Employment verification
How to verify a tenant’s employment (and what the letter should say)
Most landlords ask for proof that an applicant has steady work. Here’s what an employment verification letter should include, how landlords check it, and how to request and verify one online for free.
What an employment verification letter is
It’s a short letter from an employer confirming that someone works there, in what role and since when, and often what they earn. Landlords ask for it alongside pay slips or bank statements to check that an applicant’s income is real and likely to continue.
The applicant usually asks their employer’s HR team or manager to write it, on company letterhead, and passes it to the landlord.
What the letter should include
- The employer’s name, address, phone number and website, ideally on letterhead
- The employee’s full name
- Job title
- Start date
- Employment type: full-time, part-time, contract or temporary
- Pay and usual hours, only if the employee agrees to share them
- The name, title and signature of the person writing it
- The date
How landlords check it
- Call the employer on a number you found yourself, such as the company’s website or a business registry, never the number printed on the letter.
- Check that the email domain matches the company, not a free email address.
- Make sure the name matches the applicant’s ID.
- Compare the pay with recent pay slips and bank deposits.
- Prefer a recent letter. Many landlords ask for one dated within the last 30 days, which is also Roofy’s default.
Red flags
- A PDF that was edited after it was created, or text in mismatched fonts
- Round numbers that don’t match the pay slips
- An “HR department” using a free email address
- A phone number that only reaches the applicant or a friend
A red flag is a reason to check, not proof of fraud. Ask a question first. If a document still looks altered, decline it with a neutral reason and ask for an original from the source.
Self-employed, a new job, a student or moving from abroad?
- Self-employed
- A recent tax return or a letter from an accountant, plus 2–3 months of bank statements.
- Starting a new job
- The signed offer letter showing the start date and pay, and the employer’s contact details.
- Student
- An enrolment letter, a scholarship letter if there is one, and a guarantor.
- Moving from abroad
- A letter from the new or current employer, with a translation if it isn’t in the local language.
- Several jobs or gig work
- A letter or statement from each source, or bank statements showing the payments.
- Employer won’t write letters
- Recent pay slips plus bank statements, or the employer’s HR verification service if it has one.
Request and verify it on Roofy
Free for landlords and applicants, in any country.
Step 1: Request it
Send the Employment verification request with a due date. It asks for a letter dated within 30 days, or the last 2 pay slips.Step 2: The applicant uploads it, or asks the employer
They upload the letter, or tap “Ask my employer to fill this”. The employer gets a secure link, fills in and signs the letter, and it comes back to the applicant to submit.- Requested
- Ready to review
Step 3: You check it
Accept it as provided, or call the employer and mark it verified with the method: phone call, email from the source, signed by the employer through a Roofy link, or original seen in person.- In review
- Accepted
- Verified
Step 4: Everything is on the record
The timeline shows who asked, who uploaded, who checked and how. Roofy doesn’t confirm that an employer is real; the label always says which person verified it.
Questions people ask
- How do landlords verify employment?
- Usually with an employment letter and recent pay slips, then a call to the employer on a number they found themselves to confirm the details.
- Can a landlord call my employer?
- It’s common practice, and a good landlord tells you first. Your employer decides what to confirm; many only confirm your title and start date.
- What if I’m self-employed?
- Offer a recent tax return or an accountant’s letter plus bank statements. On Roofy you can also explain what you have instead on the request.
- How recent does the letter need to be?
- There’s no universal rule. Many landlords ask for one dated within the last 30 days, and Roofy’s request uses 30 days unless the landlord changes it.
- Can a landlord reject my application because of my job?
- Landlords can set income requirements, but they should apply the same ones to everyone, and some places protect where your income comes from. In New York, income from housing vouchers counts like any other. Source of income rules.
Need an employment letter checked?
Request it with one link, let the employer sign it online, and keep a clear record of how it was verified.