Rental References from Previous Landlords
Ask an applicant for a reference from a previous landlord: they name the landlord and agree, the landlord answers a short form about the tenancy, and both you and the applicant see the answers.
A rental reference asks an applicant's previous landlord about the tenancy. Owners and managers find them in Lease Center → Rental references on the website and under Rental references in the Tools hub on the iPhone and Android apps. Applicants find them in Your applications, and under Rental references on the phones.
How it works
- You ask. Choose the application and add a note if you like. The applicant is told.
- The applicant names their previous landlord — name, email, the address and the months they rented — and agrees to them being contacted. Nobody is contacted until they do. An applicant can also add a reference to an application themselves.
- The previous landlord gets an email with a link to a short form. It works for 14 days, and one reminder goes after 4.
- They answer, or decline. You and the applicant are both told, and both see what they said.
An application can have up to 3 references.
What the applicant agrees to
“I ask Seayora to contact the landlord I name here for a reference about my tenancy with them, and I agree that their answers are shared with the landlord I applied to. I will see the answers too.”
They tick the box and type their full name; the time, the network address and the device are recorded with it.
What the previous landlord is asked
| Question | Answers |
|---|---|
| Did this person rent from you? | Yes · No — I do not recognise them as my tenant |
| Your role | Owner · Property manager · Leasing agent · Other |
| Tenancy began (month) | A month |
| Tenancy ended (month) — leave empty if they still rent from you | A month |
| Monthly rent at the end of the tenancy | An amount |
| Was the rent paid on time? | Always or almost always · Mostly — a few late payments · Often late · I do not know |
| Do they owe you money now? | No · Yes · I do not know |
| Did they give the notice the lease required? | Yes · No · They still rent from me · I do not know |
| Were there lease violations? | None · Minor, resolved · Serious · I do not know |
| Would you rent to them again? | Yes · No · I prefer not to say |
| Anything else about the tenancy | Free text |
They confirm: “I am, or act for, the landlord of this home, and my answers are true to the best of my knowledge.”
Your answers go to the landlord who asked and to the applicant. Answer about the tenancy — rent, care of the home, notice — and not about the person.
About the tenancy, never the person
Describe the tenancy, not the person. A reference cannot mention family, children, age, religion, national origin, disability, sex, race or source of income. Remove that and send again.
Worth checking
A reference is marked Worth checking when it went to a personal email address, when the dates or the rent the landlord gives disagree with what the applicant said, or when the landlord says the applicant did not rent from them.
Seayora sends the request to the address you were given and records the answer. It does not confirm who answered beyond what they wrote.
Statuses
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Waiting for the applicant | You asked; the applicant has not named a landlord yet. |
| Sent to the reference | The previous landlord has the link. |
| Answered | They answered. |
| Reference declined | They chose not to give a reference. |
| No answer | The link ran out without an answer. |
| Withdrawn | You or the applicant withdrew it. |
Asking your assistant
A connected assistant can read your references (list_rental_references). Asking for one, naming a landlord and answering stay in Seayora.
Related features and guides
- Online Rental Applications — Feature. Collect complete rental applications online and track every applicant in one pipeline, with the same questions and the same criteria for everybody. Screening reports are not available through Seayora yet — no consumer reporting agency is connected — so nothing is ordered and no screening fee is charged.
- Your Renter Profile: Fill It In Once, Share It When You Apply — Documentation. Write your work, income, rental history and pets once, attach the documents owners usually ask for, and share it with the homes you apply to — only if you turn sharing on. Owners see notes about how each file was made; so do you.
- Holding Deposits: Reserving a Home for an Applicant — Documentation. Ask an approved applicant for a deposit to hold a home until a date. They accept written terms and pay into your payout account; it is credited at signing or refunded — under the rules each state sets.
- Move-In & Move-Out Checklists — Documentation. How to document a unit’s condition at move-in and move-out to protect both landlord and tenant when it’s time to return a deposit.
- Document Storage & Templates — Feature. Store leases, addenda, inspection photos, receipts, and templates securely, with the right people able to reach the right documents at any time.
- Move-In & Move-Out Inspections — Feature. Run structured move-in and move-out checklists with photo evidence, so deposit deductions are backed by a dated record instead of a memory.