Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to protect the right to a fair reference for tenants in rented accommodation.

The reference process is a private matter between the parties involved and not something it would be appropriate for the Government to intervene in.

Landlords and letting agents may wish to obtain references from their prospective tenant’s former landlords or letting agent but cannot charge the tenant a fee for this process. As part of the referencing process, landlords may take into account various factors when deciding whether to let to a tenant, including previous or outstanding rent arrears. Where these factors have been adversely affected by circumstances arising from the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, we would encourage landlords and letting agents to be considerate of this when deciding whether to accept or recommend such tenants. When completing the referencing process, both the previous landlord and prospective tenant should therefore provide any necessary contextual information to aid these considerations. For example, this could include details of any voluntary arrangements or payment holidays which were agreed.