Tenant referencing for Ethiopian rentals

Why tenant referencing matters in Ethiopia

In Addis Ababa and other cities, many landlords rely on gut feeling, word-of-mouth and quick checks before handing over keys. That can work—but it also leaves room for misunderstandings and risk on both sides.

• Landlords worry about non-payment, property damage or tenants disappearing without notice.
• Renters worry about being judged unfairly or asked for information that feels random or unclear.
• Diaspora owners often have even less visibility into who is moving into their property.

A simple, structured referencing flow can reduce anxiety for both sides without turning the process into heavy bureaucracy.

Planned tenant referencing flow

1. 1

   Collect key information with consent

   With the renter's agreement, Ethiolet would collect a standard set of details: basic ID information, contact details, rough income/employment situation and optional references (for example, a previous landlord or employer).

2. 2

   Run light-touch checks and contact references

   Instead of complex credit scoring, the focus would be on simple consistency checks and, where appropriate, contacting listed references to confirm key points (for example, previous rental behaviour or employment status).

3. 3

   Provide a clear, human-readable summary

   The landlord would receive a short summary of what was checked, what was confirmed and where there may be open questions. The idea is to support your decision, not to replace your judgment or guarantee the future.

Pricing and launch timeline

Tenant referencing is planned as an optional paid add-on that landlords can use once they have a serious applicant for a property found through Ethiolet.

We are still validating the exact checks that make sense for Ethiopia and how much can be automated vs handled by humans. Until that research is complete, the service will remain in "coming soon" status and there will be no charges.