Free Property Rental Guidance and Support From Marbella Lettings
Referencing is not a new concept.
It is not something that was invented by letting agents to make life difficult for tenants. It is not an unreasonable demand. It is not unique to Spain, to Marbella or to the Costa del Sol.
In almost every country in the world where property is rented professionally, a landlord or letting agent will want to know something about the person who is going to be living in their property. Who they are. What they do. Whether they can afford the rent. Whether they have rented property before and how that went.
That is not suspicious behaviour. That is common sense.
And yet, in our experience at Marbella Lettings, there is sometimes a reaction from prospective tenants that suggests referencing is somehow unusual, intrusive or unreasonable.
It is none of those things.
What Has Prompted This Article
We want to be honest about why we are writing this — because it is based on a real situation that we have encountered recently, and we suspect we are not the only letting agent on the Costa del Sol to have had a similar experience.
A prospective tenant applied for one of our properties. They seemed suitable. They were keen. They wanted to move quickly.
We asked for references. Standard practice. Nothing unusual.
What came back were documents that did not look right.
Payslips that appeared to have been created digitally rather than produced by a genuine employer payroll system. Bank statements that did not look like they had come from a real bank. A company contract that raised questions.
We used AI tools — including ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude — to examine the source of the documents. And what those tools identified was that several of the documents appeared to have been created using design platforms such as Canva, or generated using AI tools themselves rather than produced by genuine employers or financial institutions.
Think about that for a moment.
A payslip should come from a company’s payroll department. A bank statement should come from a bank. A contract of employment should come from an employer. These are not documents that should ever be created on a design platform or generated by an AI tool. The moment they are, something is wrong.
The tenant in question ultimately could not provide a single piece of documentation that we were satisfied was genuine. Not one.
And that tells you everything you need to know about why referencing matters.
AI Fabricated References Are A Growing Problem
This is not something that was possible even a few years ago in the way it is today.
AI tools and accessible design platforms have made it considerably easier for someone to produce a document that looks, at first glance, like a genuine payslip, bank statement or employment contract.
The fonts can be matched. The layouts can be copied. Company logos can be downloaded from the internet and placed onto a fabricated document. Numbers can be adjusted. Names can be changed.
For a landlord or agent reviewing a stack of documents quickly, a well-made fake can be very difficult to spot with the naked eye.
But here is the important point — and it is one that we think every landlord and letting agent on the Costa del Sol should be aware of.
The same AI tools that can be used to create fake documents can also be used to identify them.
AI analysis can examine the metadata of a document. It can identify whether a PDF was created using design software rather than a genuine payroll or banking system. It can flag inconsistencies in formatting, fonts, spacing and layout that a human eye might miss. It can identify when a document’s creation source does not match what it is claiming to be.
This is not foolproof. But it is an additional layer of scrutiny that letting agents and landlords can now apply — and one that we are using at Marbella Lettings as part of our referencing process.
What Genuine References Actually Look Like
This is the practical part of the conversation — and we want to be clear about what we consider to be credible, verifiable references that give us genuine confidence in a prospective tenant.
The key principle is simple. A reference or piece of documentation should come from a source that cannot easily be faked and that can be independently verified.
Here are the kinds of references that meet that standard:
Employment references: An email sent directly from a company’s official email domain confirming that the individual works there, their role and their salary. This is almost impossible to fake convincingly because you cannot replicate a genuine company email address. If someone claims to work for a particular company, an email from that company’s official domain is one of the strongest references possible.
Tax returns: Whether the prospective tenant is a salaried employee or self-employed, tax returns filed with the relevant tax authority are an official document. In Spain, the Declaración de la Renta. In the UK, an HMRC Self Assessment return. These are documents produced by official bodies and are extremely difficult to fabricate convincingly.
Accountant or lawyer confirmation: If a prospective tenant owns their own company, their accountant or lawyer can provide a letter on official headed paper confirming the nature of the business, the individual’s role and their income. This comes from a regulated professional whose own reputation and licence is on the line — which gives it genuine credibility.
