How to Screen and Select Tenants FAQ
Check tenants' credit and avoid legal trouble over discrimination.
What's the best way for landlords to screen tenants?
Savvy landlords should ask all prospective tenants to fill out a written rental application that includes the following information:
- employment, income, and credit history
- Social Security and driver's license numbers
- past evictions or bankruptcies, and
- references.
Before choosing tenants, landlords should check with previous landlords and other references; verify income, employment, and bank account information; and obtain a credit report. The credit report is especially important because it will indicate whether a particular person has a history of paying rent or bills late, has gone through bankruptcy, has been convicted of a crime, or has ever been evicted.
For more information, download Nolo's eFormKit Landlords: How to Screen & Choose Excellent Tenants, by attorney Janet Portman, Marcia Stewart, and attorney Ralph Warner (Nolo).
Are landlords or property managers allowed to pull a prospective tenant's credit report?
Yes, you are allowed to obtain a credit report on a prospective tenant. If you turn down an applicant because of negative information on a credit report, you must inform the applicant of three things:
- the reason you rejected the applicant
- the name and address of the agency that reported the negative information, and
- the applicant's right to obtain a free copy of the report by requesting it from that agency within 60 days.
To run a credit check, you'll need a prospective tenant's name, address, and Social Security number or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN). You can order a credit report from a credit reporting agency, which will get the report from one of the three major national credit bureaus:
- Equifax: http://www.equifax.com
- Experian: http://www.experian.com
- TransUnion: http://www.transunion.com
To find a credit reporting agency that operates in your area, look in the Yellow Pages or type "credit reporting agency" in your browser's search box.
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