You’ve got an application in hand. Income looks fine, credit score seems okay, and the tenant seems pleasant enough. So you glance at the references, maybe make a quick call, hear “yeah, they were great,” and move forward.
That’s the part where things go sideways.
Landlord references are probably the most underused tool in tenant screening, and understanding what a thorough screening process actually looks like matters before you ever pick up the phone to call one. Done right, a reference call takes maybe 20 minutes. Done wrong, or skipped entirely, you could be looking at an eviction timeline of as little as 3 weeks — and often longer — in McLennan County JP court, $3,000 to $5,000 in make-ready costs, and a vacancy that wrecks your numbers for the year.
“Done wrong, or skipped entirely, you could be looking at an eviction timeline of as little as 3 weeks — and often longer — in McLennan County JP court, $3,000 to $5,000 in make-ready costs, and a vacancy that wrecks your numbers for the year.”
This post is for property owners who want to use references as a real tool, not a formality. We’ll cover what to ask, what answers to actually trust, and a few things that most people never think to check.
In This Guide
Verify the Reference Is Actually a Landlord
This sounds obvious. It isn’t.
We’ve seen owners accept a reference from a phone number the tenant provided themselves, make the call, get a glowing review, and place the tenant. By month three, rent stops coming. When someone dug deeper, it turned out the “landlord” was a friend.
A quick reverse lookup on the phone number and a county property records check on the reference’s address would likely have caught it. If someone claims to be the landlord at 123 Oak Street, you can verify in most Texas counties whether they actually own that property. It takes five minutes.
Tenants who provide fake references are not rare. They’re not even unusual in a market where demand runs high enough that some applicants feel the pressure to look better on paper than they are.
What to cross-reference before the call
- Property records: Does the name on the reference match the owner of that address in county records?
- Phone number: Does a reverse lookup connect back to a real person at that address?
- Business address: If the prior landlord is a property management company, does that company actually exist and manage properties in that area?
Ask the One Question That Tells You Everything
Most reference calls go like this: “Was the tenant on time with rent? Did they keep the place clean? Any issues?” The prior landlord says yes, no, and no. Call ends. Box checked.
The question that actually separates useful references from useless ones is this: “Would you rent to them again?”
Pay attention to the pause before the answer. Pay attention to whether they answer it directly or start talking about something else. A prior landlord who genuinely had a good tenant says “absolutely” or “yes, without question” and means it. One who’s trying to help a difficult tenant move on tends to answer with something like “they have a lot of good qualities” or “they really improved toward the end of the lease.”
Vague enthusiasm is its own red flag. We’ve noticed that landlords trying to move a problem tenant along tend to oversell. Specific, calm, direct answers are more trustworthy than someone who sounds like they’re reading from a five-star Yelp review.
A prior landlord who responds instantly, volunteers information you didn’t ask for, and sounds unusually enthusiastic may be motivated to help the tenant move on, not to give you an accurate picture. Follow up with a second call or a more pointed question if the praise feels too polished.
Go Back at Least Two Years, Two Landlords
One reference from one prior landlord covering a six-month tenancy tells you almost nothing. Patterns only show up over time and across multiple living situations.
We recommend going back at least two years and talking to at least two prior landlords. Here’s why that matters in practice: a tenant can hold it together for six months when they’re trying to get approved somewhere new. The second year, when they feel settled, is when the late payments start, when unauthorized occupants show up, when maintenance calls spike.
That two-year window also covers lease renewal behavior, which is one of the cleaner signals available. Did the prior landlord offer to renew? Did the tenant stay through the full lease term? A tenant who breaks leases early repeatedly is a pattern, and it won’t show up in a single short reference.
Rental History Beats Credit Score for Predicting Real Behavior
We hear from owners all the time who are laser-focused on credit scores as the primary screening filter. Credit matters, but it measures debt behavior, not how someone actually lives in a property.
A tenant with a 620 credit score and five years of verified on-time rent, zero complaints, and a prior landlord who says “I’d take them back tomorrow” is a safer bet than a 720-score applicant whose single reference went cold when you called.
Credit tells you how someone manages their credit cards. Landlord references tell you whether they’ll trash the kitchen, let six people move in when two were approved, or ignore a slow leak until it becomes a $2,000 repair. Those are the variables that determine your make-ready costs when the unit turns over.
INR Remodeling and Johnny Hattfield, two of the vendors we use locally for make-ready work, have both seen units that went from rent-ready to needing full refreshes in under 18 months. A solid reference check would have flagged most of those tenants before they ever signed a lease.
Credit score is a filter, not a verdict. If a tenant has five solid years of rental history behind them and a prior landlord you can actually reach and verify, that track record matters more than a number on a report.
