Landlord reference template: written answers from a past landlord

A phone reference is hard to repeat. The new landlord asks, the old landlord answers, and the notes end up on a sticky note. I would rather send the old landlord a short form with the same questions every time.

Use this when

You want references in writing, with the same questions for every applicant.
The past landlord is busy and prefers to answer when it suits.

Skip it when

Something legal depends on the answer. This is a form, not legal advice. Have a professional check wording that has legal weight.
You need identity checks. Those happen elsewhere, and this form collects none.

What is asked and why

Who is answering, and how they know the property. The dates rented. Then the rent record, care of the home, complaints and notice, which are facts a referee can state quickly. The would-rent-again question gives a one-line verdict. The first-hand box keeps opinions out of the record.

What the referee's AI would ask

"What is your relationship to the property?" Then "Was the rent paid on time?" Then "Would you rent to them again?" It shows the answers and sends only after a yes. See agent-fillable forms.

Ask the same questions about every applicant. Find more in forms for landlords. The referee's name often comes from a rental application form. Once someone moves in, a tenant complaint form keeps a record of issues.

Questions

How do I send this to a past landlord?

Create the form once and share the same public link by email or message. Each landlord sends one response, and you match rows to applicants by tenant name in the CSV.

Should I tell the applicant I am asking?

It is fair to say so. Your area may have rules about references and personal data. Check them, because the form only collects what the referee types.

Is the would-rent-again answer enough?

It is a quick signal. Read it with the dates and rent record. A yes with reservations deserves a short call to ask what the reservations were.

Or paste the JSON

Give this to your AI. It needs the AI Form API MCP server or an API key. It makes the form and sends you the link.

text

Create this form with the AI Form API create_form tool (or POST https://aiformapi.com/v1/forms with my API key). Then reply with the public_url.

{
  "title": "Reference for a former tenant",
  "description": "A former tenant has applied for a new home and named you. Please share only what you know first hand.",
  "fields": [
    {
      "id": "referee_name",
      "label": "Your name",
      "type": "short_text",
      "required": true,
      "max_length": 120
    },
    {
      "id": "referee_role",
      "label": "Your relationship to the property",
      "type": "single_choice",
      "required": true,
      "options": [
        "Owner",
        "Property manager",
        "Letting agent",
        "Something else"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "referee_phone",
      "label": "Phone",
      "type": "phone",
      "required": true
    },
    {
      "id": "referee_email",
      "label": "Email",
      "type": "email"
    },
    {
      "id": "tenant_name",
      "label": "Name of the former tenant",
      "type": "short_text",
      "required": true,
      "max_length": 150
    },
    {
      "id": "rented_from",
      "label": "Rented from",
      "type": "date"
    },
    {
      "id": "rented_until",
      "label": "Rented until",
      "type": "date"
    },
    {
      "id": "rent_record",
      "label": "Was the rent paid on time?",
      "type": "single_choice",
      "required": true,
      "options": [
        "Always on time",
        "Usually on time",
        "Often late",
        "I am not sure"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "home_care",
      "label": "How well did they look after the home?",
      "type": "rating",
      "min": 1,
      "max": 5
    },
    {
      "id": "complaints_received",
      "label": "Did you receive complaints about them?",
      "type": "single_choice",
      "options": [
        "None",
        "One or two",
        "Several"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "notice_given",
      "label": "Did they give proper notice when leaving?",
      "type": "single_choice",
      "options": [
        "Yes",
        "No",
        "I am not sure"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "would_rent_again",
      "label": "Would you rent to them again?",
      "type": "single_choice",
      "required": true,
      "options": [
        "Yes",
        "Yes, with reservations",
        "No"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "other_comments",
      "label": "Anything else the new landlord should know",
      "type": "long_text",
      "max_length": 1500
    },
    {
      "id": "first_hand_facts",
      "label": "My answers are based on facts I know first hand",
      "type": "checkbox",
      "required": true
    }
  ]
}

