How to write a reference for a tenant in a house. Characteristics from the place of residence: Examples and tips

27.10.2018 Documentation

When considering various cases in court, which may involve both civil proceedings and charges of criminal and administrative offenses, all its participants can request information from the place of residence of the plaintiff, defendant, or accused.

The characteristic for the court has important, since it represents detailed description personal qualities, habits, human capabilities that manifest themselves during communication with people day after day.

Several people take part in its preparation, so the characterization submitted to the court is the most objective. It can be used both on the defense side and by the plaintiff (prosecution). When imposing a punishment, she is able to either mitigate it or increase it.

The court may request these documents when deciding cases of adoption, appointment of guardianship, deprivation parental rights, eviction, alimony, consideration of other civil cases. The court conducts proceedings in administrative and criminal cases.

How to write a reference from neighbors to court

The household report from neighbors does not have a standard form; it is drawn up on a simple A4 sheet. Before filling it out, it is necessary to interview neighbors about their consent to participate in the preparation of the document. The persons giving the characterization may be neighbors living nearby, the elder of the house, representatives of the building management, the district police officer, etc.

Having received consent, it is necessary to collectively fill out this document.

There are several mandatory points that must be reflected in the characteristics:

  • Writing a document begins with indicating the body to which it will be submitted. Then you should indicate the full name, year and place of birth of the person for whom it is being compiled, as well as the full address indicating the city, street, house, apartment.
  • Next, information is provided on how long this person has lived at this address. This data makes it possible to determine whether the neighbors know the person being characterized. Below is the information about who he lives with. If there is a family, then it is necessary to describe its composition in detail. We also need to consider relationships within the family.
  • In the next part, neighbors confirm that this citizen lives at the specified address, and give a personal assessment of his qualities and relationships with other people. If there were conflicts and complaints from neighbors, it is necessary to clarify their cause. It may also contain information about whether the person being characterized has debts for utility bills.
  • Then information about cases of bringing this person to criminal and administrative liability, as well as his participation in social activities and the presence of various interests (sports, creativity, etc.).
  • The specification is signed by all persons participating in its preparation, indicating their personal data and address. The date of the document is indicated below.

Please note that this document must be certified by the building management, HOA, CTP, etc.

A sample drafting sample of a characterization to court from neighbors is presented below.

Features of drawing up a character reference for the court

If you decide to adopt a child or get a loan, if your case is being considered by a civil or criminal court, as well as in many other cases, you may need a reference from your place of residence. Naturally, questions will immediately arise about how to correctly draw up this document and who is best to contact to draw it up. In today's article we will try to give detailed answers and provide a sample sample of this paper.

What is affected by the characteristics given at the place of residence?

The information that will be presented in the characterization can have a very significant impact on the fate of the person in respect of whom the said document is being drawn up. After all, such a document can serve as an impetus for a positive outcome in the consideration of the adoption case, and soften the court’s decision regarding the citizen who committed the offense, not to mention increasing the likelihood of receiving a loan, taking on a new position, or simply getting a job.

What is a reference from the place of residence?

This document is a reflection of a person’s relationship with his neighbors and household members. As a rule, the most important role in characterization is played by the description of how an individual manifests himself in all everyday communications with the people around him in the house, regardless of the degree of acquaintance with them. By the way, the more signatures collected from those who are ready to talk about the person, indicating the passport details of the signatories, the more significant the presented document will be.

Who issues the reference?

The document under discussion can be issued either by a person vested with authority or by an ordinary person who knows well the personality of the citizen being characterized. This could be one of the neighbors living in the immediate vicinity, the building manager, the chairman of the HOA, the secretary of the housing department, or others. True, most often nowadays a reference from the place of residence is necessary for presentation to the court, and in these cases it is compiled and issued by the district police officer.

Are there strict requirements for issuing references from the place of residence?

Because this document Since it is classified as unofficial, the requirements for its execution are not strict. The characterization is drawn up arbitrarily, and its most important part is the text, which contains basic information about the citizen. It is to the contents of the document that those at whose request it was drawn up will pay their primary attention. The more diverse information about the person being characterized is collected, the more capacious and convincing the mentioned description will look.

