Rental references
Rental references benefit for renters and property managers alike.
Both parties are in control. Property managers can choose which references they complete online and renters can choose which references they share. Traditional phone references still exist if preferred by the manager.
Property managers have been collecting rental references by phone for decades, recently by email with a template, and now via Snug’s efficient rental reference system.
The key benefits are:
- Comprehensive questions with objective and subjective questions
- Efficient to complete and share online securely
- Transparent for both parties
- Traditional phone references still available when preferred by the manager
Over 90% of rental references are completed online, with more than 40% done by Monday morning. More than 2500 property managers have submitted references on Snug so you’re in good company.
Should I request a rental reference?
Yes, rental references provide property managers with insight as to the renter’s previous adherence to the lease terms and experience dealing with the outgoing property manager.
References are an important addition to a financial affordability assessment.
References help property managers understand their prospective tenant’s rental history and responsibility towards looking after previous rental properties.
Benefits to Renters
Renters benefit from having great references, helping them stand out from the crowd. Written references help secure a property faster.
Benefits to Property Managers
Property managers benefit from:
- Verified rental references that minimise risk and provides confidence around tenant selection
- Time saving not juggling telephone calls
- Being able to attach a rental reference
The automatic rental reference assists property managers in being able to lease faster by quickly organising applications and also allows the ability for the property manager to talk to referees directly (contact details are supplied on the application).
Objective and descriptive questions
Leading property managers helped Snug develop the questions and requested both factual objective questions as well as descriptive questions.
The objective (yes/no) information includes relate to rent payments, condition and lease agreement adherence.
Descriptive questions include scores from 5 stars (excellent) to 1 star (unsatisfactory) and a comments field for property managers to share notes.
Building trust through transparency
Transparency is an important element in building a trusted rental community platform which works effectively for renters and property managers.
Renters can choose whether to share their rental reference and can remove a rental reference from their profile at their discretion.
Renters can view the objective questions, overall rating but not the property manager comments.
Property managers are able to view the full reference, including comments, star ratings and objective answers to questions about the tenancy. Note: the tenant who you are reviewing will only be able to see your objective (yes/no) answers and the lease details (start/end dates and rental amount).
Variances between the renter reported lease details and the property manager confirmed details are flagged to highlight areas that need cross checking.
Snug has smarts inbuilt to detect when references are completed from the same device.
Are rental references a tenancy database?
No. Our legal advice confirms that the Snug rental reference platform does not have the characteristics of a tenancy database. It is a cloud/online folio version of the rental references that renters would provide in paper anyways.
Privacy and Security
Snug respects your privacy. That’s why we’ve made rental references private. Only the tenant who has requested the rental reference can see and share the details with authorised and verified Snug members in accordance with our privacy policy.
Renter data is not sold, or passed to anyone outside Snug without consent. Snug uses best practice security measures including: password protection, firewalls, encryption and verification by mobile. Our security processes are regularly reviewed.
Snug takes discrimination very seriously and provides information and community standards with the hope to improve the rental community for everyone:
https://help.snug.com/hc/en-us/articles/360000771916-Discrimination