Questions to Ask a Previous Landlord
A reference-check call for landlords and property managers screening an applicant. The questions cover the facts of the tenancy, payment record, condition at move-out, and conduct, and they stay on the tenancy rather than the person.
The questions
Open any question for the note
Can I confirm the address you rented to them and the dates they were there?
Why ask it
Start here because it verifies you are speaking to the actual landlord of the actual unit. Dates that do not match the application are the most common thing a reference call catches, and gaps usually hide a tenancy someone did not want you to call.
What was the monthly rent, and was it ever raised while they were there?
Why ask it
Cross-checks the figure on the application and confirms your contact knows the property. Someone posing as a landlord for a friend will often hesitate on this and on the deposit amount.
Did they pay in full and on time, and how many times were they late?
Why ask it
Ask for the count, not a yes or no. "Mostly on time" is what landlords say when the rent regularly arrived a week late, and the number is what tells you whether that pattern was chronic.
Did they ever ask to pay late or in instalments, and how did that go?
Why ask it
More useful than asking about their finances, which is not yours to explore. What you want to know is whether they warned you in advance and then kept to the arrangement, or went quiet.
Did you ever have to serve a formal notice, for rent or for anything else?
Why ask it
A notice is a documented event, so this is the one payment question that is hard to soften. Note also whether it was resolved without a filing, which says something about both parties.
Is there any balance still owed to you?
Why ask it
Unpaid rent or damages sometimes never reach a court record or a credit file, and this is often the only way you will hear about it. An unhesitating no is worth as much as a yes here.
Was there anyone living there who wasn't on the lease?
Why ask it
Unauthorized occupants are a lease problem rather than a character one, but they predict the same issue at your property. Ask it plainly and without implication so the previous landlord answers straight.
Were there pets, and were they on the lease?
Why ask it
The second half is the real question. A declared pet that caused no damage is good news, whereas an undeclared one tells you how they treat terms they disagree with.
Did you get complaints from neighbours, and what were they about?
Why ask it
Naming the subject matters more than the count. Occasional noise on a weekend and repeated disputes over parking or shared spaces are different risks for your building.
How did they report maintenance problems, and did you hear about them early enough?
Why ask it
The expensive tenant is not the one who calls often, it is the one who says nothing until a slow leak has reached the floor below. Frequent small reports usually save you money.
Did they give you access for inspections and repairs when you asked?
Why ask it
Access friction is one of the most common ongoing headaches and almost never appears on an application. Listen for whether appointments were kept or repeatedly rearranged.
How did they respond when you had to raise a problem with them?
Why ask it
This is where a hesitant reference gets specific. What you are listening for is whether disagreements were handled in conversation or escalated to threats, complaints, and long emails.
How much notice did they give before moving out?
Why ask it
Proper notice costs a tenant nothing but attention, so short notice tells you something about their planning. It also affects how much vacancy you should expect to carry at the end.
Why did they leave?
Why ask it
Compare the answer with what the applicant told you. The discrepancy, not the reason, is the useful part, and a landlord who says they asked them to go will usually explain if you wait.
What condition was the place in when they handed it back?
Why ask it
Ask before you ask about the deposit, so you get a description rather than a justification. Landlords tend to be more candid about cleanliness than about the money.
Did you withhold any of the deposit, and what for?
Why ask it
The itemized reasons are what you want, since some landlords deduct for cleaning as routine and others only for real damage. A full return after a long tenancy is a strong signal.
Was there anything you had to repair after they left that went beyond normal wear?
Why ask it
Separates the scuffs everyone leaves from holes, unauthorized paint, and altered fittings. Costs that exceeded the deposit are the ones the previous landlord will remember in detail.
Would you rent to them again?
Why ask it
The most predictive question in the call, and hesitation before the answer carries as much information as the answer. A landlord who will not answer this while answering everything else has told you something.
Knowing what you know now, is there anything you'd have put in the lease from the start?
Why ask it
Turns a reference into practical advice you can use in your own agreement, and it lets a cautious landlord flag a concern without making an accusation.
Is there anything I haven't asked that you'd want to know if you were in my position?
Why ask it
The catch-all belongs at the end, once rapport is established. Most calls that produce a surprise produce it here, after a pause, and often in a lowered voice.
Running a Landlord Reference Check
Practical guidance for the conversation itself
Getting a Reference You Can Rely On
Verify the number independently
Look up the property's ownership in public records or the management company's published line rather than calling the mobile number on the application. A friend playing the part of a landlord is the single most common way a reference check is defeated.
Get written permission first
Have the applicant sign a release naming each previous landlord you may contact. Many landlords will only speak once they know the tenant has authorized it, and some will confirm dates and nothing else without it.
Keep every question about the tenancy
Ask about rent, notices, condition, conduct, and access. Do not ask about health, disability, children, marital status, national origin, religion, or where the income came from. Fair-housing rules differ by jurisdiction, and the safe habit is to discuss the tenancy rather than the tenant.
Ask the same questions of every applicant
Use one written list and record the answers on the same form each time. Consistency is what makes your decision defensible later, and it stops you probing hardest on the applicant you already doubt.
Ask for counts and dates
"How many times" and "when was that" convert a vague impression into something you can weigh. Landlords soften bad news by instinct, and specifics are how you get past the softening.
How These Calls Mislead You
The glowing reference from a landlord who wants them gone
A landlord mid-eviction or facing an unwanted tenancy has a reason to help them move on. Warmth with no specifics, and reluctance to discuss the deposit or notices, is the pattern to watch for.
Reading silence as a red flag
Many managers have a policy of confirming dates and rent only, out of concern about defamation claims. That is not a signal about the tenant, so ask factual yes-or-no questions and get the judgement elsewhere.
Only calling the most recent landlord
The current landlord has an interest in the outcome either way. Two references, one of them older, give you a pattern rather than a single opinion.
Asking leading questions
"They were fine with the rent, I assume?" gets agreement, not information. Keep the question open and let the pause do the work.
How to Order the Call
First two minutes: establish the facts
- 1Confirm the address and the dates of the tenancy.
- 2Confirm the monthly rent and any increase.
- 3Ask how many late payments there were.
- 4Ask whether any formal notice was served.
Middle of the call: conduct and condition
- 1Ask how maintenance problems were reported.
- 2Ask about access for inspections and repairs.
- 3Ask about neighbour complaints and their subject.
- 4Ask what condition the unit was in at move-out.
Last minute: the judgement calls
- 1"Would you rent to them again?"
- 2"Is anything still owed?"
- 3"Is there anything I haven't asked that you'd want to know?"