Here S Why You Should Ask Landlords For Reference Letters

Much less common, however, are tenants who ask landlords for a letter of recommendation from previous tenants.
“I have not heard much about it, [and] “I would suspect it would not be so commonplace,” Strange told CTVNews.ca in a telephone interview on Tuesday.  “There is no standard data source that monitors such things.”
Although it may not happen often, Strange said it presents an interesting idea: why aren’t owners automatically required to provide their own reference letters already?
Landlords request letters of recommendation to find out more about prospective tenants interested in renting their unit, as well as to verify whether they will be able to pay rent or not.  Tenants, however, are also interested in learning more about the type of landlord they will be dealing with, Strange said.
“From a landlord’s point of view, there are a lot of things they want to know about the landlord that are not trivial and are not guaranteed by the laws that protect tenants,” Strange said.
“They may want to know, is there an owner who will come to fix the washing machine when it really needs to be repaired?  Or will this landlord ask for the maximum legally permissible increase in rent or is the landlord more modest?
A man from Sydney made just that request earlier this year in Australia.  In a TikTok video posted in January, Tom Cashman explained that in his search for an apartment to rent, he asked a landlord to provide a letter of recommendation from a previous tenant.
“I’ve never heard anyone ask that, but they ask me, for example, for three reports to see if I’m good,” Cashman said in the video.  “What about them?”  Are you a good guy? ‘
According to Cashman, his application was initially approved, but in a video that follows, he informs viewers that his application for rent has been withdrawn, although Cashman said he did not ask for it to be canceled.
Lasse Hvitved, a lawyer at Tenant Resource and Advisory Center in British Columbia, said he had even encountered a similar story involving a Canadian tenant who asked a prospective landlord to provide recommendations from previous tenants.
“I have heard many tenants express concern about their new owners and do not know how to treat them. [or] “if he is a good person,” he told CTVNews.ca in a telephone interview in March.  “But I do not think I have ever heard anyone specifically ask for a previous tenant report from the landlord.”
Part of the reason for this could come from a power imbalance between landlords and tenants, Hvitved said.  In the province of BC, for example, there is strong evidence that the current rental market in the province is in favor of landlords as opposed to tenants.
A rental market report published by the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) in February collected data on vacancy rates in major Canadian cities.  These percentages refer to the percentage of available rental units in a given market.  While some cities, such as Edmonton, continue to have high vacancy rates of around 7%, rates in other cities, such as Vancouver, remain very low at 1.2%.  The city of Victoria, as well as parts of Ontario, see vacancy rates as low as one percent, according to the CMHC report.
The lower vacancy rates between these units mean that tenants have less to choose from, Hvitved said.  As a result, asking for letters of recommendation from prospective landlords may have no purpose in helping tenants secure a rent, he said.
“Most tenants do not decide between 14 landlords like ‘Oh, I wonder which apartment I will choose,'” he said.  “The beggars cannot be chosen [and] at the moment, the tenants are beggars. “
PROBABILITY OF PROPERTY LEGISLATION
Hvitved said he recognizes the value of efforts to get landlords’ recommendations from former tenants as a form of protest.  With average rental rates rising in Canada, this is likely to push tenants to become more politicized and take similar initiatives to try to rectify the power imbalance between landlords and tenants, he said.
“I can see how some people would see it as a very non-serious way of dealing with a much more serious problem,” Hvitved said.  “How is it a way to try to regain control or get back this power that was stolen from you?”
But the current reality is that this may not actually be helpful in addressing some of the legal issues currently facing Canadian tenants, Hvitved said.  It is rather easy for an owner to reject applications from anyone requesting referrals, as he probably has a number of other candidates to choose from.
“If you are a landlord, you rent a place and you have about 40 applicants, why make any effort if you do not need it?”  said Hittvent.  “If someone asks for a report, you just do not choose them because you want the people who will cause you the least problem.”
Strange said that’s why some form of legislation that would make landlords’ claims a requirement is important.
A proposal has been introduced in the Australian Legislature by MLA Michael Pettersson that would give tenants the right to ask their landlords for references from previous tenants.  After watching Cashman’s video, Pettersson said allowing tenants to ask landlords for advice could benefit those living in the capital Canberra, which he chairs, to ensure tenants maintain a similar quality of life to those who do. own the units.
Although there are no such laws in Canada at present, Strange said he can see a case where landlords are required to provide renters with letters of recommendation from previous tenants of a unit if requested.
In general investments, such as transactions with a bank, efforts are being made to disclose the terms of the agreement, including the benefits and associated risks, Strange said.  Signing a lease with a landlord works as a kind of investment, so it makes sense to take letters of recommendation from landlords as well, he said.
“If you are looking for someone to invest in, you should not keep them in the dark about the terms of the investment,” he said.  “Literally, concluding a lease does not look like buying shares, but it is really an investment in the sense that you are concluding a contract.
“This kind of investment will work best for all parties if they understand each other.”
Landlords who are reluctant to provide information from past tenants or other relevant details about the unit should be suspected, Strange said.
“A good landlord has every reason to tell you [about] the previous tenants, “he said.  “Landlords may want to have letters certifying their ability as owners and a good landlord would like to do this voluntarily.”

