TV: Shamplina defends landlords who conduct ‘extreme tenant vetting’

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TV star Paul Shamplina has defended landlords who ask tenants to provide additional referencing information such as copies of their CV or LinkedIn profiles.

Appearing on TV this morning (watch below), he told presenters Eamon Holmes and Isabel Webster from GB News that in a highly competitive market where dozens of tenants are often competing for each rented property, landlords are entitled to “make an informed choice about which tenant is most likely to pay the rent”.

The comments followed a Guardian article over the Easter weekend that reported how some tenants face extreme vetting procedures in order to access homes to rent.

This included one tenant, who is also a member of the Renters’ Reform Alliance, who told the newspaper he had been asked to provide photos and a personal statement in addition to his tenancy application information.

One letting agent, who worked for London firm KFH, told other tenants to use any tactic to put their ‘best foot forward’ including bidding over the asking rent.

Toughest

“It’s the toughest it’s ever been in the private rental market with demand up 50%, supply dwindling by 35% and landlords leaving the sector,” said Shamplina, who is also Chief Operating Officer of the HFIS Group.

“Although this is not common practice but there are some letting agents out there asking tenants to put their best foot forward so that the landlords can make an informed decision about their ability to pay the rent.

“As I know running Landlord Action, it can take up to six or even 12 months to evict a tenant at the moment – so landlords want to minimise the chance of that happening.”

Read more: Ultimate guide to tenant referencing.

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