Having previously been a corporate business manager, I made decisions about who to hire, promote, and yes, even, who to fire. To protect the organization, I, and other managers like me, were coached on interviewing skills, the policies and procedures of the organization, and how to guard against employee harassment and discrimination. Not only did the corporation want talented employees, they also wanted to protect themselves from liability. An unhappy employee could sue the company for damages which would strain the resources of the corporation. For various reasons, many corporations have developed a policy concerning employment references which they strictly limit to confirming salary, position, and employment dates regardless of whether the employee was a rising star within the firm or a difficult employee who the company decided to let go.
Your landlord is also under some restrictions concerning tenant references. Some landlords and property management companies also limit their tenant references strictly to dates of tenancy and the amount of rent paid to protect themselves from liability.
If you are seeking new housing and have given notice to terminate your tenancy, it is a good idea to confer with your landlord or property management company about what they will agree to communicate to prospective landlords. You can also affirmatively check your credit report and credit score, secure a reference from your current employer, and make corrections to your credit record if there are any glaring errors.
Read the article entitled, "Mum's the Word: Landlord Liability when Providing a Reference for a Former Tenant" to get the landlord's perspective on tenant reference checking. It's an eye-opener and it is always good to understand the other party's position.
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