Tenant References NZ: What to Ask and How to Read Them

Most NZ landlords ask for references. Fewer actually check them. The reference that tells you the most is usually the landlord-before-last, not the current one, because the current landlord has an incentive to move a difficult tenant on. This guide covers how many references to ask for, the consent rule, the questions to ask, and how to read the answers. It sits alongside our broader guide to tenant screening in NZ, which covers credit checks and the wider process.

How many references to ask for

My standard: two landlord references, current and previous, plus one employer or professional contact. I self-manage four Auckland properties and reference checks are the part of screening I treat most seriously, because a short call to the right person surfaces things that never show up on a credit report or an application form.

Personal references, friends and family, are not useful. No one names a referee who will say anything negative. Three references give you triangulation: consistent answers across three independent people are meaningful, and so is inconsistency.

The problem with the current landlord

Your best reference is usually the landlord-before-last, not the current one.

Think about it from the current landlord's side. If they have a difficult tenant, late with rent, a damage history, complaints, what do they want? They want that tenant gone. A glowing reference solves their problem even if it creates yours. The incentive to tell a small lie is real.

The landlord-before-last has no such incentive. That tenancy has already ended. They have nothing to gain by flattering or damaging the applicant, so their answers are the most reliable signal you will get. I ask for both. If the current landlord is glowing and the previous one is lukewarm or vague, I weight the previous one heavily.

Consent before you call

Before contacting any referee, get the applicant's written consent. The Privacy Act sets out general principles that are straightforward to apply: collect only the information you actually need to assess the tenancy, get the applicant's consent before you contact their referees, and tell them what you are going to check.

Build the consent line into your application form, something like "I consent to the landlord contacting the referees named in this form," and make sure it is signed. When you call, tell the referee who you are, why you are calling, and that the applicant has consented: "Hi, I am a landlord considering [name] as a tenant. They named you as a referee and have consented to this call. I have a few short questions if you have a minute." Most people are helpful once the context is clear.

For the detail on your privacy obligations, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner is the authority. Do not collect more than you need, and store what you do collect securely.

What to ask a previous landlord referee

Keep it short and focused. I ask roughly in this order:

• Did they pay rent on time, consistently? The most important question. Any hesitation is a flag. "Generally" or "most of the time" means no, not most of the time.
• Were there any periods of arrears? A follow-up if the first answer was vague.
• How did they leave the property? Listen for damage, whether they cleaned properly, whether the bond was returned in full or disputed.
• Did they give proper notice before leaving? A tenant on a periodic tenancy must give at least 21 days' written notice under the RTA 1986. Someone who just vanished is useful to know about.
• Any issues with neighbours or complaints from other tenants? Less common than rent issues, but worth asking for a multi-unit building.
• Would you rent to them again?

That last one matters most. It forces a yes or no frame. People find it hard to lie outright to a direct question. They hedge, qualify, go quiet for a beat, or give you an anecdote about "circumstances" that functions as a no without saying no. A genuine yes sounds like a genuine yes, and you learn to hear the difference.

What to ask an employer or character referee

• How long have you known [applicant], and in what capacity? If the answer is "we met at a barbecue three months ago," that is not the professional reference they implied.
• Can you confirm their role and roughly how long they have been employed? You are verifying the employment detail on the application form. Discrepancies are worth exploring.
• In your experience, are they reliable and organised? A vague question, but useful for tone. Enthusiastic positivity is a better signal than someone hunting for something kind to say.
• Anything else you think a landlord should know? Open-ended questions sometimes surface things you would not have thought to ask.

Verifying the referee is who they say they are

Fake references exist. Not often, but they do. I have had one: a "previous landlord" whose number went to the applicant's friend. A few checks worth doing:

• Call the main switchboard, not the number given. If the referee is supposedly a property manager or employer, look up the company and call the business number. Ask to be put through. If they cannot be found that way, ask why.
• Check the name and contact against publicly available information. If someone claims to be the landlord of a specific address, those details may be on record. You are not running an investigation, just a basic sense check.
• Listen for a coached answer pattern. Suspiciously perfect answers to every question, wrapped up quickly, can mean the referee has been prepped. A real landlord has specifics, pauses, the occasional "oh, what else, yeah, I think that's it."
• Note if the "landlord" cannot tell you the rent amount or the length of the tenancy. A real landlord knows those without thinking.

Red flags worth taking seriously

Not every flag means decline, but these are worth pausing on:

• A referee who cannot confirm the address, rent amount, or dates of tenancy.
• Hesitation on "would you rent to them again" followed by an anecdote that does not quite answer the question.
• A referee who volunteers that the applicant "had a hard time recently" before you have asked anything.
• An employer reference who confirms employment but adds "they have had some issues" and then goes quiet.
• Phone numbers for "previous landlords" that go to mobiles with no voicemail and no way to verify who they are.

One flag is context. Two flags in the same application is a pattern.

Logging what you found out

This is the step that gets skipped. If you are screening several applicants for the same property, written notes from your reference calls are how you compare them fairly: what did the landlord say about tenant A versus tenant B?

It also protects you. If a declined applicant later argues the decision was discriminatory, a record showing you applied consistent criteria, including documented reference outcomes, is your defence. Tenancy Services has practical guidance on choosing the right tenant that is worth reading alongside this.

How RentManager handles this

I log reference-check notes against each application in RentManager, which keeps the record against the property and the applicant alongside the rest of the screening file: a notes field and a timestamp. It sounds like admin overhead but it takes two minutes, and the record has been useful more than once when comparing applicants or justifying a decision. Reference logging sits inside the same DIY screening and application workflow you use to collect and store the application itself. You can see the Applicants surface in the live demo.

If you are a tenant rather than a landlord, the other side of this is making yourself easy to reference: our rental application tips for tenants covers lining up good referees and getting ahead of these calls.

The one shortcut that works

Call the landlord-before-last, not just the current one. Ask whether they would rent to the applicant again. Take the pause seriously. Everything else flows from there.

Frequently asked questions

How many references should a landlord ask a tenant for in NZ?

Two landlord references, current and previous, plus one employer or professional contact is a solid standard. Three independent referees give you enough to cross-check answers.

Do I need the applicant's consent before calling their referees?

Yes. Under the Privacy Act you should get the applicant's consent before contacting referees, collect only the information you need, and tell them what you will check. Build a signed consent line into your application form. See privacy.org.nz for detail.

What is the single most useful reference question?

"Would you rent to them again?" It forces a yes or no, and the way a referee hesitates or qualifies tells you as much as the answer itself.

How do I spot a fake reference?

Call the company switchboard rather than the number supplied, check the referee against public records, and ask the "landlord" for the rent amount and tenancy dates. A genuine landlord knows those without thinking.