Or call the API

bash

curl -X POST https://aiformapi.com/v1/forms \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $AIFORMAPI_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"title":"Reference for a former tenant","description":"A former tenant has applied for a new home and named you. Please share only what you know first hand.","fields":[{"id":"referee_name","label":"Your name","type":"short_text","required":true,"max_length":120},{"id":"referee_role","label":"Your relationship to the property","type":"single_choice","required":true,"options":["Owner","Property manager","Letting agent","Something else"]},{"id":"referee_phone","label":"Phone","type":"phone","required":true},{"id":"referee_email","label":"Email","type":"email"},{"id":"tenant_name","label":"Name of the former tenant","type":"short_text","required":true,"max_length":150},{"id":"rented_from","label":"Rented from","type":"date"},{"id":"rented_until","label":"Rented until","type":"date"},{"id":"rent_record","label":"Was the rent paid on time?","type":"single_choice","required":true,"options":["Always on time","Usually on time","Often late","I am not sure"]},{"id":"home_care","label":"How well did they look after the home?","type":"rating","min":1,"max":5},{"id":"complaints_received","label":"Did you receive complaints about them?","type":"single_choice","options":["None","One or two","Several"]},{"id":"notice_given","label":"Did they give proper notice when leaving?","type":"single_choice","options":["Yes","No","I am not sure"]},{"id":"would_rent_again","label":"Would you rent to them again?","type":"single_choice","required":true,"options":["Yes","Yes, with reservations","No"]},{"id":"other_comments","label":"Anything else the new landlord should know","type":"long_text","max_length":1500},{"id":"first_hand_facts","label":"My answers are based on facts I know first hand","type":"checkbox","required":true}]}'

JSON definition

json

{
  "title": "Reference for a former tenant",
  "description": "A former tenant has applied for a new home and named you. Please share only what you know first hand.",
  "fields": [
    {
      "id": "referee_name",
      "label": "Your name",
      "type": "short_text",
      "required": true,
      "max_length": 120
    },
    {
      "id": "referee_role",
      "label": "Your relationship to the property",
      "type": "single_choice",
      "required": true,
      "options": [
        "Owner",
        "Property manager",
        "Letting agent",
        "Something else"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "referee_phone",
      "label": "Phone",
      "type": "phone",
      "required": true
    },
    {
      "id": "referee_email",
      "label": "Email",
      "type": "email"
    },
    {
      "id": "tenant_name",
      "label": "Name of the former tenant",
      "type": "short_text",
      "required": true,
      "max_length": 150
    },
    {
      "id": "rented_from",
      "label": "Rented from",
      "type": "date"
    },
    {
      "id": "rented_until",
      "label": "Rented until",
      "type": "date"
    },
    {
      "id": "rent_record",
      "label": "Was the rent paid on time?",
      "type": "single_choice",
      "required": true,
      "options": [
        "Always on time",
        "Usually on time",
        "Often late",
        "I am not sure"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "home_care",
      "label": "How well did they look after the home?",
      "type": "rating",
      "min": 1,
      "max": 5
    },
    {
      "id": "complaints_received",
      "label": "Did you receive complaints about them?",
      "type": "single_choice",
      "options": [
        "None",
        "One or two",
        "Several"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "notice_given",
      "label": "Did they give proper notice when leaving?",
      "type": "single_choice",
      "options": [
        "Yes",
        "No",
        "I am not sure"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "would_rent_again",
      "label": "Would you rent to them again?",
      "type": "single_choice",
      "required": true,
      "options": [
        "Yes",
        "Yes, with reservations",
        "No"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "other_comments",
      "label": "Anything else the new landlord should know",
      "type": "long_text",
      "max_length": 1500
    },
    {
      "id": "first_hand_facts",
      "label": "My answers are based on facts I know first hand",
      "type": "checkbox",
      "required": true
    }
  ]
}

Landlord reference template for answers you can compare