How to screen tenants without a letting agent

Letting agents charge 10-15% partly because tenant screening is genuinely fiddly. Done right, you can do it yourself and arrive at a similar (or better) outcome.

The signal stack

1. Identity. Passport / driving licence to confirm who they are.
2. Right to rent (legal requirement, share code or original document).
3. Income vs rent. The rule of thumb is monthly rent should be no more than 35% of monthly net pay (i.e. income should be at least 2.5-3x rent).
4. Employment reference. Confirms the income claim.
5. Previous landlord reference. The single most predictive signal you'll get. A tenant who paid on time and left the place clean is the gold standard.
6. Credit check. Picks up CCJs, IVAs, bankruptcies that the tenant might not declare.

Questions to ask the previous landlord

• Did they pay rent on time, every month?
• Was there any damage beyond fair wear and tear?
• Did you have to chase them for anything?
• Would you rent to them again?

The "would you rent to them again?" question is the one that gets honest answers.

Watch outs

• A tenant who has moved frequently. Sometimes innocent, often a red flag.
• Income that doesn't match the lifestyle (£25k salary, brand new German car).
• Pressure to skip steps. "I really need to move this weekend, can we just sign?" is the classic.

What havelo does

The Applicants module (/dashboard/applicants) sends the prospective tenant a single link. They fill in personal details, employment, references, address history, and self-declared issues (CCJs, evictions). For multiple applicants on the same property, the Compare wizard puts them side by side with key signals aligned, so you can pick objectively.

What havelo does not do

We don't run a credit check (yet). For now, you'll still want to use Experian's TenantVerify, OpenRent's reference check, or your accountant's preferred provider.