Previous landlord or agent references: A reference from a previous landlord or letting agent is one of the most valuable references a tenant can provide. And critically — it should come directly from the source. An email from the actual letting agent’s official email address, or a signed letter on agency headed paper, is something that simply cannot be convincingly faked. You cannot replicate a genuine agency’s email address.
Bank statements from genuine sources: Bank statements should come directly from the bank — either as official printed statements or as PDF downloads generated by the bank’s own online banking system. Documents generated by a bank’s own system have specific formatting, metadata and characteristics that are consistent and verifiable.
What Is Not Acceptable
To be equally clear — here is what does not constitute a credible reference:
Documents created on design platforms such as Canva, regardless of how professional they look.
Documents that AI analysis identifies as having been generated by AI tools rather than produced by genuine employers or financial institutions.
References that come from personal email addresses rather than official company or professional email domains.
Documents where the metadata suggests they were created recently and on a personal device rather than generated by a payroll system, banking platform or official software.
Verbal assurances with no supporting documentation whatsoever.
The Argument We Sometimes Hear — And Why It Does Not Hold
When we ask for references, we occasionally hear the following response from prospective tenants:
“I have never had to provide references before.”
“This is not how things work here.”
“You are making this more complicated than it needs to be.”
We understand that referencing standards vary across different countries and different markets. And we acknowledge that in some parts of the Costa del Sol — and in some private rental arrangements in Spain — referencing has historically been less rigorous than it might be elsewhere.
But that does not mean the standard is wrong.
It means the standard has sometimes been too low.
A landlord in Marbella who owns a property worth several hundred thousand euros and is renting it for two, three or four thousand euros per month is making a significant decision when they choose a tenant. That decision should be based on something more substantial than a verbal assurance and a collection of documents that cannot be verified.
Marbella Lettings are long term property rental specialists in Marbella — and after more than 20 years in this market we have seen what happens when referencing is not taken seriously. Landlords end up in situations that are expensive, stressful and legally complicated. Situations that could often have been avoided with proper due diligence at the start of the tenancy.
This Is Not About Distrust — It Is About Due Diligence
We want to be clear about something important.
Asking for verifiable references is not the same as assuming a tenant is dishonest.
The vast majority of people who apply for rental properties are genuine, honest and perfectly capable of providing credible references. For those people, the referencing process is straightforward. They provide their documentation, it checks out and the tenancy proceeds.
The process exists precisely because the minority who are not genuine can cause serious problems for landlords who did not ask the right questions at the start.
Due diligence is not an insult. It is professional practice.
A bank carries out checks before lending money. An employer carries out checks before hiring someone. An insurance company carries out checks before providing cover.
A letting agent carrying out proper referencing before placing a tenant in a landlord’s property is doing exactly the same thing — protecting the interests of everyone involved in a professional and proportionate way.
What Tenants Should Understand
If you are a genuine tenant with genuine employment, genuine income and a genuine rental history — referencing should not be a problem.
You will have an employer who can send an email. You will have tax returns. You will have bank statements from your actual bank. You will have a previous landlord or agent who can provide a reference from their official contact details.
None of that is difficult to provide if you are who you say you are.
If providing basic, verifiable documentation feels like an unreasonable request — it is worth asking yourself why that might be.
What Landlords Should Understand
Do not skip the referencing process because it feels awkward or because a prospective tenant seems likeable and trustworthy in person.
Personality and presentation are not references.
The most convincing people are sometimes the ones with the most to hide.
A thorough referencing process — including verification of documents using whatever tools are available — is one of the most important things a landlord or their agent can do before committing to a tenancy.
If you are managing your own property and are not sure how to verify references properly, speak to a professional letting agent. This is exactly the kind of process that professional property management is designed to handle.
The Role Of Technology In Modern Referencing
We mentioned earlier that AI tools can be used to help identify fabricated documents. This is a developing area and one that we think will become increasingly important in the referencing process across the Marbella rental market.
The same tools that have made it easier to create fake documents have also made it easier to identify them — if you know what to look for and how to use them.
