Screening Tenants

Landlords should require all prospective tenants to fill out a written rental application that includes the following information:
  • employment history
  • verification of current income
  • credit history
  • Social Security number
  • driver's license number
  • past evictions
  • bankruptcies
  • references
Landlords should verify all of the information provided by the prospective tenant. Once the information is verified, the landlord should obtain a credit report on the prospective tenant. Credit reports are crucial because they show whether a particular person has a history of paying bills late, has gone through a bankruptcy, has been convicted of a crime, or has ever been evicted.

However, if a landlord turns down an applicant due to negative information on a credit report, they must inform the applicant: 1) the reason he or she was rejected, 2) the name and address of the agency that reported the negative information, and 3) the applicant's right to obtain a free copy of the report by requesting it from that agency within 60 days. Credit reports can be ordered from one of the three major national credit bureaus:
  • Equifax: http://www.equifax.com
  • Experian: http://www.experian.com
  • TransUnion: http://www.transunion.com