To pass tenant referencing in London you usually need three things: proof that your income is at least 30 times the monthly rent (or a guarantor who earns about 36 times it), a clean or explainable credit history, and a reference from your employer or previous landlord. On top of that, every landlord in England must check your right to rent. Goodlord puts the industry norm for referencing at two to five working days, and says 70% of its own references are complete within 24 hours (Goodlord).
This guide covers renting in England, with London figures, under the rules that have applied since 1 May 2026.
What references do you need to rent a flat?
A typical London application asks for:
- Identity and right to rent. A passport for British and Irish citizens; for most other people, a share code from the Home Office’s online service. Physical biometric residence permits are no longer accepted (GOV.UK: prove your right to rent).
- Proof of income. Recent payslips, an employment contract or offer letter, or, if you are self-employed, tax returns or accounts.
- An employer reference confirming your job, your salary and your probation status.
- A previous landlord reference confirming you paid on time and left the property in good order, if you have rented before.
- A credit check, run by the referencing company with your consent.
Of these, only the right to rent check is a legal requirement, and it applies in England only. Everything else is the landlord’s or agent’s choice, but many letting agents and landlords pay a referencing company such as Goodlord, HomeLet or OpenRent to run them. Referencing costs you nothing: since the Tenant Fees Act took effect on 1 June 2019, a landlord or agent can’t charge you for it (GOV.UK: Tenant Fees Act guidance).
Renting for the first time
If you have never rented, you won’t have a landlord reference. That is common and not a reason to fail on its own: the referencing company leans more on your employer reference and income, and if you are a student or on a new contract it will often ask for a guarantor. Have your employment contract, three recent payslips and your guarantor’s details ready before you view, so the gap costs you no time. Our first-time renter’s guide to London covers the rest of the process.
How long does referencing take?
Faster than most renters expect, if your documents are ready. Goodlord says about 30% of its references complete instantly, 70% within 24 hours and 90% within 72 hours (Goodlord). HomeLet says more than 70% of its references are now returned in real time (HomeLet). OpenRent aims to send landlords an initial report within 24 hours and the final report within three working days on average (OpenRent).
Goodlord lists slow replies from employers and previous landlords, and poor-quality documents, among the common causes of delay (Goodlord). Warn your referees before you apply, and give the referencing company direct contact details for each.
That speed matters because good flats go quickly. Zoopla counts 6% fewer homes to rent in London than a year ago, and 13% fewer in inner London (Zoopla Rental Market Report, published September 2026), and Rightmove recorded 8 enquiries per rental home in London in the second quarter of 2026 (Rightmove Rental Trends Tracker).
Will you pass? The income rule most applications turn on
The most common affordability test asks for a gross annual income of at least 30 times the monthly rent, the same as 2.5 times the annual rent (Goodlord). Goodlord’s standard for a guarantor is 36 times the monthly rent, or three times the annual rent. These are industry conventions, not law, and some referencing companies look beyond them: HomeLet describes 2.5 times the rent as a basic calculation its own assessment can go past (HomeLet).
| Home | Average rent a month | Your income at 30x | Guarantor at 36x |
|---|---|---|---|
| Room in a London flatshare (bills included) | £915 | £27,450 | £32,940 |
| One-bed, Bexley | £1,229 | £36,870 | £44,244 |
| One-bed, Lewisham | £1,457 | £43,710 | £52,452 |
| One-bed, London average | £1,760 | £52,800 | £63,360 |
| One-bed, Lambeth | £1,882 | £56,460 | £67,752 |
| Two-bed, Hackney, split between two | £2,489 | £74,670 combined, or £37,335 each on a half share | £89,604 on the whole rent |
Set that against pay and the problem is plain. The median full-time salary of London residents was £46,414 in April 2025 (ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, provisional). At 30 times the rent, that passes for a flat up to about £1,547 a month, below the average London one-bed. A median earner can pass for an average one-bed in cheaper boroughs such as Bexley (outer London) or Lewisham (inner London), but not for the London average, and not in most of inner London, where Lambeth’s £1,882 needs £56,460. Our ranking of the cheapest places to rent in London shows where the numbers work.
The averages are what people pay across all tenancies, and a flat advertised today usually costs more, so check the income test against the actual advertised rent. Each borough’s figures are on the London Rent Index on FTR London.