At Marbella Lettings, we are incorporating AI-assisted document verification as an additional layer within our referencing process. This does not replace human judgement — it supports it. And it gives us an additional tool to identify documents that may not be what they appear to be.
This is not about assuming every tenant is dishonest. It is about applying professional due diligence consistently and thoroughly — for every application, regardless of how credible the tenant appears on the surface.
Because the tenant with the most convincing presentation and the most plausible story is exactly the kind of tenant whose documents need to be checked most carefully.
The Bottom Line
Every genuine tenant should be able to provide references.
Not fabricated documents created on a design platform. Not AI-generated payslips or bank statements. Not verbal assurances with nothing to back them up.
Real, verifiable documentation from real, verifiable sources.
An email from an official company domain. Tax returns from a recognised authority. Bank statements from a genuine financial institution. A reference from a previous landlord or agent sent from their actual contact details.
These things are not unreasonable to ask for. They are not unusual in professional rental markets around the world. And they are not going to become optional in a professionally managed rental property on the Costa del Sol — regardless of what has sometimes been considered acceptable in the past.
If you are a genuine tenant, references should be the easiest part of the process.
If they are not — that tells its own story.
Marbella Lettings are long term property rental specialists in Marbella. We carry out thorough referencing on behalf of our landlords as a standard part of our property management service — because protecting our landlords’ properties and investments is fundamental to everything we do.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do tenants have to provide references for long term rentals in Marbella?
There is no single legal requirement specifying exactly what references must be provided, but any professional letting agent or landlord acting responsibly will require verifiable documentation before agreeing a tenancy. This is standard professional practice in rental markets around the world.
What references should a tenant provide for a long term rental?
Credible references typically include an employment confirmation email from an official company domain, recent tax returns, bank statements from a genuine financial institution, and a reference from a previous landlord or letting agent sent from their official contact details. Self-employed tenants can provide accountant or lawyer confirmation in addition to tax returns.
Can AI-generated documents be used as rental references?
No. Documents generated by AI tools or created on design platforms such as Canva are not acceptable as rental references. Genuine payslips, bank statements and employment contracts are produced by employers, banks and official systems — not design software. AI analysis tools can now be used to identify documents that have been created using these platforms rather than genuine sources.
How can landlords verify tenant references in Marbella?
Landlords and letting agents can verify references by contacting employers directly using independently sourced contact details, checking that bank statements match the formatting and metadata of genuine bank-produced documents, using AI tools to analyse document sources, and confirming previous landlord or agent references by contacting them through their official published contact details rather than details provided by the tenant.
What should a landlord do if tenant references look suspicious?
Do not proceed with the tenancy until you are fully satisfied that the documentation is genuine. If documents cannot be verified independently, or if AI analysis suggests they were created using design software or AI tools rather than genuine sources, treat this as a serious concern. A professional letting agent can assist with the verification process.
Is referencing tenants common practice in Spain?
Referencing standards have historically varied across different parts of Spain. However, professional letting agents operating in the Marbella and Costa del Sol market apply referencing standards consistent with international professional practice — because the properties they manage represent significant financial assets and the landlords they represent deserve proper protection.
What happens if a prospective tenant cannot provide references?
If a tenant cannot provide basic, verifiable documentation confirming their identity, income and rental history — that is a significant concern. Genuine tenants with genuine employment and a genuine rental history should have no difficulty providing credible references. The inability to do so should be treated as a serious red flag.
Free Property Rental Guidance and Support From Marbella Lettings
Marbella Lettings are Long Term Property Rental Specialists in Marbella.
We carry out thorough referencing as a standard part of our property management service — protecting landlords’ properties and investments across Marbella, Nueva Andalucía, Puerto Banús, San Pedro de Alcántara, Guadalmina, Estepona and the wider Costa del Sol.
If you are a landlord who wants to make sure your property is properly protected — or a tenant who wants to understand what to expect from a professional referencing process — we are always happy to help.
No pressure. No obligation. Just straightforward guidance from people who know this market.
Free Property Rental Guidance and Support From Marbella Lettings.
📧 info@marbellalettings.com
📲 WhatsApp +34 626 973 973
🌐 www.marbellalettings.com
