A Guide to the Best Tenant Referencing Companies

Looking to let out your property to new tenants?

It’s important to know who you’re renting your property out to and what to expect from them in the future. You’ll want a risk free applicant that doesn’t provide you with a mountain of financial stress and instability.

We’ve created a guide to the best tenant referencing companies that you should be aware of for your property management franchise and what they can offer you.

Husmus

Husmus offers three instant tenant referencing report types. Their comprehensive product instantly returns a report containing credit checks (CCJs, Bankruptcy, Insolvency, address verification), Identity and Right to Rent confirmation. Additionally, it covers past rent payment, as well as income and affordability verification based on careful analysis of tenant bank statements and long-term net disposable income.

Packages start from £9.95 for the basic option, up to £39.95 for full comprehensive checks. They also offer bulk and unlimited tenant referencing packages for high volume users.

FLS Tenant Referencing

An independent referencing service that’s available on a pay-as-you-order basis, FLS Tenant Referencing has operated in the UK since 1992 and offers all of the expected credit reports and associated services you’d hope to find from a tenancy referencing company.

Their packages include company referencing, credit check plus, insight referencing and full profile referencing. Ranging from £9.95 to £34.95, they provide various levels of detail for response times that can be immediate or within a 48 hour period.

Tenant Referencing UK

With multiple different services across the board, including advertising, referencing and insurance, you’re spoilt for choice when it comes to Tenant Referencing UK.

Numerous packages are on offer which suit a variety of needs, starting with ‘DIY Referencing’ at £7 and bumped-up versions for £40. They’ll calculate costs, process your forms and ultimately get you the answers you need for your potential applicants.

Rent 4 Sure

Rent 4 Sure keep their services at the forefront of their advertising, making it clear what they offer and how it can benefit you. With three types of tenancy referencing to choose from, including credit checks, full referencing and company referencing, you’ll have a variety of choice to suit you.

Van Mildert Landlord and Tenant Protection

Much like other landlord protection companies, Van Mildert has property security in mind when it comes to their referencing services.

You can expect to obtain a wealth of information from numerous sources, including a comprehensive credit report, employment references, landlord references, verified bank statements and a final judgement as to whether your tenant is likely to pay the rent on time or cause any problems.

FCC Paragon

Established in 1996, this letting company offers experienced services to its customers and prides itself on reliability. There are all of the standard options you’d want, with fast response times to keep you up to date.

You can select from full reference checks, instant credit searches, company references and remote referencing. Their most popular service, full referencing, benefits from a credit history check, voters roll confirmation, location information, PCC Paragon tenants database checks, agent and landlord references, as well as income information.

HomeLet

This insurance and tenancy referencing company has over 25 years’ worth of expertise at hand. With three levels of checks to choose from, and a rent guarantee designed to protect your income should a tenant fail to pay rent, there’s plenty to be drawn towards here.

HomeLet’s ‘Optimum’ choice offers full checks and a guarantee to remove tenants from a property should they fail to pay the rent. The other, cheaper options at £45 and £25 respectively, offer various degrees of checks and references to give you a clear picture of your potential tenant.

Experian

Experian’s tenant screening services allows landlords to monitor existing tenants and evaluate potentially new ones. They have a variety available with differing wait times. You can choose from instant or comprehensive checks, as well as background screening designing for private landlords.

RLA Tenant Referencing

Registering with the Residential Landlords Association is free and the company offers a pay-as-you go system for referencing services. You’ll be able to choose from tenant, guarantor and company references.

Tenants complete their applications online, and you can receive a discount if you’re an RLA member. Full support is available by email or telephone with comprehensive and uncomplicated reports to keep things simple.

Mudhut

Looking for something more immediate? Mudhut offers an instant, quick checking service starting at £12. You’ll receive a credit score, identity and residency checks, electoral roll checks, electoral roll checks, alters, aliases and financial associates, bankruptcy and insolvency checks, county court judgements and checks on previous addresses.

Information is sourced from Equifax and a risk assessment is provided to determine if you’re getting a suitable tenant for your property.

OpenRent

This tenant referencing company provides two distinct packages for £20.

The first is a ‘speedy reference’ that you’ll receive within one working day, and includes credit checks, linked addresses and identity information, as well as extra court information and the right to rent check and advice.

The second, the ‘comprehensive reference’, includes all of the above with extra stats on affordability rating, previous landlord referencing, employer’s references and rent guarantee insurance eligibility. You’ll have to wait longer however, and should expect your report back within three to five working days.

Rentguard

Established in 2001, Rentguard are confident in their ability to recognise the good and the bad when it comes to potential tenants. They offer a range of referencing services including a full profile, credit check, insight referencing, and company reference checks.

A full profile run down includes written verification of income, previous letting references, residency confirmation, affordability calculations, full credit history checks, application tracking and a comprehensive report sent by fax or email. They’ll respond within 1 to 2 working days.

Total Tenant Referencing

Implemented by Rent4Sure, Total Tenant Referencing pool from several sources of information and provide you with details on a potential application’s ability to pay rent, their general history, as well as additional stats and figures. They also offer rent protection, legal expenses and tenant’s liability insurance.

Alan Boswell

Alan Boswell aim to reduce the risks associated with letting properties by offering landlords both the full referencing service as well as an online credit check. Both are £29.50 and £12.50 per person respectively, and give an extensive insight into potential tenants.

Also available is the company reference check for £21.50 per company, where you’ll receive verification of business activities, details of any previous names or subsidiaries, an analysis of profit and loss counts, county court judgement searches, verification of director details and a full comprehensive report sent by email.

Being a landlord is no easy business, and since your property is your livelihood, we believe in protecting it. We can help you safeguard your property, with full check-in and check-out services that ensure a hassle-free and impartial inventory check. Find out more about how No Letting Go can help you here.