How to Screen Tenants (Step-by-Step Guide for Landlords)

Principles of Tenant Screening

These are the principles I follow, so they’re not necessarily steps to follow (I’ll cover those after). They’re essential to my blueprint nonetheless.

It’s incredibly easy to get derailed from these, so even I have to remind myself to stay true to the course.

Tenant Screening Is About Minimising Risk

The objective is to minimise risk, that’s it.

Forgetting why we’re doing this in the first place isn’t uncommon, so it’s useful to constantly remind ourselves that every decision we make during the process of screening tenants is to protect ourselves from rogue tenants. When you remember the “why” it’s a lot easier to make sensible decisions with purpose.

There is no silver-bullet solution, but we can definitely the stack the odds in our favour.

Constantly question how and if you can improve your odds.

Avoid Wasting Time on Unsuitable Applicants

This has to be lesson number one — and it is one I learned the hard way after plenty of trial and error.

Tenant screening methods generally fall into one of two categories: efficient (methodical and structured) or chaotic (reactive and inconsistent).

Naturally, you want to operate efficiently, otherwise you will end up wasting a significant amount of time, money, and energy on unsuitable applicants. In practical terms, this means recognising early on that some applicants are simply not a good fit, for whatever reason, and moving on quickly.

This typically plays out in two scenarios:

• When there is high demand — some landlords process every application in full, including viewings and credit checks, even when applicants clearly do not meet the basic criteria. This is inefficient and should be avoided. A clear screening system should allow you to quickly separate applicants into two groups: suitable and unsuitable. Unsuitable applicants should be filtered out early so no further time is invested.
• When demand is low — during periods of limited interest, landlords can become overly eager to secure a tenant. This often leads to trying to justify unsuitable applicants or overlooking warning signs simply to fill a vacancy.
  Experience shows that this approach is rarely successful. Rushing into a tenancy out of desperation often leads to greater problems later. Patience and discipline usually produce far better long-term results.

Focus on Finding High-Quality Tenants

The goal of tenant screening is to secure the highest quality tenant for your property – not simply to fill a vacancy as quickly as possible. Common misjudgement! While finding a quality tenant quickly is always the ideal outcome, speed should never come at the expense of suitability.

It is important to resist the pressure to rush the process, even when vacancies are costing money. This is particularly common in weaker rental markets where demand is low and landlords may feel tempted to accept the first available applicant.

However, poor-quality tenants can cost landlords thousands of pounds in arrears, repairs, and legal expenses, making them significantly more expensive in the long run than a short period of void time.

In most cases, it is more cost-effective to leave a property vacant slightly longer and wait for a suitable tenant, rather than compromising on quality and facing avoidable issues later.

Trust Your Instincts When Screening Tenants

Your gut is the best bullshit detector. Trust it!

There have been occasions where everything on paper looked perfect – strong credit score, sufficient affordability, and positive references – but something still felt off during the process.

In several of those cases, ignoring that instinct has led to problems later.

While tenant screening should always be evidence-based, it is important not to ignore behavioural signals that do not appear in paperwork. Subtle cues during communication, responsiveness, and overall interaction can often reveal information that formal checks do not capture.

For that reason, many experienced landlords treat intuition as one part of the overall decision-making process, alongside referencing and affordability assessments.

If you are unsure or inexperienced, it can also be helpful to involve a second, trusted person to provide a more objective perspective before making a final decision.

Ultimately, tenant selection is not purely mechanical – it is a balance between data and judgement.

Tenant Screening Is a Two-Way Process

Landlords often forget that renting out a property is, in effect, the start of a working relationship that is often long-term. Like any relationship, it relies on key foundations: communication, trust, and respect. Without these, the arrangement can quickly become problematic.

While letting a property is a business transaction, it only works effectively when both parties behave professionally and responsibly.

From a landlord’s perspective, it is important to be able to trust that a tenant will look after the property, communicate issues when they arise, and engage constructively throughout the tenancy.

For that reason, tenant screening is not just about formal checks – it is also about identifying behavioural traits during early interactions such as enquiries, phone calls, and viewings. These moments often provide useful insight into how someone is likely to behave as a tenant.

For example, something as simple as how a prospective tenant behaves during a viewing — such as punctuality, communication, or whether they acknowledge delays – can sometimes indicate their level of respect and reliability.

While none of these signals should be used in isolation, they can be useful when combined with referencing and affordability checks.

In short, tenant compatibility matters just as much as financial suitability.

Always Conduct Tenant Viewings Yourself

I can’t possibly bang this drum enough.

*BANG* *BANG* *BANG* *BANG*

Take. Your. Own. Viewings. If you are using a letting agent, try to be present during viewings rather than relying on them entirely.

Without attending viewings personally, many of the other tenant screening signals become harder to assess in practice.

Viewings provide a valuable opportunity to meet prospective tenants face-to-face, assess how they communicate, and get a feel for their overall behaviour and suitability. This includes things like responsiveness, attitude, and general interaction – all of which can contribute to your overall judgement.

If you’re not convinced, here you go, you can read through all my arguments for why landlords should take their own viewings (after you’re done here though, obviously). I hope you eventually see the light.

I appreciate this may not always be practical, particularly for overseas or remote landlords, but where possible it is a step that can significantly improve tenant selection decisions.