Information that must be included in the specification

Despite the lack of strict regulations in registration, there are several points that are mandatory in the characteristics of the place of residence. This is, firstly, an indication of the period of residence of a given citizen at the address and the provision complete information about him from neighbors. Secondly, do not forget to clarify the gender and age of the person to whom it is issued, as well as his social status. The characteristics also indicate the full address and passport number. Check information about whether the person for whom the document is being drawn up has a criminal record, whether he has been brought to administrative or, perhaps, criminal liability for committing illegal actions, whether neighbors or the local police officer have any complaints against him. By the way, if the specified citizen is divorced, do not forget to write how regularly alimony is paid to them for the maintenance of minor children.

The profile describes in detail the relationship with family and neighbors

If the citizen for whom the residence reference is issued lives at the registration address with his family, then the document must contain a description of the relationship of this person with his wife or husband, children, and other relatives. Information about the provision of financial assistance to family members, the absence or presence of payment debts is also indicated. utilities, about relationships with neighbors. In the document, pay attention to whether the person being characterized is always polite, whether he has any violations of the rules of residence or conflicts, and whether he is respected by others. Don’t forget to indicate the presence or absence of bad habits, as well as how socially active this citizen is (does he go to events to improve the surrounding area, is he ready to help repair the entrance, etc.).

Characteristics at place of residence: sample

So, let's take a closer look at how the characteristics are drawn up. For her, it is better to take a standard sheet and write on it with black or blue ink. Be sure to leave a margin of approximately 2 cm on the left side, as this paper will most likely be filed. In the top middle, write the title of the document. IN in this case: "Characteristics." On the right, under the name, the person for whom it is drawn up is indicated. For example, for Ivan Petrovich Komarov, born on April 12, 1966, living at the address... The following is an indication of the address and telephone numbers that will help contact this person. The text of the characteristic begins on a new line.

Sample text of the characteristics

“Ivan Petrovich Komarov has lived at the address (indicate it again) since May 15, 1988. During his stay in this apartment, he proved himself to be a polite, sociable person who follows all the rules. Ivan Petrovich has no bad habits, an excellent family man who raised 2 children He had no conflicts with his neighbors and enjoyed well-deserved respect from them. He always took an active part in the work on landscaping the yard and repairing the entrance. He organized the repair of the children's slide in the yard using his own resources..." - etc.

What's the best way to finish a document?

We remind you once again that there cannot be exact advice on what exactly the characteristics should look like. Since its preparation is not regulated by the legislation of the Russian Federation. But, as mentioned above, the reference at the place of residence must be signed by as many people as possible who know this person. Here, as they say, the more the merrier. However, remember that there must be at least three of them. Be sure to take the passport details of these people and indicate their residential addresses. Each of the neighbors named in the document must sign. It would also be useful to have this characteristic certified by the local police officer or stamped by the housing office or homeowners association.

Before you start writing a description of your place of residence, make a rough draft of it. Then go around with your neighbors to get their consent to sign. If it is received, then take their passport details. The compiler must also indicate his details. By the way, it is better if the description is not written by hand, but printed on an A4 sheet. And remember that this document must be as plausible and objective as possible. Since it can have a serious impact on the fate of the person being characterized.

Nowadays, a reference from the place of residence is rarely used as a document, but sometimes it is asked to be provided by guardianship authorities and representatives of investigative authorities, and the court may also request it. Such government structures should focus not on personal impressions from communicating with citizens, but on facts obtained from a variety of sources. The characterization can be made either positive or negative; most importantly, it must accurately and truthfully characterize the person. So when you start writing a testimonial, try to provide as much information as possible in a concise and concise form.

Obtaining characteristics from the place of residence is not a particularly labor-intensive process. Such a characteristic can be issued by a district police officer or the chairman of a building management body, be it a HOA or a cooperative.

You can also create such a description yourself by recording the words of your neighbors and securing their words with a signature indicating the last name, first name and patronymic of the neighbor, as well as the apartment in which he lives. To write the characteristics, if you decide to compile it manually, you should contact a person with neat, easy-to-read handwriting, so that the court employee who receives the form does not have any difficulties reading it.

Although according to all the rules the characteristic is written in “free form”, certain rules for the preparation of this document still exist. The characterization is provided to the court or other authority on standard A4 sheets. You can fill out the specification manually, or you can prepare a printed version. The main thing is not to forget that this document will be filed in the archive, which means the indentation on the left edge should be such that the document can be secured in a folder.

  • The document also contains a number of data that are required to be included:
  • Full name and other necessary information about the person for whom the reference is written. Passport details, registration, information about existing property may be indicated here, if the court proceedings concern it;
  • the characteristic itself. Here, depending on the request, information about attitudes toward alcohol, criminal records, everyday behavior and relationships with neighbors, children, spouse, and other household members may be reflected. If the request concerns a case of an accident, the description may include information about bringing to administrative responsibility for violating traffic rules, demonstrating consciousness on the road, etc.;

At the end of the form there is a signature of the persons certifying the document and the seal of the organization if the board of the HOA, cooperative or district police officer participated in its preparation.

