England and Wales landlords increase tenant referencing amid rising CCJs

Landlords in England and Wales are increasing their focus on tenant referencing due to rising County Court Judgements (CCJs) and new regulatory restrictions. Data from Registry Trust indicates that nearly one million new consumer CCJs were registered in 2025, marking an annual increase of approximately 11.6% to 11.8% and reaching the highest levels since 2019.

This shift follows the implementation of the Renters’ Rights Act, which abolished Section 21 ‘no-fault’ evictions and restricted advance rent payments to a maximum of one month. Because landlords can no longer rely on large upfront payments to mitigate financial risk, pre-tenancy checks have become a primary protection mechanism. Research from Leaders suggests that roughly 45% of landlords believe referencing has become more important since these rent restrictions took effect.

In tenant selection, employment status and income are cited as the most critical factors by over 40% of landlords, followed closely by referencing reports provided by letting agents. While financial pressure is rising—with LexisNexis Risk Solutions noting that approximately 6% of the adult population has at least one CCJ or negative financial event on their credit profile—the majority of surveyed tenants reported passing referencing without issue.