*BANG*

*BANG* *BANG*

Step-By-Step Guide to Screening Tenants

1. Run an Affordability Assessment

   Determine the magic number – how much someone realistically needs to earn to comfortably afford the property. Take into consideration:

   • Rent
   • Utility bills (e.g. gas, electricity, water, council tax)
   • Broadband/internet
   • TV license
   • Food/general living expenses

   This will give you an idea how much your next tenant needs to be earning.

2. Define Your Ideal Tenant Criteria

   For example:

   • Single occupant, couple, or family (this will typically depend on the size and type of property)
   • Employment status requirements (e.g. stable employment or sufficient provable income)
   • Whether you require a rental history or landlord references
   • Whether a guarantor is required
   • Deposit requirements and affordability expectations

   Bear in mind that the more requirements you set, the smaller your pool of potential applicants becomes (which is not necessarily a bad thing). With this in mind, it is also important to be realistic about the type of property you are offering, and therefore the type of tenant you are likely to attract.

3. Clearly State Your Tenant Requirements in Your Listing

   This will be first part of the filtering process (each filter should systematically whittle down your list) – ensure all your adverts (e.g. Rightmove / Zoopla rental listing) clearly explain your requirements.

   Hopefully I don’t need to say this, but I will anyway: it is illegal for landlords to discriminate against tenants on the basis of race, gender, disability, sexuality or religion!

4. Require a Formal Rental Application

   This will be the second part of the filtering process – send all interested applicants a rental application form to complete.

   This form will typically ask for the following details:

   • Tenancy details: number of people, proposed tenancy start date.
   • Tenant’s personal details: tenant(s) name, contact details.
   • Current Landlord: details of current landlord.
   • Referee / Guarantor Details: details of Guarantor.
   • Employment details: current and past employment details, and salary.
   • Occupants: Details of all the people that will occupy the property.
   • Other details: details such as smoking status, pet status.

   Download a sample rental application form.

5. Arrange Viewings With Pre-Screened Applicants

   Schedule viewings with the applicants that seem most promising based on the details you receive in the completed application forms.

   Now, onto the third part of the filtering process – as mentioned, the viewing will be a perfect opportunity to get to know your applicant better. Do not waste the opportunity, and do not be afraid to ask questions.

6. Tenant Referencing & Credit Checks

   This is the fourth and final stage of the tenant screening process – carrying out full referencing and credit checks on the applicants you are most confident about progressing.

   It is worth remembering that there are costs associated with tenant referencing and credit checks, so in a competitive rental market (where multiple applicants may be interested in the same property), it is important to be selective when deciding who to take forward. You don’t want to burn through all your cash referencing applicants who are clearly unsuitable at an early stage.

   The tenant referencing and credit check process should typically include (not all items will apply in every case):

   • Contacting previous landlords for references
   • Contacting the applicant’s employer for verification
   • Requesting recent payslips as proof of income (typically 3-6 months)
   • Requesting recent bank statements (typically 3-6 months). Important note: there has been an increase in cases of falsified payslips in rental applications. Cross-checking payslips against bank statements is a useful way to help identify discrepancies.
   • Verifying identity documents (e.g. passport and/or photo driving licence)
   • Running credit checks on the applicant (using recognised tenant credit check services)
   • Running credit checks on any guarantor (this is often overlooked but is essential to ensure they are financially suitable)

   There are services available that will carry out tenant referencing and credit checks on your behalf for a small fee (typically around £30 per applicant), for example, here’s one offered by OpenRent:

   Tenant Referencing & Credit Check Services

   Supplier	Notes	Price
   Supplier	Notes / Includes Initial Report You will receive this typically within 24 hours, detailing our initial findings. Credit Check & Risk Score Linked Address, Identity & Fraud Information CCJs, Decrees, and other court information Right to Rent Check Advice Affordability Rating Final Report A comprehensive report will follow once all data is provided by referees and external parties. This takes on average takes less than 3 working days. Previous Landlord Reference & Letting History Income & Employment Check Rent Guarantee Insurance Eligible	Price £30 Inc VAT	More Info View Sample

   Any additional checks that are not covered can be carried out by you directly.

7. Select the Most Suitable Tenant

   Hopefully by this stage – after running various filtering processes – you should have at least one suitable applicant.

   Again, I want to emphasise that quality trumps speed every time, so from my experience, it’s always worth holding out for suitable applicants.

Fraudulent Tenancy Applications Are on the Rise

Buyer beware!

Needless to say, the rental industry is riddled with monkey business. It’s the wild, wild west.

According to the 2020 Fraud and Corruption Tracker by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA), false tenancy applications are the fastest-growing area of housing fraud, costing an estimated £60.1m in the UK.

Source: Property Industry Eye

Some of the common techniques used by fraudsters for tenant applications include:

• Fake IDs e.g. passports and driving licences
• Doctored documentation e.g. payslips and bank statements
• Fake references

So, consider this a friendly reminder of why being thorough during your screening process is critical, and why using a professional referencing service is a sharp idea.

The final point I want to make is that one size does not always fit all. My tenant screening blueprint is exactly that – my blueprint. It works for me, but it is also adaptable and continues to evolve over time.

Create a process that works for you and your circumstances.

Happy hunting.

Landlord out xo