The Tenant Screening Toolkit
A consistent, written, defensible screening process — so every applicant is evaluated the same way, and you can show how.
Most fair-housing exposure does not come from intent. It comes from inconsistency — bending a rule for one applicant and not another, then having no record of why. A screening file that shows the same criteria applied in the same order to every applicant is the strongest position you can be in.
What is inside
- Written criteria worksheet — ten criteria to define before you advertise, each with the cautions that most often cause trouble
- Application intake checklist — the same list for every applicant, including the FCRA authorisation step people skip
- Verification scripts — eight prior-landlord questions and four employment questions, asked in the same order every time, plus the questions never to ask
- Applicant scoring sheet — one per applicant, completed before you compare applicants
- The adverse action sequence — seven steps and a notice template, for the step most often missed entirely
- Retention guidance — including why the denied files are the ones that matter most
Jurisdiction matters, a lot. State and local law is frequently stricter than federal — source-of-income protections, criminal-history look-back limits, credit-score bans, application-fee caps, and first-qualified-applicant rules all vary. Every item that varies is marked [VERIFY] in the toolkit so you know exactly what to check with counsel rather than assuming.
The Tenant Screening Toolkit
8-page PDF · criteria worksheet · intake checklist · verification scripts · scoring sheet · adverse-action template
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Not legal advice. This toolkit is a general operational template for informational purposes only. It does not constitute legal advice, does not create an attorney–client relationship, and is not a substitute for advice from a landlord–tenant attorney licensed in your jurisdiction. Federal, state and local requirements — including the Fair Housing Act, the Fair Credit Reporting Act, source-of-income protections, criminal-history and credit-history restrictions, application-fee caps, notice content, and record-retention periods — vary significantly by location and change frequently. You are solely responsible for ensuring your screening process complies with all laws applicable to your properties.