If you are renting with other people
Ask how incomes are assessed before you apply together: a referencing company may test each of you against your share of the rent rather than the whole: OpenRent’s affordability rating, for example, looks at whether each applicant can afford ‘their portion of the rent’ (OpenRent). On a joint tenancy each of you is normally responsible for the whole rent, not just your share, and one joint tenant can usually end the tenancy for everyone by giving notice (GOV.UK: assured periodic tenancies).
What changed for rental applications on 1 May 2026
The Renters’ Rights Act changed several things that used to decide who got a flat, and some older advice, including earlier versions of this guide, is now wrong.
- You can’t buy your way past referencing with rent in advance. No rent can be taken before you sign, and at most one month’s rent between signing and the start of the tenancy. There is no exception for tenants who fail referencing or have no guarantor. A landlord who takes more can be ordered to repay it and fined up to £5,000.
- No bidding. A landlord or agent must advertise one rent and can’t ask for or accept offers above it, so you can’t outbid another applicant.
- No blanket bans on benefits or children. Landlords can’t refuse you because you receive benefits or have children (Renters’ Rights Act 2025, sections 33 and 34), with fines of up to £7,000. They can still check that you can afford the rent (section 41).
- No fixed terms. New tenancies are assured periodic tenancies with no end date; you can leave with two months’ notice, and the landlord must give you a written statement of the terms before you sign.
- The deposit cap is unchanged: five weeks’ rent, or six weeks if the annual rent is £50,000 or more.
The application, step by step
| Stage | What happens | The rule |
|---|---|---|
| Offer | You offer on the advertised rent | No offers above the advertised rent can be invited or accepted |
| Holding deposit | You pay to take the flat off the market | At most one week’s rent. It must be returned within 7 days if the landlord pulls out or doesn’t sign with you within 15 days (unless you agree a later date). It can be kept only if you gave false or misleading information, failed the right to rent check, pulled out yourself or didn’t take reasonable steps to sign (Tenant Fees Act, Schedule 2) |
| Referencing | Income, credit, employer and landlord references | Free to you |
| Right to rent | The landlord checks your status | Required by law in England |
| Signing | You receive the written statement of terms and sign | No rent can be taken before this |
| Before you move in | You pay the deposit and first month’s rent; the holding deposit is usually credited towards them | Deposit capped at five weeks’ rent; at most one month’s rent in advance |
| Within 30 days | The landlord protects your deposit | In an approved scheme (DPS, mydeposits or TDS), with the prescribed information given to you |
A worked example on the London average one-bed of £1,760 a month: the holding deposit can be at most £406.15 (one week, the annual rent divided by 52). By moving-in day you need a five-week deposit of £2,030.77 and the first month’s rent of £1,760, £3,790.77 in all, of which the £406.15 you already paid is usually credited, leaving £3,384.62 to find. Our guide to deposit protection schemes explains how your deposit is kept safe.
Seven steps to pass referencing first time
1. Check your credit file before you apply
You can check your credit report free with the three credit reference agencies, Experian, Equifax and TransUnion (Shelter). Look for accounts you don’t recognise, wrong addresses and old debts marked as unpaid, and ask the agency to correct errors before a referencing company sees them. Being on the electoral register at your current address also helps confirm your identity.
2. Gather your documents before you start viewing
Passport or share code, three recent payslips, your employment contract or offer letter, three months of bank statements, and your previous landlord’s contact details. If you are self-employed, your last two years’ tax calculations (SA302s) or accounts. Having them in one folder means you can apply the day you view.
3. Warn your referees
Tell your employer’s HR team and your previous landlord that a referencing company will contact them, and ask them to reply quickly. This is the single biggest thing you control about how long referencing takes.
4. Declare problems up front
A county court judgment, a gap in employment or a recent job change is far less damaging disclosed on the form than discovered in the check, and giving false or misleading information is one of the few reasons a landlord can keep your holding deposit. A short, factual note works: “I had a county court judgment in [year] for [amount], which I paid in full on [date]; my file has been clean since.”
5. Show stability without offering rent up front
Offering several months’ rent in advance used to be the standard fix for a borderline application. It is no longer allowed. What you can offer instead is evidence: a long time with the same employer, a landlord reference showing years of on-time payments, savings on your bank statements, or a guarantor.
6. Line up a guarantor if you need one
A guarantor, usually a UK-based relative with income of about 36 times the monthly rent, agrees to pay if you don’t. They are usually liable for everything the guarantee covers, so they should read it carefully. For guarantees given since 1 May 2026, a guarantor is not liable for rent after the tenant’s death. If you have no one to ask, professional guarantor services act as a guarantor for a fee; you pay them by choice, and a landlord can’t make you use or pay for one. Some councils also run schemes for people without a guarantor, so ask your council’s housing team.
