Key takeaways
- Written criteria applied uniformly is your fair-housing defense.
- Income 3x rent and credit 620+ is the baseline.
- Verify employment with HR, not the applicant.
- One eviction in five years is usually a hard no.
- Prior landlord references catch what credit reports miss.
Core concepts
Written criteria
A one-page standard applied identically — income multiple, credit floor, eviction lookback, criminal lookback.
Verification flow
Pay stubs + HR call + credit + criminal + eviction + landlord reference.
Fair-housing safety
Apply criteria to every applicant in the order received.
Decline letter
Adverse action letter required by law when credit drives a decline.
Step-by-step framework
- 1Publish criteria in the listing.
- 2Use a screening service (TransUnion SmartMove or similar).
- 3Call prior two landlords, not just the current one.
- 4Verify employment by calling main number, not provided number.
- 5Decide within 48 hours and document.
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Common mistakes to avoid
- Inconsistent criteria across applicants.
- Skipping prior landlord because current is positive.
- Accepting bank statements in lieu of pay stubs.
- Verbal decline without an adverse-action letter.
Frequently asked questions
What credit score is the floor?
620 in most markets; 580 if compensating factors and double deposit.
Should I rent to applicants with evictions?
Generally no — but a documented dispute 5+ years ago can be considered.
Are guarantors useful?
For students yes; for income-light adults, often a yellow flag.
How long should screening take?
48–72 hours. Faster than that misses verifications.
Action checklist
- ☐Written criteria published.
- ☐Credit, criminal, eviction, income, landlord refs.
- ☐HR verification of employment.
- ☐Two prior landlord references called.
- ☐Decision within 48 hours.
- ☐Adverse action letter on declines.
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