy-agreement folder. The payment line comes from the rent schedule. Check-out is one line citing the existing report on the check-out report checklist, for example returned in line with inventory. Do open the file first. Do not rewrite the inspection from memory.

When to leave character out of a former-tenant reference?

Character adjectives and protected characteristics stay out. Do not write that they were fine, difficult or a nightmare. Do not mention race, religion, disability, health, pregnancy, sexuality, benefits or children. You need not say whether you would let to them again.

LandlordZONE treats a tenant reference as a factual summary, not a personal endorsement. Equality Act 2010 section 4 lists protected characteristics. ICO special-category data extra-protects race, religion or belief, health and sexual orientation. Shelter Legal, updated 1 May 2026: do not put benefits or children into this letter. A form that asks whether you would rent to them again is not a legal requirement. Leave the box, send dates-and-rent, or decline.

When to file consent, the sent letter and who asked?

Keep one outgoing-reference tab for this tenancy: the named consent, a note of how you confirmed the requester, the letter as sent, and who asked and when. Clip it next to this AST. Do not leave Friday’s send only in a personal inbox.

Label the folder outgoing-reference-YYYY-MM-DD. ICO data minimisation — UK GDPR Article 5(1)(c) — wants data adequate, relevant and limited to what is necessary. Record the disclosure decision. Keep a copy of what you sent. Treat the letter as if the former tenant may read it. A phone “off the record” is not safer than writing. An IziRento workspace can hold this lease and the outgoing-reference tab on this property.

What if Friday arrives and the file is only a WhatsApp?

Do not send that sentence. Pull dates and rent from the AST and ledger if they exist. If even those four facts are missing, decline. A dates-and-rent statement is a complete letter when that is all the file shows. Do not back-date a glowing note to look helpful.

Letavo, April 2026, treats a statement of tenancy as the lower-risk option when the file is thin. Trade reports in 2026 quoted Housing Minister Matthew Pennycook: no plans to introduce a statutory duty. The agent’s Friday is their deadline, not yours. Workflow: named consent → confirm requester → evidenced lines → send → file consent + sent copy + who asked. Success bar: Omar can ask for named consent, confirm the firm, write only evidenced lines, skip character, send, and show November what went out. Verify that checklist, then stop.