Screening is where a small landlord makes the decision that determines the next two years, usually with less information than they would like and more than they realise they are allowed to act on. A tenant screening checklist is worth having because it makes the process the same for every applicant, which is both the fairest way to run it and the easiest to defend. This page sets out the checks in the order that eliminates fastest, what a credit reference does and does not tell you, and the letter that has to follow a decision made on a report.
The four checks, in the order that eliminates fastest
Identity and right to rent where that applies; income against the rent, on documents rather than on a stated figure; the previous landlord, asked about payment and about the end of the tenancy; and the credit or reference report if you use one. Running them in that order means most declines happen on the first two, which are the cheapest to establish and the least contestable.
What a credit reference rental application tells you, and what it does not
A credit reference tells you about credit: what was borrowed and whether it was repaid. It does not tell you whether somebody looked after a flat, gave notice properly or left it clean, which is what the previous landlord knows. Landlords who lean entirely on the report decline tenants who have never missed rent and accept tenants who have never rented, and both errors are avoidable by making the reference call.
The denial letter is part of the process, not the end of it
When a decision goes against an applicant because of something in a report, there is a notice that has to follow, and the practical version of it is a rental application denial letter that says a decision was made, that a report was used, and where the applicant can obtain it. What exactly is required of you is a question for your state and your attorney; that a letter is required at all is the part landlords most often miss.
Questions people ask about tenant screening checklist
What goes on a tenant screening checklist?
Identity, income against the rent on documents, the previous landlord's answers, and the report if you use one, in that order, run identically for every applicant.
What questions should I ask a previous landlord?
Whether the rent was paid and on time, whether notice was given properly, whether the deposit was returned in full, and whether they would let to them again. Facts, and one judgement they are free to decline to answer.
Do I have to send a denial letter?
Where a decision rests on a consumer report there is a notice requirement, and this site does not state your state's version of it. Send the letter and ask your attorney what it must contain.
Can I just pick whoever I like?
No, and the checklist is the protection: running the same checks in the same order for every applicant is what makes a decision explainable if it is ever questioned.