It is worth noting that legislation is not prohibited from drafting independently full description about yourself and submit it for signature.

However, the data must be accurate and truthful, because representatives of the court or guardianship authorities may request personal evidence from the same citizens and, if the data differs, this will raise additional questions and checks. Also, authorities requiring this document can independently send a request to provide a person’s characteristics to the police.
Separately, it is worth mentioning the characteristics for the military registration and enlistment office and training camps.


knowledge that absolutely all conscripts collect. In such a characterization, in addition to standard points, the hobbies and preferences of the person being characterized are also described. In such a description, information should be reflected as completely as possible, since the decision to accept a conscript into a certain type of army is made on the basis of the characteristics, and only secondarily are physical data taken into account. True, in most cases, these structures provide a sample description and a short questionnaire with a list of points that are worth writing about in the document. A sample of a household description from the place of residence can be obtained from the district police officer, from representatives of the authority that requested the characteristics, or downloaded from one of the thematic sites. There is an opinion that the court does not take into account negative characteristics - this is a misconception.

The court relies on all data obtained about the person, including his behavior outside the home.


Example of characteristics from place of residence

from the chairman of the HOA “Association” Ivanov V.V.

Petrov has established himself as a law-abiding citizen with an active lifestyle. Complies with all rules and regulations, respects the rights of its neighbors. Present at all meetings, participates in voluntary work to improve the local area. All bills and fees are paid in full and on time. An example of Petrov’s activity is a children’s playground, painted and renovated by activists under his leadership.

Lives with his wife and minor son. There are no documented quarrels in the family, the child is always decently dressed, behaves civilly, and also actively participates in the life of the home.
There were no conflict situations with neighbors and residents of neighboring houses, and no complaints were received against Petrov. The HOA board knows Petrov as an honest, objective and law-abiding person.

Chairman of the HOA “Association” _____________________ /Ivanov V.V/

This is just an example of how to correctly write a full-fledged description that reveals a person completely, from all points of view. known parties. Before your neighbor starts writing a testimonial, you should think about whether you have had any conflicts and whether your relationship with this person is smooth. Example wrong choice The neighbors interviewed can be seen below.

Example of a negative characteristic

to the Ivanovo District Court of N-sk

from Ivanova E.E.

from the chairman of the HOA “Association” Ivanov V.V.

Petrov Grigory Grigorievich born 05/05/1955, passport series 1234 number 567890, issued on 11/11/2011 by the Department of the Federal Migration Service for the N-region in the Ivanovo district of the city of N-ska, subdivision code 132-003 lives at the address: N -sk, Tsentralnaya street, 1, apt. 1.

Special complaints against G.G. Petrov. I didn’t have any problems while living at this address, but I want to note that Petrov is careless about observing the basic rules for using the local area. I regularly reprimand him about an illegally parked car blocking the sidewalk.

Conflicts also arose over walking his dog. He categorically refuses to remove the waste products of his animal. This issue is periodically raised at meetings of residents, but no measures have any effect on Petrov. Otherwise, I characterize Petrov positively.

Ivanova E.E. _____________________

This example can be used as a template for negative characterization. Although the neighbor characterizes the citizen positively, she decided to write that he does not comply with certain standards, and this, in turn, may entail a negative attitude from the court.

A character reference from the place of residence, which, in addition to general phrases, sets out specific facts confirming the character and way of life of a person, will be accepted in court much more readily. You can also use the samples given above to write a testimonial yourself if they contact you for this purpose on duty.

Contrary to popular belief, in many cases the characteristics of a citizen at his place of residence are important and can play as an additional factor in decision-making. The document is especially often in demand in the following situations:

  1. Participation in litigation when, to obtain more full picture The identity of the defendant, plaintiff or defendant requires his description from neighbors.
  2. Processes related to adoption or deprivation of rights to a child.
  3. Cases related to the need to obtain permission from the district police officer to carry, use or store weapons.
  4. Some cases of employment, especially in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the FSB, as well as in security companies.
  5. Some cases of admission to a higher or secondary vocational educational institution - again, most often they are associated with law enforcement agencies: the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the FSB, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation.

NOTE. In most cases, such a document is drawn up by the interested citizen himself, and the neighbors simply sign, since they themselves do not write the description.

