Check prospective tenants with Foxtons
Our tenant background and credit checks for landlords give you peace of mind when renting out your property. As part of our lettings and property management services:
We'll obtain tenant references and verify their identities
We'll carry out Right to Rent checks to ensure your tenants can legally live in the UK
We can prepare your tenancy agreement
Why choose Foxtons for tenant checks?
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We're number one for property lettings in London and rent more homes in the capital than any other estate agent
We offer both long and short-term lets
We can manage every aspect of your rental with our property management services
What are tenant checks?
Tenant checks, or background checks for renters, are checks that are carried out to make sure that someone is a suitable tenant for your property. Some checks focus on legal aspects such as whether the person can legally live in the country while others assess their income to ensure they can afford to pay the rent. References can also provide additional assurance on the reliability of a prospective tenant.
What are the benefits of tenant background checks?
When letting out your property, you'll want to know that your tenant will treat it with respect and pay their rent on time. Although you can't always guarantee a completely trouble-free tenancy, it's a good idea to carry out some basic checks to increase the chances of a suitable tenant.
These checks can provide information about their ability to pay the rent, whether they are who they say they are and whether they're likely to cause any issues when renting your property. They can help protect you from any problems in the long term.
What tenant checks do Foxtons provide?
All our packages (long let, managed long let and short let) include a range of background checks on prospective renters.
Tenant identity verification
This involves asking the potential tenant for proof of identity which is usually in the form of a passport, driving licence or other official means. Details such as the name, address and date of birth should match any rental application documents.
Right to Rent checks
It's a legal requirement to check a tenant's right to rent in England. Their immigration status is usually confirmed by a passport or residence document. For those who are not British or Irish citizens, they must prove their right to live in the UK.
Tenant bank reference checks
We conduct bank reference and income checks which can help indicate whether a tenant can afford to pay the rent on a property. These types of tenant checks might also include obtaining a letter from an employer or seeking proof of income via payslips. Background credit checks on renters can be carried out but these are normally done to verify a person's identity, rather than to obtain information about previous rental payments.
References
We can obtain references from previous landlords and employers to assess the suitability of a tenant.
Other services we provide include:
Ensuring direct debits are set up before move-in Checking when tenants have paid their deposit In-person pre-tenancy property checks
Tenant background checks FAQs
Can I carry out background checks myself?
How long do background tenant checks take?
What if a prospective tenant doesn't pass the checks?
What if a tenant fails to pay the rent?
We carry out thorough background and credit checks on renters to ensure they can afford their payments and we successfully collect 98% of all rents on behalf of our managed landlords.
We have a specialist credit control team who are experienced in collecting rental income, though sometimes there can be issues. There are proper legal procedures you should follow in the case of missed payments, which we can advise you on.