7. Answer every request the same day
Referencing companies pause a file when they are waiting on you. Keep your phone and email to hand for the days after you apply.
What to do if you fail referencing
Ask the agent or referencing company which part failed: income, credit or a reference. Each has a different fix. If it was income, a guarantor or a cheaper flat is the answer. If it was your credit file, get your own report from the three agencies and dispute any errors. If it was a reference, ask the referee what they said and whether they would correct it.
You should get your holding deposit back within 7 days, unless the failure was because you gave false information or failed the right to rent check. And remember that the tests vary: a landlord who references tenants themselves, rather than through a company, can weigh a borderline case on its merits.
Special situations
Self-employed
Referencing companies may ask for tax calculations or accounts, often for the last two years, or a reference from your accountant. If you have only a short trading record, be ready to offer a guarantor. Our guide for self-employed renters in London covers what referencing companies ask for.
Students
A student without a salary can’t pass an income test alone, so expect to be asked for a guarantor. Ask your university’s accommodation office whether it offers any help with guarantors. Our guide to the best places to live in London for students covers areas and costs.
New to the UK
Without a UK credit history or employment record, you will usually need a UK-based guarantor or a professional guarantor service. You can’t instead pay months of rent in advance: since 1 May 2026 that is not allowed for anyone. Your right to rent is checked with a share code, which you get from the Home Office’s online service.
Bad credit or a county court judgment
A county court judgment stays on the public register for six years, unless you pay it in full within a month, in which case it is removed (GOV.UK: county court judgments). Some referencing companies take account of whether a debt has since been paid. Our guide to renting in London with bad credit goes through the options.
Frequently asked questions
How long does Goodlord referencing take?
Goodlord says about 30% of its references complete instantly, 70% within 24 hours and 90% within 72 hours. Slow replies from employers or previous landlords are among the common causes of delay.
How much does tenant referencing cost?
Nothing, for tenants in England. The Tenant Fees Act 2019 bans landlords and agents from charging you for referencing or credit checks.
Can I use the same referencing report for more than one flat?
Usually not: each landlord or agent runs its own check through its chosen company. What you can reuse is your document pack, which makes each new application quicker.
What if my previous landlord won’t give a reference?
Tell the referencing company early and offer alternatives: bank statements showing regular rent payments, your tenancy agreement, or a reference from a letting agent who managed the property.
Can I rent in London without references?
Rarely, and not by paying extra rent up front, which is no longer allowed. The realistic routes are a guarantor, a professional guarantor service, or a lodging room in a resident landlord’s home; the right to rent check still applies to everyone.
Will checking my credit score hurt my application?
No. Checking your own report doesn’t affect your score, and some referencing companies, including Goodlord, run a soft search that other lenders can’t see.
Can landlords reject me for receiving benefits or Universal Credit?
Not because you receive benefits: blanket bans have been unlawful since 1 May 2026. A landlord can still assess whether you can afford the rent.
What if my references take too long and I lose the flat?
If the landlord decides not to go ahead, your holding deposit must be returned within 7 days. Next time, warn your referees before you apply.
Ready to apply?
Browse one-bedroom flats to rent in London or rooms in shared flats. On FTR London, landlords list their homes themselves and you contact them directly, so you can ask each one how they reference tenants before you apply.
Landlords: you can reference tenants yourself or through a company, but the right to rent check is your legal duty, with fines of up to £10,000 per occupier for a first breach. List your property on FTR London, and read our Renters’ Rights Act guide for London landlords for the rules on rent in advance and discrimination.
How we researched this: rules checked against GOV.UK guidance, the Tenant Fees Act 2019 and the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 on legislation.gov.uk; timescales and income tests from Goodlord, HomeLet and OpenRent’s own pages; rents from the ONS Price Index of Private Rents (August 2026) and SpareRoom (Q2 2026); pay from ONS ASHE (April 2025, provisional). Checked on 24 September 2026.
Correction, 24 September 2026: earlier versions of this guide advised offering several months’ rent in advance or a larger deposit to pass referencing, used US-style credit score bands and listed biometric residence permits as right to rent documents. Rent in advance beyond one month and deposits above the cap are not allowed, UK credit agencies each use their own scales, and physical permits are no longer accepted.