You can ask the local police officer to sign the document, as well as representatives of local public organizations, if there are any. In this case, he has the opportunity to become more influential in the eyes of the decision maker.

  1. Addressee – i.e. the person that is being characterized. His full name is written in the upper right corner. The header also indicates the body or official to whom the document will be provided. If several are expected at once
  2. Information about the person being characterized: his passport details, as well as his registration address (you can indicate that it coincides with the place of actual residence).
  3. The actual characteristics of the personality, behavior, and mental characteristics of a citizen (i.e., all the information that may be useful for the decision maker).
  4. At the end there is a list of the full names of all neighbors, their apartment numbers and signatures. If there are too many people, you can arrange it in the form of a table. The date of compilation is indicated. The law does not establish the validity period of such a document, but it goes without saying that the most recent ones (drawn up in the current year) enjoy the greatest confidence.

IMPORTANT. If neighbors live in different houses (private sector, town or village), then their full addresses are indicated.


NOTE. The characteristic as a document does not require certification by a notary. But if it goes to an important authority (for example, to any of the courts), then its certification is mandatory - the signature of the district police officer or the seal of the HOA or other organization at the place of residence is affixed.

Drawing up characteristics in different cases

Almost always, a description from the place of residence describes a person not in general outline, but only specifically those personality qualities that are needed in this case in order to form a complete, objective picture of a citizen:

  • character traits;
  • characteristics of the psyche and behavior (balanced, impulsive, etc.);
  • work or study skills;
  • specific facts from a person’s life that can characterize him from a positive or negative side (for example, he was or was not noticed in scandals, thefts, etc.).

Criminal trials

In these cases, it is very important to indicate not only the qualities of a person, the characteristics of his behavior, but also specific facts of decent or dishonest (criminal) behavior:

  • whether he was noticed in fights, hooliganism, rowdy behavior;
  • whether he participated in thefts;
  • publicly insulted neighbors or other people;
  • whether he abuses alcohol;
  • how he behaves towards his family;
  • Is he polite to his neighbors?
  • communicates with neighbors or tries to avoid contacts.

Examples of text could be:

“Citizen Ivanov I.I., living at the address _____, is not known to abuse alcohol, he communicates friendly with his neighbors, always says hello. Also not noticed in cases of violation of public order. During all the visits, there was not a single case of theft.”

“Citizen P.P. Petrov, who lives at ____, always greets his neighbors and communicates with respect. His personality can be described as balanced, since he never raises his voice, reacts to situations calmly, does not take part in disputes and follows the rules of polite communication. During his stay, he was not noticed in cases of violation of public order or abuse alcoholic drinks. He communicates calmly with close people and does not disturb the order.”

Deprivation of parental rights

Here it is important to describe the personality traits and behavioral characteristics of a citizen precisely from the point of view of his attitude towards his child, spouse and loved ones - i.e. describe the person as a family man and parent.

Examples could be:

“Citizen Petrova N.N., living at the address ____, often violates public order, which is expressed in the following:

  • public drinking of alcohol (beer, vodka) - on the playground in the yard with dubious persons;
  • cases of everyday rudeness towards neighbors when trying to make an oral remark: obscene language, insults and death threats;
  • systematic violation of silence from 23:00 to 6:00.

The citizen does not respond to numerous comments from neighbors. Has a 7-year-old daughter. The girl often looks pale, thin and sad. He often cries right on the street. She often goes out after 10 p.m., and her mother does not consider it necessary to call her home and keep an eye on the child. Often the daughter looks untidy.”

“Citizen Ivanov I.I., living at address____, proved himself to be a respectable family man, which was reflected in the following facts:

  • with his own hands and at his own expense, he organized the construction of a homemade hockey rink, onto which every year, with his help, neighboring children pour water;
  • actively takes part in the public life of the courtyard: takes part in all cleanup days and holidays dedicated to the city day and important memorable dates of national and local significance;
  • He always communicates warmly with his children and wife - this conclusion can be drawn based on many years of observations.

Citizen Ivanov I.I. Has a 13-year-old son and a 5-year-old adopted daughter. Children always look neat, cheerful and healthy. They behave well-mannered and politely towards their elders: they say hello, open doors, and give way. Citizen Ivanov I.I. not noticed in cases of violation of public order.”

