Free landlord reference letter sample & how to write it.

What is a landlord reference letter?

A landlord reference letter is a written document that one landlord writes to another. It outlines the experience of renting to a specific tenant, so the new landlord knows what to expect if they enter a lease agreement with the tenant. Your document should cover items such as whether the tenant paid rent on time, followed the lease agreement, and maintained the property in good condition.

In general, whether you’re writing one from scratch or using a premade reference letter template online, the goal is to create a positive landlord reference letter that can help renters qualify for a new lease and, possibly, receive even more favorable renting terms.

What to include in a landlord reference letter.

If you’re a landlord, you never know when a former renter might reach out for a reference. That’s why it’s good to always have a landlord reference letter template on hand that you can complete quickly. Here is an overview of the information that you should include in a rental reference letter, as well as details you shouldn't include when writing one:

• Date

• Your name and contact information

• General greeting (“To whom it may concern” is okay if you don’t have a name)

• Address of the rental property

• Dates of the tenant’s lease

• Description of tenant’s payment history

• Any lease violations

• Notes about property maintenance

• Pet experiences, positive or negative (if applicable)

• Closing remarks about whether you’d rent to this tenant again

• Signature

It’s always best to keep your landlord reference letter short, ideally one page or less. The introduction and closing remarks should be only a sentence or two each, and the renter information details can be put into a bulleted list.

When writing a landlord reference letter, it's crucial to avoid including personal details that could violate fair housing laws. Information about a tenant’s race, religion, national origin, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability status, or family situation, such as whether they have children, should never be mentioned. Even if shared with good intentions, these details can lead to discriminatory practices and complications. A strong reference should focus solely on the tenant’s rental history, payment reliability, property care, and communication — not their personal characteristics.

To create a landlord reference letter template, write a generic introduction and closing and leave blank spaces where you can fill in the details later. Then, just save it as a template file.

When a tenant reaches out asking for a rental reference letter, open your template file and update the information. Fill out the greeting and renter detail spaces that you left blank.

Remember to save your new document as a new file. You don’t want to overwrite your template, so you can still use it in the future.

Before you send your landlord reference letter, make sure you save it as a PDF. You never know how another landlord will read your letter, and PDFs maintain their formatting on any device. It’s the best way to send any type of document.

You can easily save your letter directly as a PDF or convert Word to PDF online right from your web browser. If you need to make changes, you can always convert PDF to Word using the same method.

Don’t forget to add your signature to the PDF. That really makes your reference letter official. Then all that’s left to do is send your letter to the tenant or the other landlord.