Going from homeowner to tenant - who do we use as references
May 19, 2011 7:56 AM Subscribe
Going from homeowner to tenant - who do we use as references when talking with prospective landlords?
My husband and I would like to sell our house in the USA and rent a house in Vancouver, BC. We are moving for personal reasons and buying in Vancouver is cost prohibitive. My husband will be employed when we get there, I may or may not have work at that time.
Who do we use as references when talking with prospective landlords? We have been homeowners in the USA for over 5 years and have no recent landlord references. I rented for years previously but can't remember any of my old landlord's names or phone numbers. Do we just provide the name/number of the realtor that is selling our house to comment on its condition, plus supply a credit history that shows the spotless mortgage payment record?
We also have a dog that has only ever lived in our home, what do we do for a pet reference? It's a pug, he's well enough behaved and hasn't pissed off our neighbours or unduly damaged our home or child. We could supply the names of extended family members that know the dog, but don't have other references. Would they want to call our next-door neighbours?
Finally, we are Canadian citizens so immigration is not an issue. However we have lived in US so long our Canadian credit history is stale, though the US one is quite good. Is lack of recent Canadian credit history a problem?
My husband and I would like to sell our house in the USA and rent a house in Vancouver, BC. We are moving for personal reasons and buying in Vancouver is cost prohibitive. My husband will be employed when we get there, I may or may not have work at that time.
Who do we use as references when talking with prospective landlords? We have been homeowners in the USA for over 5 years and have no recent landlord references. I rented for years previously but can't remember any of my old landlord's names or phone numbers. Do we just provide the name/number of the realtor that is selling our house to comment on its condition, plus supply a credit history that shows the spotless mortgage payment record?
We also have a dog that has only ever lived in our home, what do we do for a pet reference? It's a pug, he's well enough behaved and hasn't pissed off our neighbours or unduly damaged our home or child. We could supply the names of extended family members that know the dog, but don't have other references. Would they want to call our next-door neighbours?
Finally, we are Canadian citizens so immigration is not an issue. However we have lived in US so long our Canadian credit history is stale, though the US one is quite good. Is lack of recent Canadian credit history a problem?
Wouldn't worry about it. Simply saying that you owned your home should be sufficient, though you may want to be able to provide a document to that effect. All they're really looking for is evidence that you haven't been a terrible tenant in the recent past. Since you haven't been a tenant at all, prospective landlords probably aren't going to sweat it.
posted by valkyryn at 8:01 AM on May 19, 2011
posted by valkyryn at 8:01 AM on May 19, 2011
You could ask the landlords who they would like you to use a reference? They may tell you that as a previous homeowner you may not have to provide a reference. Or you can provide them with a history of your mortgage payments or credit report, or whatever other report would prove that you're a responsible person.
posted by dfriedman at 8:02 AM on May 19, 2011
posted by dfriedman at 8:02 AM on May 19, 2011
US credit history is respected here in Canada (where I live and type). Canada & the US have highly cooperative or integrated economies in most cases (I know there are still arguments about the softwood lumber industry).
And as others have already mentioned, your history as homeowners is an excellent reference in itself. People who have owned homes are generally very good tenants, who understand how to take care of a house and are willing to do so. You should have no trouble being able to rent.
posted by grizzled at 8:08 AM on May 19, 2011
And as others have already mentioned, your history as homeowners is an excellent reference in itself. People who have owned homes are generally very good tenants, who understand how to take care of a house and are willing to do so. You should have no trouble being able to rent.
posted by grizzled at 8:08 AM on May 19, 2011
Consider creating a pet resume for your pug; it is a good way to highlight any training he's had and to show the ways in which he's a good canine citizen. Many people use their pet's vet as a reference.
posted by kitty teeth at 8:29 AM on May 19, 2011
posted by kitty teeth at 8:29 AM on May 19, 2011
If you want a reference about the lack of damage that the dog causes, maybe you can have them call your realtor? The person who is selling your house might best be able to talk about the state of your floors.
posted by pickypicky at 8:32 AM on May 19, 2011
posted by pickypicky at 8:32 AM on May 19, 2011
As a long time renter in the metro vancouver area, you are going to have more of a problem with the dog than the lack of references. Vancouver is very pet-unfriendly to renters. A pet-resume is a definitely a good idea here. Your vet is probably the most likely person to be called, but be aware that you will (a) most likely have to pay an additional pet deposit of a 1/2 months rent, (b) have a hard time finding places that will even allow dogs and (c) be constantly overlooked as tenants in favour for someone without a pet (even if the rental says they allow pets). That being said, renting a house with a pet should be easier than a condo/apartment. The discrimination against pets in rentals in BC is one of my biggest pet peeves (it's much, much easier to have a kid than a dog) so I may be a tad biased; I hope you have better luck than I have!
posted by cgg at 9:00 AM on May 19, 2011
posted by cgg at 9:00 AM on May 19, 2011
Yeah, we just rented a house and still own our place in another state and nobody cared about references once they knew that (on the application I offered my mother as a reference just to fill out the line). I did end up writing a sort of cover letter to the owners about how we planned to keep our three dogs from trashing their house, and sent them a photo of our back yard.
Because we had so many large dogs, we used a Realtor to rent a house. It limited our choices (the house had to be listed as a rental in the MLS, we couldn't just use Craigslist or Zillow or whatever) but put a little gloss of professionalism over the canine issue. (And then she negotiated them down $50 on rent, just on principle!) You should not need to go to those lengths with a pug, but it's an option if you're having real trouble.
posted by Lyn Never at 9:43 AM on May 19, 2011
Because we had so many large dogs, we used a Realtor to rent a house. It limited our choices (the house had to be listed as a rental in the MLS, we couldn't just use Craigslist or Zillow or whatever) but put a little gloss of professionalism over the canine issue. (And then she negotiated them down $50 on rent, just on principle!) You should not need to go to those lengths with a pug, but it's an option if you're having real trouble.
posted by Lyn Never at 9:43 AM on May 19, 2011
In my experience as a renter in BC, references are no big deal. If you have a job, appear to be sane, and provide a couple of personal references, all will be fine. Now, on the other hand, if you have a dog...
posted by KokuRyu at 10:01 AM on May 19, 2011
posted by KokuRyu at 10:01 AM on May 19, 2011
I agree with everyone else, the dog will be more of an issue than references. If you can show that you are interested in staying for a long time (more than 12 months) and that your job or jobs are stable, I think many landlords will be willing to rent to you.
posted by Razzle Bathbone at 11:27 AM on May 19, 2011
posted by Razzle Bathbone at 11:27 AM on May 19, 2011
You might want to get your dog certified as a Canine Good Citizen. (It sounds like a joke, but it's real. Bonus: your pug gets to put initials after his name.)
posted by tangerine at 4:49 PM on May 19, 2011
posted by tangerine at 4:49 PM on May 19, 2011
Seconding the suggestion of asking your realtor if you can use him or her as a reference. In doing tenant reference checks, I have come upon this situation with people who have sold their house and are looking to rent. The realtor can tell me that the prospective tenants have the financial means from the sale of the property, and how they maintained their own house/yard. Perhaps your former neighbours as well?
posted by Savannah at 8:55 PM on May 19, 2011
posted by Savannah at 8:55 PM on May 19, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by frankdrebin at 7:59 AM on May 19, 2011