“Citizen Petrova I.N., living at ____, is raising 2 sons aged 7 and 10 years, as well as an adopted daughter aged 5 years. Despite the difficulties associated with the divorce, the children of citizen Petrova I.N. always look neat and healthy. They behave politely, always say hello and communicate friendlyly with their neighbors. Children are responsive because they are always happy to help their elders.

Separately, it should be noted that during a visit to the Petrova family I.N. (we go to visit each other several times a year) there is always order in the house and full compliance with sanitary standards. Citizen Petrova I.N. was not noticed in the facts of violation of public order, her behavior can be described as restrained and balanced.”

In processes related to deprivation of rights

Very often a reference is required for a driver who caused an accident due to intoxication. Therefore, here we indicate precisely those qualities that characterize a person well or poorly in terms of his attitude towards alcohol.

The text in this case will be shorter, for example:

“Citizen Petrov P.P., living at the address ____, has a VAZ-2112 car. Always follows parking rules. Has not been reported in cases of drunk driving. He never disturbs public order and behaves politely with neighbors. It has not been noticed in cases of alcohol abuse or drinking in public places.”

“Citizen Ivanova I.K., living at address____, drives a VAZ-21099 car. Despite the fact that she has not been noticed in cases of drunk driving, she often violates traffic rules, which is expressed in the following facts:

  • incorrect parking (contrary to the established scheme);
  • driving in the yard at high speed (according to observation, more than 30 km/h);
  • systematic violation of the rule of giving way to a pedestrian at a local yard crossing.

In the facts of violation of public order, including drinking alcohol in public places, citizen Ivanova I.K. was not noticed."

To apply for work or study

These are the simplest cases, since it is required to provide a simple description of the neighbor’s personality within the limits of the data that neighbors at the place of residence have. Usually, general formulations of a person’s psychological qualities are given that characterize him as a law-abiding citizen and a mentally balanced person (many types of work require these very qualities).

Examples of text could be:

“Citizen Ivanova E.A. living at address____, has been known to us since birth - i.e. for 18 years. Since she grew up literally before our eyes, and we had the opportunity to observe her behavior over a long period of time, we can characterize the citizen as a law-abiding person.

She is always polite in dealing with neighbors, friendly, always says hello and eagerly communicates at the first opportunity. Always looks neat and beautiful. Takes an active part in the life of the yard, which is expressed in the following facts:

  • provided all possible assistance in organizing a flower garden in front of the house;
  • together with parents, takes part in general meetings of home owners, actively votes on all issues raised;
  • participates in cleanup days;
  • always helps with organization New Year's decoration yard, decorates the Christmas tree, decorates the entrances.

Not noticed in cases of violation of public order.”

“Citizen K.P. Petrov, who lives at ____, communicates politely with his neighbors and always says hello. Based on many years of observation, we can characterize behavior as self-possessed and calm. Not noticed in cases of violation of public order.”

Possible consequences for neighbors

You should always characterize a citizen truthfully, since theoretically and sometimes practically there is a possibility that the court will want to verify the correctness of his characterization by requesting additional evidence. In this case, they may involve the district police officer, evidence from work and from friends.

If they completely contradict the positive or negative information provided by their neighbors, then they can be held accountable for libel - providing knowingly false information with or without intent.

Therefore, from the point of view of neighbors, it is important to protect yourself from undesirable consequences:

  1. You should not sign a blank paper where information will be entered later - no one knows what it will be.
  2. It is always necessary to clarify for what purpose the information is collected. For example, if we are talking about a court, then all documents should be approached with special responsibility - the evidence can be double-checked.
  3. If the description is drawn up in general terms, without specifying specific facts (for example, “not noticed in conflicts, thefts,” etc.), it can be signed if you generally know the person.
  4. If any specific facts characterizing the citizen’s personality are indicated, then you can sign such a paper only if you are sure of the veracity of the statements.

IMPORTANT. No citizen is required to participate in characterizing a neighbor. The exception is those cases when a person became a direct witness to the incident.

Negative characteristic

If a citizen systematically violates order, makes noise at night, or hooligans, neighbors can assemble an initiative group and draw up a collective reference from the place of residence in the name of the district police officer or for legal proceedings (if they intend to go to court).

An example of such a request is presented below.


NOTE. You should not provide a deliberately false negative description of a neighbor if you do not have a good relationship with him. The fact is that he can file a lawsuit for slander and defamation of a good name - in this case it is impossible to refuse his words: there is documentary evidence of them in the form of a reference from the place of residence.

And finally, a comment from a practicing lawyer on how to correctly draw up a character reference from neighbors, and what nuances should be taken into account.