Tenant Referencing Is Becoming More Important; But What Information Should Landlords Actually Keep?
A prospective tenant looks great.
- Good income.
- Stable employment.
- Friendly at the viewing.
- Everything feels right.
So you proceed.
But six months later, if somebody asked:
"Why did you decide this applicant was suitable?"
Could you show them?
That's an increasingly important question for landlords.
New research reported by Leaders suggests landlords are placing greater importance on tenant referencing following changes to England's rental rules.
And when you look at the wider financial picture, it's understandable why.
Registry Trust recorded 996,261 new consumer judgments in England and Wales during 2025, an increase of 11.8% compared with 2024. Registry Trust
That doesn't mean landlords should suddenly become suspicious of every applicant.
Far from it.
The same landlord-and-tenant research reported that the majority of tenants surveyed said they had always passed referencing without an issue.
The more useful lesson is simpler:
When you're making an important decision about who will occupy one of your most valuable assets, having the right information matters.
The rules have changed
Referencing has always mattered.
But the environment around that decision has changed in England.
Since 1 May 2026, the Renters' Rights Act has changed the private rented tenancy system. New assured tenancies generally operate as periodic tenancies, and Section 21 can no longer be used to obtain possession without relying on a statutory ground. GOV.UK
There are also new restrictions around advance rent.
For relevant tenancies, landlords cannot ask for or accept rent before the tenancy agreement has been signed. After signing and before the tenancy starts, the amount that can be required in advance is generally limited to one month's rent where rent is paid monthly. GOV.UK
That potentially puts greater emphasis on making a properly informed decision before the tenancy begins.
But there's an important distinction.
Better referencing doesn't mean automatically rejecting anyone whose circumstances aren't perfect.
It means understanding the information available and making a considered decision.
Referencing is information, not a crystal ball
No referencing process can tell you exactly what will happen over the next few years.
Someone with an excellent financial history can lose their job.
Someone with an imperfect credit history might become an excellent long-term tenant.
Circumstances change.
Referencing is therefore better thought of as a decision-making tool, rather than a guarantee.
Depending on the service and circumstances, landlords or their agents might consider things such as:
- Employment and income.
- Affordability.
- Credit information.
- Previous landlord references.
- Right to Rent checks where required.
- Guarantor information where appropriate.
- Previous rental history.
The objective shouldn't be to find a "perfect" human being.
It should be to obtain relevant information, apply a consistent and lawful process, and make a reasoned decision.
But there's another part landlords sometimes forget
Getting the information is step one.
Keeping the information you actually need is another matter.
Property management creates a trail of decisions and documents.
- Referencing.
- Tenancy agreements.
- Deposits.
- Certificates.
- Inspections.
- Repairs.
- Contractors.
- Tenant communications.
- Compliance dates.
- Photographs.
- Invoices.
And potentially years later, you may need to understand what happened.
That's when:
"I'm sure I did that."
is very different from:
"Here's the record."
Information gives landlords control
This is something we're increasingly thinking about with 360Rent.
The value of a property-management system isn't simply storing documents.
It's creating context.
Imagine opening one property and being able to understand its history.
- Who occupies it?
- What tenancy information is recorded?
- Which compliance dates are approaching?
- What repairs have happened?
- What documents relate to the property?
- What needs attention next?
That's considerably more useful than having the same information scattered across:
Email + WhatsApp + Photos + Dropbox + spreadsheets + paper folders + your memory.
You might technically possess all the information.
But if you can't find it when you need it, how useful is it?
The 60-second landlord test
Here's a useful exercise.
Pick one property you own.
Give yourself 60 seconds.
Can you find:
1. The current tenancy information?
2. Your Gas Safety Certificate?
3. The EICR?
4. The EPC?
5. The last significant repair?
6. The next important compliance date?
7. The relevant records from when the tenancy started?
If everything is immediately accessible, excellent.
If the answer is:
"I have it somewhere..."
that's the opportunity.
Not necessarily to work harder.
To organise better.
More regulation makes information more valuable
This is one of the wider changes I think landlords need to recognise.
The professionalisation of property isn't simply about knowing more rules.
It's increasingly about being able to demonstrate what happened.
- What information did you have?
- What action did you take?
- When did something happen?
- Where is the document?
- When does something expire?
That doesn't mean landlords need enormous corporate systems.
A landlord with two properties doesn't need software designed for an organisation managing 20,000 homes.
But they do need an appropriate system.
Small portfolio shouldn't mean small standards.
There's also a responsibility around tenant information
More information isn't automatically better.
Referencing can involve personal and financial information, so landlords shouldn't simply collect everything they possibly can and keep it indefinitely.
UK data-protection principles require personal information to be collected for legitimate purposes, limited to what is necessary, kept appropriately secure and not retained longer than needed.
So the principle shouldn't be:
Collect everything.
It should be:
Have the right information, in the right place, for the right reason.
That's a much more professional approach.
This isn't about distrusting tenants
I think that's particularly important with this story.
Almost one million consumer judgments makes an eye-catching headline.
But it would be wrong to turn that into:
"Tenants are becoming riskier."
The Registry Trust figure covers consumer judgments across England and Wales generally; it isn't a measure of prospective tenants. Registry Trust
And referencing should work both ways.
- A tenant needs confidence that they can afford the property.
- A landlord needs enough information to make a responsible decision.
- A well-run process can help both parties start a tenancy with greater clarity.
Good landlords shouldn't have to rely on memory
This is the bigger principle behind 360Rent.
Landlords make dozens of small decisions.
Most aren't difficult individually.
The difficulty is remembering everything across months and years.
That's where technology should help.
Not by making decisions for landlords.
Not by replacing professional advice.
But by helping landlords organise the information surrounding those decisions.
Documents where you expect them.
Dates visible before they become deadlines.
Repairs connected to properties.
Tenancy information organised.
Property history accessible when you need it.
Because there's a difference between owning the information...
and actually having control of it.
Professional DIY property management starts with information
Landlords don't necessarily need to outsource everything to operate professionally.
But professional self-management requires systems.
Know who you're renting to.
Understand the information available.
Follow the appropriate checks.
Record what matters.
Protect personal information properly.
Keep important property records organised.
And know what's coming next.
Because the strongest landlord position isn't:
"I'm pretty sure I've done everything."
It's:
"I know what's happening with my property — and I can find the information when I need it."
That's what being in control looks like.
Stay Organised. Stay Compliant. Stay In Control.
This article provides general information and isn't legal, financial or referencing advice. Rental law differs across the UK; the Renters' Rights Act points discussed above relate to England.