Do Landlords Call Previous Landlords?

Landlords carry out their due diligence by questioning the potential tenant’s previous landlords so that they can find out what to expect.

So if you are seeking a rental apartment, the landlord may resort to extracting information about your living habits by calling up your previous landlord.

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Do Landlords Call Previous Landlords?

Overall, landlords have a policy of contacting previous landlords for gleaning much-needed information about prospective tenants.

Having access to this information will help landlords decide whether or not the prospective tenant is a suitable candidate.

Landlords need this information so that they do not run into problems like late rent payments and property damage.

Contacting previous landlords takes the guesswork out of providing rental spaces to the right people.

Information from previous rental property owners can give landlords a complete picture of what would otherwise be unknown rental prospects.

However, there may be certain landlords who may not make this highly dreaded call. It all boils down to personal habits.

It Depends on What You Put in the Rental Application Form

Whenever you apply for a rental apartment, you will have to fill up information in the application including all those rental spaces that you have resided in over the past few years.

Not only will you have to list the places where you have stayed, but you also have to provide the names and numbers of apartment managers and owners.

When you provide this information, your prospective landlord will call up previous property owners to ascertain whether you are a good tenant or not.

Thus, if you were a good tenant, your previous landlord will likely extol your behavior. This can work in your favor especially when you are moving to a new city or applying for a much sought-after rental space.

With a glowing recommendation, you will have a greater chance of being selected over other applicants. This is imperative considering how the demand for rental units is increasing.

Applying for rent has now become rather competitive.

On the other hand, if you created issues for the previous landlord, you won’t exactly have a stellar recommendation going for you.

The previous landlord has no reason to hold back on any issues that transpired while you were residing in their rental property.

If a tenant paid late, the damaged property, or was evicted, landlords are going to reveal all. This will certainly not work in your favor and will almost certainly diminish your chances of gaining the new landlord’s approval.

If you have had issues with your previous landlord, then there is still some hope for you. There is a chance that the new landlord may not call up your previous landlord.

There is no point in fretting excessively over the dreaded call since it won’t help matters in any way. If you are lucky, there may be no call at all.

You should keep this in mind while applying for new rent if you are stressed over your previous rental record.

Also Depends on Landlords Personal Habits & Past Experience

Will the new landlord call your previous landlords? Much of this depends on their personality. A lot also depends on their experience with previous tenants.

If the new landlord had good tenants then there is a chance that they may not be too scrupulous about your rental history.

But if the new landlord had more than their fair share of bad renters, then this could spell bad news for you.

They may be determined to keep more bad renters out of their property and will thus be more likely to call up prior landlords to investigate.

Your Rent Record Can Play a Role

Your rental record also matters. If you show in the rental application form that you changed five locations in as many years then this will almost certainly stoke the suspicions of the new landlord.

They will most likely want to know more about your peripatetic rental habits. Were you evicted in the past? Did you create problems? Were you unable to pay rent? All sorts of troubling questions could come to mind.

This is not much different than a job interview. Job hoppers have slimmer chances of getting selected. Those who served all previous employers for at least a few years are considered more dependable.

They are more likely to be selected. Likewise, renters who shift a few places over the years are seen as more stable and safer prospects.

If you are familiar with your new landlord and on good terms with them, it will be less likely that they will call up previous landlords.

Your past acquaintance with the new landlord could assuage suspicions that they may have against new renters.

Reasons for Shifting

Another factor that could work in your favor (or against you) is the reason you have provided for shifting to a new rental unit.

If you have a valid reason like shifting to a new city, changing jobs, or moving to a posh area then you will appear more legit.

This will reduce the chances of your new landlord gleaning information about you from previous landlords.

On the other hand, if you are moving to a new rental space on the same street then this could arouse suspicions.

You can bet top dollar that the new landlord will want to investigate why you are moving in the same area where buildings have very similar amenities.

Your Credit Report

Besides calling your previous employer there is also a fair chance of your new landlord checking up on your credit report.

It’s not just lenders who check up on your credit report. Any service that you want to sign up for including telecom and utilities now glean your credit report as a matter of policy.

Landlords are doing the same. So even if the new landlord does not call up your previous landlord, they could still discover your rent payment habits by checking up your credit report.

If they find no derogatory record in your credit report then you have a stronger chance of approval. On the other hand, if you slacked on rent payments, then your previous landlord may have reported it to the credit bureaus.

This will make its way to your credit report for all to see including your new landlord.

If you are really worried about this matter then you should try to patch up with your current landlord and improve your payment and living habits so that they provide a better recommendation.

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