Tenant screening questions
Updated 2026-09-04 · 7 min read
Ask everyone
Consistency is the entire defence. A question asked of one applicant and not another is the question a complaint will be built on.
Good screening questions are boring, factual and identical for every applicant. The interesting ones — the ones that feel like getting to know somebody — are usually the unlawful ones.
What to ask the applicant
- 01Why are you moving, and when do you need to be in?
- 02Who will live in the unit, and which of them are over 18?
- 03What is your gross monthly income, and how will you evidence it?
- 04Who is your current landlord, and may I contact them?
- 05Who was your previous landlord, and may I contact them?
- 06Do you have pets? What kind, what weight, how old?
- 07How many vehicles will be parked here?
- 08Have you ever been party to an eviction action?
The order matters less than the fact that it never changes. Print it into the rental application template so it cannot drift.
What you may never ask
| Do not ask | Because |
|---|---|
| Where are you from originally? | National origin |
| Do you have children, or plan to? | Familial status |
| What church do you attend? | Religion |
| Is that a service dog? What is your condition? | Disability — you may not ask the diagnosis |
| Are you married? | Familial status, and in places marital status |
| How old are you? | Age, where protected locally |
Assistance animals are not pets. You may ask, where the disability is not obvious, for documentation that the animal is needed — you may never ask what the disability is, nor charge a pet fee or deposit for one.
What to ask the previous landlord
- Were the dates of tenancy what the applicant told me?
- Was rent paid in full and on time?
- Was proper notice given?
- Was the unit returned in good condition?
- Would you rent to them again?
Call the *previous* landlord as well as the current one. A current landlord who wants a difficult tenant gone has an incentive to be generous; the previous one has none.
Recording the answers
Write the answers on the application itself, dated and initialled. If you later decline the applicant on something in a consumer report, that record sits beside the adverse action notice the tenant screening guide describes, and the two together are the file.