Reference letters from landlords not common, but experts make a case for why they should be

The idea of tenants asking landlords for reference letters from past renters is not a common one in Canada, but housing experts are making a case for why it should be.

Far less common, however, are instances of tenants asking landlords for a reference letter from previous renters.

“I haven't heard about it much, [and] I would suspect that it wouldn't be all that common,” Strange told CTVNews.ca in a telephone interview on Tuesday. “There is not any standard data source that tracks this kind of thing.”

While it may not happen frequently, Strange said it presents an interesting idea: why aren’t landlords automatically obligated to provide their own reference letters already?

Landlords request reference letters in order to get to know more about prospective tenants who are interested in renting their unit, as well as verifying whether or not they would be able to make rent payments. Tenants, however, are also interested in learning more about what kind of landlord they would be dealing with, Strange said.