OAPs fake property references in LPS survey
Monday, 16 February 2009 2:06 PM
Nearly a quarter of old aged pensioners fake references when applying for a new property, according to research.
The Letting Protection Service (LPS) polled 10,000 landlords, and found 21 per cent had received a fake reference from a prospective tenant aged 60 and over.
Some 43 per cent had problems with faked references from those aged 50 and over, and younger tenants were no better with 42 per cent of landlords receiving faked references from those aged under 29.
Kevin Firth, director of the LPS, said: "This research just goes to show, that no matter how old the person is many tenants still try to fake their own references. With most landlords now requiring two or more references there is a real danger landlords end up with tenants who are untrustworthy.
"The last thing a landlord wants is to be left out of pocket by a tenant who has lied to them. That is why it is so important to ensure that each reference is thoroughly checked and verified."
The research commissioned by the LPS, which provides a full tenant reference service to landlords, shows a majority of landlords have suspected at least once that a reference was faked.
