Are desperate landlords now willing to let without references ?

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twofor1

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I have an apartment to let, there are always several others available in the same scheme, most are dearer, none are cheaper. Mine is in excellent condition new floors, beds and newly decorated.

Since Christmas I have had eight viewings, six of whom wanted to take it, but only one came back with the requested current/previous landlord reference and it turned out to be false.

More expensive ones in poor condition are being let, I can only assume that out of desperation landlords are now willing to let without references.

Do you think this is now the case ?
 
Re: Are Landlords now willing to let without references ?

I dont get this,why would you let anyone rent your property without getting and checking references?Its a no brainer,good tenants will volunteer refs and they will stand up to scrutiny,lousy tenants either have none or fake them for a very good reason...they are troublesome deadbeats.

If you drop this most basic of requirements you have only yourself to blame when the garden in your property is full of royal dutch cans,there is a ford capri on blocks and used nappies are scattered around like confetti at a wedding,your property is trashed,they refuse to pay rent and are taking you to the PRTB who in 2 years time will find in their favour and award them 23K.

Properties are taking longer to rent,but set realistic price and stick to it and you will get good quality tenants,but for Gods sake check refs.
 
I agree 100% and I will continue to insist on references. I would rather pay the mortgage and have no one in it, than pay the mortgage with tenants who don’t pay or trash the place.

But it appears some of my neighbouring landlords are foregoing this requirement.

Several who viewed my apartment and were unable to provide a reference described one in the same block as in bits, yet one of these couples is now living in it although it was advertised at €100 monthly more than mine. They might have got this reduced a bit but certainly not cheaper than mine.
 
People may not have references due to no fault of their own, they may never have rented before, or their last landlord may have refused to provide a reference.

If someone of 28 years of age said they had always lived at home and this would be their first rental,.. how would you respond? Would you ask for a letter from the parents?

If a foreign person said they had never rented in Ireland how would you respond?

In the end I feel a bit of trust may be required, or you could try to have a trial period to see how things go...

edited to add...
also, do you provide references to prospective tenants that you've obtained from previous tenants indicating that you're a 'good' landlord?, i.e that you carry out repairs in a timely manner, and that you don't enter the property without permission, etc etc?

From threads on AAM it seems there's likely to be as many bad landlords as bad tenants.
 
I have previously rented to non Irish nationals who had only been here a short time and were living with friends. I have rented to people who lived with parents and never rented before. In both cases a bit of trust was required, my instinct told me they were genuine and I did not regret it.

However In the six cases I am referring to they were all currently living in rental accommodation, assured me a reference would not be a problem and then were unable to provide one.

I have never been asked as a landlord for references from previous tenants, If I was I would not have a problem providing references.

I do accept your point that there are many bad landlords and many bad tenants.
 
JoeBallantin said:
Also, do you provide references to prospective tenants that you've obtained from previous tenants indicating that you're a 'good' landlord?, i.e that you carry out repairs in a timely manner, and that you don't enter the property without permission, etc etc?
Click to expand...

Yes this is a very well made point. If I were a prospective tenant I would provide the prospective landlord with references providing he/she reciprocated.
 
OP, what floor is your apartment on ??? Ground floor normally takes longer to let.
 
Fair point, It is a ground floor apartment. These can be harder to let, but easier if there is a young child.

I had six different people currently living in rented accommodation, eager to take this ground floor apartment but were unable to get a reference.

The apartment I referred to that was in bits, more expensive and now let to a couple who viewed mine, and were unable to show a reference, is also on the ground floor.

Hence the question.
 
References are NOT worth the paper they are written on.

I am sure that Landlords will write decent references just to get rid of tenants. Employers do it too.

It is easy to produce a reference. I could get my mate Joe Bloggs to write a lovely reference for me. He will include his legitimate home address and home/mobile number. You could phone him or write to him and he will tell you everything you want to hear about a potential tenant. His word is not binding so if you phone him back three months later when tenants have wrecked the place, you have nothing to fall back on.

I have numerous rental properties which I manage myself. I never seek references - I simply judge books by their covers. I issue a strongly worded letter on moving-in day that accompanies the lease Agreement which details what is expected of them.

I have always written references for tenants when they leave if they request one.

The deposit is effectively a ransom hanging over tenants.
 
I've never asked for a reference, there is no point. I can't remember any of my tenant's asking me for a reference either.
 
I agree, references are too easily forged or indeed given out by unscrupulous landlords who want troublemakers out. Judge the book by the cover and go with your gut.
 
A friend of mine is on the rental trail and has come across landlords looking for bank references plus references from previous landlords. Have never heard of bank references looked for before but apparently so.
 
Our last landlord that would not provide us with a reference before we moved out and we had letters to say that all bills were paid but of course we had to sign a lease with a new landlord a couple of weeks before we left the house! Very fustrating! Luckily our new landlord was more interested in our work references.
 
So do you think work references are more reliable?

Regarding references from my mate Joe Bloggs wouldn't it make sense to cross check the details with the prtb to see if it was legitimate?
 
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