Tenant Applicant Screening

The leasing agent records the applicant's primary email — this address receives the FCRA disclosure, the screening report consent, and the eventual approval or adverse action notice. Confirm the spelling on the application form before saving.

Compare the requested date against the unit's available date. A move-in more than 30 days out usually requires a holding deposit per firm policy; a move-in inside 5 days flags a make-ready scheduling risk.

Under the FCRA, written authorization is required before pulling a credit or background report. Without a signed disclosure on file, any later adverse action is exposed to class-action risk. File the signed form in the applicant folder before running any reports.

The same income, credit, and rental-history thresholds must apply to every applicant — varying thresholds by applicant invites Fair Housing Act and source-of-income discrimination claims. In jurisdictions with source-of-income protections (NY, MA, NJ, many CA cities), Section 8 vouchers count as qualifying income.

Email the verification form to the HR contact listed on the application — not the supervisor named by the applicant. HR-confirmed employment carries weight in court if a deposit dispute later turns on the applicant's representations.

For W-2 applicants, two consecutive pay stubs from the last 60 days. For 1099 contractors, two years of tax returns or 90 days of bank statements. For new hires, a signed offer letter on company letterhead with start date and base salary.

Most firms require gross monthly income of at least 3x the rent. Apply the threshold uniformly — adjusting by applicant invites a discrimination claim. In source-of-income-protected jurisdictions, count Section 8 voucher and SSI/SSDI as qualifying income against the tenant's portion only.

Cross-check the phone number against public records before calling — applicants occasionally list a friend as the prior landlord. Ask about on-time payment, lease violations, condition at move-out, and whether the landlord would rent to them again.

The written form documents the verification and protects against later disputes about what the prior landlord said. Most prior landlords prefer email; some still want fax. Allow up to 3 business days for return before escalating.

Check the housing court or unlawful detainer index in every county where the applicant has lived in the last 5 years. A dismissed eviction filing still appears and is treated differently from a judgment under most firm policies. Some states (CA, WA) seal sealed unlawful-detainer records — adjust expectations.

Pull through TransUnion SmartMove, Experian RentBureau, RentPrep, or the screening module built into AppFolio or Buildium. The applicant pays the application fee that covers this report.

Most firms set a minimum threshold around 620-650. A score below threshold doesn't auto-deny — it triggers the co-signer or higher-deposit path. Apply the threshold consistently across applicants.

HUD's 2016 guidance bars blanket bans on applicants with criminal records — denials must be individualized and tied to the specific offense, time elapsed, and relevance to tenancy. Several jurisdictions (Seattle, Berkeley, Oakland) have fair-chance ordinances that further restrict consideration.

Most screening providers include SSN trace, death-index check, and prior-address verification in the standard report. Mismatches between the application's stated address history and the trace results are a common identity-fraud signal — pause the file and request additional documentation.

A co-signer is typically required when the applicant's score is below the firm threshold but otherwise qualifies, or when income falls between 2.5x and 3x rent. The co-signer's credit and income are screened to the same standard as a primary applicant.

Send the co-signer the same FCRA disclosure and screening consent before pulling reports. Most firms require the co-signer's income at 3-5x rent (higher than the primary threshold) since the co-signer is also covering their own housing costs.

The decision is documented against the firm's published screening criteria, not against the individual applicant. If the file is approved with conditions (higher deposit, co-signer, last-month-rent), capture those conditions in the offer rather than leaving them informal.

Include rent amount, security deposit, any pet deposit or pet rent, lease start and end, required move-in funds, and the deadline to accept and pay the holding deposit. Service animals and ESAs do not carry pet rent or pet deposit — confirm before quoting.

The holding deposit takes the unit off market and converts to security deposit at lease execution. Document terms in writing — whether forfeitable if the applicant backs out, and whether refundable if the firm cancels.

Onboarding picks up lease drafting, state-required disclosures (lead paint for pre-1978 buildings, mold, bedbug, megan's law per state), e-sign, move-in inspection, and key handover.

Required when denial is based in whole or in part on a credit or background report. The notice must name the reporting agency, give its address and toll-free number, state that the agency did not make the decision, and inform the applicant of their right to a free copy of the report and to dispute its accuracy. Missing this notice is the single most common FCRA violation in residential leasing.

Tie the denial to a specific written screening criterion (income below 3x rent, FICO below 620, prior eviction judgment within 5 years). Retain the application, screening reports, and denial documentation for the FCRA-required period — most firms keep 5 years to align with statute-of-limitations exposure.