title: “Here S Why You Should Ask Landlords For Reference Letters " ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-06” author: “Richard Hettinger”

Much less common, however, are tenants who ask landlords for a letter of recommendation from previous tenants.
“I have not heard much about it, [and] “I would suspect it would not be so commonplace,” Strange told CTVNews.ca in a telephone interview on Tuesday.  “There is no standard data source that monitors such things.”
Although it may not happen often, Strange said he has an interesting idea: why aren’t owners automatically required to provide their own reference letters?
Landlords request letters of recommendation to find out more about prospective tenants interested in renting their unit, as well as to verify whether they will be able to pay rent or not.  Tenants, however, are also interested in learning more about the type of landlord they will be dealing with, Strange said.
“From a landlord’s point of view, there are a lot of things they want to know about the landlord that are not trivial and are not guaranteed by the laws that protect tenants,” Strange said.
“They may want to know, is there an owner who will come to fix the washing machine when it really needs to be repaired?  Or will this landlord ask for the maximum legally permissible increase in rent or is the landlord more modest?
A man from Sydney made just that request earlier this year in Australia.  In a TikTok video posted in January, Tom Cashman explained that in his search for an apartment to rent, he asked a landlord to provide a letter of recommendation from a previous tenant.
“I’ve never heard anyone ask that, but they ask me, for example, for three reports to see if I’m good,” Cashman said in the video.  “What about them?”  Are you a good guy? ‘
According to Cashman, his application was initially approved, but in a video that follows, he informs viewers that his application for rent has been withdrawn, although Cashman said he did not ask for it to be canceled.
Lasse Hvitved, a lawyer at Tenant Resource and Advisory Center in British Columbia, said he had even encountered a similar story involving a Canadian tenant who asked a prospective landlord to provide recommendations from previous tenants.
“I have heard many tenants express concern about their new owners and do not know how to treat them. [or] “if he is a good person,” he told CTVNews.ca in a telephone interview in March.  “But I do not think I have ever heard anyone specifically ask for a previous tenant report from the landlord.”
Part of the reason for this could come from a power imbalance between landlords and tenants, Hvitved said.  In the province of BC, for example, there is strong evidence that the current rental market in the province is in favor of landlords as opposed to tenants.
A rental market report published by the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) in February collected data on vacancy rates in major Canadian cities.  These percentages refer to the percentage of available rental units in a given market.  While some cities, such as Edmonton, continue to have high vacancy rates of around 7%, rates in other cities, such as Vancouver, remain very low at 1.2%.  The city of Victoria, as well as parts of Ontario, see vacancy rates as low as one percent, according to the CMHC report.
The lower vacancy rates between these units mean that tenants have less to choose from, Hvitved said.  As a result, asking for letters of recommendation from prospective landlords may have no purpose in helping tenants secure a rent, he said.
“Most tenants do not decide between 14 landlords like ‘Oh, I wonder which apartment I will choose,'” he said.  “The beggars cannot be chosen [and] at the moment, the tenants are beggars. “
PROBABILITY OF PROPERTY LEGISLATION
Hvitved said he recognizes the value of efforts to get landlords’ recommendations from former tenants as a form of protest.  With average rental rates rising in Canada, this is likely to push tenants to become more politicized and take similar initiatives to try to rectify the power imbalance between landlords and tenants, he said.
“I can see how some people would see it as a very non-serious way of dealing with a much more serious problem,” Hvitved said.  “How is it a way to try to regain control or get back this power that was stolen from you?”
But the current reality is that this may not actually be helpful in addressing some of the legal issues currently facing Canadian tenants, Hvitved said.  It is rather easy for an owner to reject applications from anyone requesting referrals, as he probably has a number of other candidates to choose from.
“If you are a landlord, you rent a place and you have about 40 applicants, why make any effort if you do not need it?”  said Hittvent.  “If someone asks for a report, you just do not choose them because you want the people who will cause you the least problem.”
Strange said that’s why some form of legislation that would make landlords’ claims a requirement is important.
A proposal has been introduced in the Australian Legislature by MLA Michael Pettersson that would give tenants the right to ask their landlords for references from previous tenants.  After watching Cashman’s video, Pettersson said allowing tenants to ask landlords for advice could benefit those living in the capital Canberra, which he chairs, to ensure tenants maintain a similar quality of life to those who do. own the units.
Although there are no such laws in Canada at present, Strange said he can see a case where landlords are required to provide renters with letters of recommendation from previous tenants of a unit if requested.
In general investments, such as transactions with a bank, efforts are being made to disclose the terms of the agreement, including the benefits and associated risks, Strange said.  Signing a lease with a landlord works as a kind of investment, so it makes sense to take letters of recommendation from landlords as well, he said.
“If you are looking for someone to invest in, you should not keep them in the dark about the terms of the investment,” he said.  “Literally, concluding a lease does not look like buying shares, but it is really an investment in the sense that you are concluding a contract.
“This kind of investment will work best for all parties if they understand each other.”
Landlords who are reluctant to provide information from past tenants or other relevant details about the unit should be suspected, Strange said.
“A good landlord has every reason to tell you [about] the previous tenants, “he said.  “Landlords may want to have letters certifying their ability as owners and a good landlord would like to do this voluntarily.”