Tenant Screening Criteria: How to Write Rental Standards You Can Apply to Every Applicant

Written tenant screening criteria are the single best protection a landlord has. They tell applicants what you are looking for, they keep every decision consistent, and they give you a documented reason for each approval or denial. Without them, you are deciding case by case, and case-by-case decisions are where fair housing complaints, awkward conversations, and bad tenants come from. This guide walks through what good tenant screening criteria contain and how to apply them to every applicant the same way.

Why written criteria matter

The Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination in housing because of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status, and disability, as the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development explains. Many states and cities add more protected classes, such as source of income or age. The practical defense against a discrimination claim is simple: show that you used the same objective standards for everyone and that your decision followed those standards.

Written criteria also save time. Applicants who do not meet your standards often screen themselves out before paying an application fee, and you avoid processing applications you would never approve.

What to put in your criteria

Keep the document to one page and write it in plain English. A solid set of tenant screening criteria usually covers:

• Identity verification: government photo ID and a Social Security number that is validated against the applicant's name and address history.

• Income: a stated minimum, such as gross monthly income of 2.5 to 3 times the rent, and what documents you accept as proof.

• Credit history: whether you look at the score, the payment history, collections, or all three, and what results are disqualifying.

• Rental and eviction history: how many years back you look and whether only eviction judgments count, or filings too.

• Criminal history: which offenses are relevant to tenancy, how far back you look, and whether you consider the applicant's explanation.

• Occupancy and pets: maximum occupants per bedroom (within local law) and any pet or animal rules, with a note that assistance animals are handled as reasonable accommodations.

Make each standard measurable

A criterion you cannot measure is a criterion you cannot apply consistently. "Good credit" is an opinion. "No more than two 30-day late payments in the past 12 months and no unpaid collections from a prior landlord or utility" is a standard. The same goes for criminal history: rather than a blanket "no criminal record," many landlords define the offenses that relate to the safety of residents or the property and set a lookback period. Blanket bans on anyone with any record are the kind of policy fair housing agencies have questioned, so a targeted rule is both fairer and easier to defend.

Apply the criteria the same way every time

Consistency is the whole point. Screen every adult who will live in the unit, run the same reports on each, and compare the results to your written standards in the same order. Do not skip the credit report for an applicant who "seems fine" or add a criminal search only for one who makes you nervous. If you allow exceptions, such as a co-signer for applicants under the income threshold, write the exception into the criteria so it is available to everyone in the same situation.

Keep a short note on each decision: which standard the applicant met or missed, and what report showed it. Those notes, plus the criteria themselves, are the records you will want if a decision is ever questioned.

Tell applicants what to expect

Give applicants your criteria before they apply, either as a handout or a link in the listing. Explain that you will pull a consumer report and get their written authorization. Then, if a report leads you to deny the application or require a larger deposit or co-signer, the Fair Credit Reporting Act requires an adverse action notice that names the screening company and explains the applicant's right to a free copy of the report and to dispute errors, as described in the FTC's guidance for landlords. Your criteria make that notice easy to write because the reason is already defined.

Review your criteria once a year

Rents change, local ordinances change, and so do the reports available to you. Once a year, reread your criteria, confirm the income multiple still fits your rent, and check whether your state or city has added protected classes, limits on criminal history screening, or application fee rules. This article is general information rather than legal advice; a landlord-tenant attorney in your state can confirm that your criteria comply with local requirements.

Put your criteria to work

Once your standards are written, you need reports that answer them quickly and accurately. InstantBackgroundChecks.us gives landlords nationwide credit, criminal, eviction, and SSN verification reports online, pay per report, with no monthly fees. New tenant-screening customers can start with our $29.95 tenant package. See the tenant screening options here.