The Baylor Factor and What It Means for References
Waco’s rental market has a quirk that property owners here deal with constantly: Baylor University draws a large share of tenants who have little to no prior rental history.
Student applicants from the 76798 zip code area often list parents as references rather than prior landlords, because they haven’t had a prior landlord. That’s not automatically disqualifying, but it does shift the burden elsewhere. Nathaly De La Rosa, one of our leasing agents, flags these applications early and looks for stronger income documentation, guarantor agreements, or co-signers to compensate for the missing rental history.
A parental reference for an adult child’s tenancy tells you very little about how that person will behave in a unit they’re responsible for. Parents are not objective. Adjust your verification process accordingly.
Employment Verification as a Reference Crosscheck
If a tenant claims to work at Baylor, Ascension Providence Hospital, or one of Waco’s city government offices, that’s actually a fast verification to run. Those employers are large, established, and generally have HR contact numbers that aren’t hard to find.
We look at income verification through the 3x monthly rent threshold as a standard benchmark. But a tenant who clears the income bar on paper, with employment history that turns out to be inconsistent or fabricated, makes that threshold meaningless. Cross-referencing a reference with a verifiable employer adds a layer that a pay stub alone can’t give you.
This is especially worth doing in a market with tight demand. In areas like South Waco (76706) and Woodway/Hewitt (76712), rental units move quickly, and owners sometimes feel pressure to approve fast. Slowing down for 20 minutes of verification is worth it every time.
Unauthorized Occupants and What Prior Landlords Know
One of the most common tenant issues we deal with across our portfolio of 338 properties is unauthorized occupants. It’s particularly frequent in denser neighborhoods like Central Waco (76707) and North/West Waco (76708).
The thing about unauthorized occupants is that prior landlords often know. When you’re doing a reference call, ask directly: “Were there ever any issues with the number of occupants in the unit?” or “Did the tenant comply with the lease terms around guests and occupancy?” A prior landlord who pauses at that question, or mentions a lease notice that was sent, is telling you something important.
One owner we work with has been with J R Grace for several years and pushed back hard on screening early on, asking detailed questions and even requesting we pull vendor quotes before approving repair costs on a turn. That same instincts-driven diligence translated to their units having zero eviction filings during their time with us.
How We Document and Share Reference Findings With Owners
When Nathaly or Yadira Botello, our leasing agents, complete a reference check, those findings go into the file tracked through Rent Manager. Owners aren’t left guessing. If a reference surfaces a red flag, like a prior landlord who mentioned an eviction notice, or one who hesitated on the “would you rent again” question, the owner hears about it before any placement decision is made.
One long-term owner described exactly that in their own words: they appreciated being kept informed throughout the leasing process and knowing what reference checks actually surfaced, not just a thumbs-up or thumbs-down.
That transparency matters. In a market where even a 1% increase in bad placements across a portfolio our size means three to four problem tenancies per year, each potentially running $3,000 to $5,000 in losses, the reference call is not a formality. It’s where the real screening happens.
If tenant screening across your Waco rental property feels harder than it should, we’re open to a conversation.
FAQ
What questions should I ask when calling a tenant’s prior landlord?
Start with the basics: Did the tenant pay on time, comply with lease terms, and leave the unit in good condition? Then ask the one question that matters most: “Would you rent to them again?” How they answer that, and how quickly, tells you more than everything else combined.
How do I know if the reference number a tenant gave me is legitimate?
Run a reverse lookup on the phone number and check county property records to see if the reference’s name matches the listed owner of the property address. If the name, number, and ownership record don’t align, treat it as a red flag and ask the applicant to clarify before proceeding.
Does a good credit score mean I can skip the landlord reference check?
No. Credit score measures how someone handles debt accounts, not how they treat a rental unit. We’ve seen tenants with strong credit scores cause significant damage, while tenants with lower scores and verified rental history turned out to be excellent long-term residents. Use both together.
What if the applicant has no prior rental history?
This comes up often with student applicants near Baylor. In those cases, shift your focus to income verification, a guarantor or co-signer, and a closer look at employment stability. A parental reference is worth less than a prior landlord reference, so the other pieces of the application need to carry more weight.
How far back should I go when checking rental history?
At least two years, and ideally two separate landlords. A six-month reference from a single prior landlord is too short a window to catch patterns like late payments in later months, unauthorized occupants, or lease violations that show up only after a tenant feels settled.
Can a Section 8 voucher holder skip the landlord reference process?
No. Local Public Housing Authorities (PHAs) screen voucher applicants for program eligibility before issuing a Housing Choice Voucher, but that screening doesn’t replace a property-level landlord reference check. A prior landlord reference that surfaces lease violations, like unauthorized occupants or property damage, can still factor into your placement decision even when a voucher is active.
