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Tenant (Landlord) Recommendation Letter
Like a college or job application, we all need a vote of confidence when convincing a prospective landlord to take us in. And one of the most effective ways of giving a vote of confidence is through a tenant recommendation letter. This type of letter allows you, their landlord, to narrate your positive and negative experiences during the lease term. This vote of confidence is a huge determining factor whether a prospective tenant gets approved or not. And crafting this type of letter is difficult if you are not used to such a thing. To know more about this, continue reading below. Read More
Tenant (Landlord) Recommendation Letter
- What Is a Tenant Recommendation Letter?
- How to Write a Strong Tenant Recommendation Letter?
- Frequently Asked Questions
- What happens if the prospective tenant cannot give a reference?
- As a landlord, can I say anything I want on the recommendation letter?
- How can I avoid my former landlord from giving me a bad reference?
- What should be in my tenant (landlord) recommendation letter?
- How long should my tenant (landlord) recommendation letter be?
What Is a Tenant Recommendation Letter?
A tenant recommendation letter is a letter written by the landlord to vouch for their former tenant’s behavior throughout the lease term. This presented to a prospective landlord, declaring the rental history, lease term, monthly rent, and committed violations. The prospective landlord may or may not give their negative experiences in the letter. And this type of letter is commonly used by tenants with poor credit.
How to Write a Strong Tenant Recommendation Letter?
According to Apartment List, people who make good references are your previous landlords, property managers, supervisors, and colleagues. These people know you professionally and are in the perfect position to give votes of confidence on your behalf.
Your recommendation letter should convince your previous tenant’s prospective landlord to take them in. To write a persuasive tenant recommendation letter, here’s how:
1. Draft Your Letter
Before you can start writing the actual letter, draft it first. Your draft will give room for mistakes, and you will plenty of time to organize your thoughts. Draft your message with a pen and paper. Ask the candidate for the recipient’s details, such as their name and address.
2. Keep It Clean
You might have held grudges against your previous tenant that you want to vent out—today is not that day. Keep the whole letter clean by keeping your emotions at bay. It is okay to discuss their violations, late payments, or any other misbehavior as long as you state it as is. Be professional. If you are going to vent out some not-so-pleasant commentaries, make sure you have the evidence to back it up because you can be sued for slander.
3. Discuss the Technicalities
The technicalities include the lease term, monthly rent, and late payment occurrences. Cite how long your former tenant has occupied the premises, their monthly rent, and if they paid their dues religiously. The prospective landlord needs to know all these, so they will know what to anticipate in case they consider your former tenant’s application.
4. Observe Business Letter Formatting
The tenant recommendation letter is formal—so, observe proper business letter formatting. Formal letters are usually indented to the left. Avoid messy formatting because it is offputting to the reader.
5. Provide Your Contact Information
Lastly, provide a closing statement with your contact information in case the prospective landlord needs additional information. Provide the days and time in which you are available. Once done, read your letter carefully and put yourself in your reader’s shoes. Is the letter comprehensible? Is it free of errors that might disappoint the reader? Correct any mistakes immediately and affix your signature and full name.
There is an easy way to create a tenant recommendation letter. It means one where you do not have to start from scratch, and that is by making use of a tenant recommendation letter template. This type of template has prewritten content that makes it easier for you to construct a letter. You can refer to the format in the samples in this article.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens if the prospective tenant cannot give a reference?
If the prospective tenant cannot provide a reference or recommendation letter, then that means that it is their first time leaving home. The prospective landlord may ask the parents for a financial reference.
As a landlord, can I say anything I want on the recommendation letter?
Yes, because no laws are prohibiting such. However, your testimonials must remain factual and evidence-based because your former tenant may sue you for slander. But for the sake of professionalism, keep your emotions at bay when stating the facts.
How can I avoid my former landlord from giving me a bad reference?
You can prevent your former landlord from doing so by paying all the unpaid rents. However, this is not always the case because your landlord may still give you a bad reference. It all depends on the former landlord.
What should be in my tenant (landlord) recommendation letter?
Your tenant (landlord) recommendation letter should have the date of writing, the recipient’s name, their address, the former tenant’s lease term, lease-related violations, monthly rent, your full name, address, and contact information. To ensure these are all accounted for, read the letter carefully after composing it.
How long should my tenant (landlord) recommendation letter be?
Your recommendation letter should be kept on one page only. Keep it brief yet comprehensive. On the maximum, it should only have two paragraphs. Read the letter and make sure it has all the components.
Scouring for a new shelter is quite challenging for most of us. What makes it challenging is that we have our own set of standards on what our shelter should look like. And what makes it more challenging is convincing our prospective landlord to take us in if we have poor credit. Poor credit or not, we need a recommendation letter from our previous landlords to put in the right word for us. This type of letter will help convince the prospective landlord to look past your poor credit and focus on the more important matters. If you want to help a former tenant today, using a tenant recommendation letter would be a good start.