Reviewing a tenant screening report can feel like deciphering ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics. It’s fascinating, and you know there’s important or relevant information in there, but you’re not entirely sure what everything means.

Okay, maybe it’s not that bad.

But it can be hard to decide or determine whether something in an application is a red flag or cause for concern. 

A tenant screening report includes a lot of information about a potential tenant's background, and it can be confusing to determine what to do with that information.

Every leasing agent wants to ensure the tenant they place will be friendly, easy to work with, and reliable. But when there are more than a handful of applications to screen through, it can be difficult to decide who might be right for the property. Choosing the wrong tenant can result in huge damages and loss of income, so it’s important to vet applicants properly.

We’re here to help you better understand how a tenant screening report is created, and how to read the report in order to make better screening decisions. 

Tenant Screening Report Sample: What is a Tenant Screening Report?

A tenant screening report is a report that provides information about a prospective tenant's background, credit, and financial history. Landlords and property managers use it to evaluate a tenant's suitability for a rental property.

The report typically includes information such as the applicant's credit history, criminal record, rental history, employment history, and income verification. Tenant screening reports can be obtained from various companies that specialize in background screening services. 

It’s important to comply with federal, state, and local fair housing laws when using tenant screening reports to avoid any discrimination in the tenant selection process. 

Tenants have the right to request a copy of their own tenant screening report and dispute any errors or inaccuracies in the report.

How to Read a Tenant Screening Report 

Reading a tenant screening report can be overwhelming, especially if you're a newer leasing manager (but even for more seasoned landlords!) So, let's break it down into manageable parts.

The first section of a tenant screening report usually provides an overview of the applicant's personal information, such as their name, address, and social security number. Make sure this information matches what the applicant provided on their rental application. The next section is typically the credit report, which includes the applicant's credit score, credit history, and any outstanding debts. Look for red flags such as delinquent accounts or a high debt-to-income ratio.

Finally, the criminal background check is the last section of the tenant screening report. This section includes any criminal records, including arrests, convictions, and warrants.  Remember that some states have laws limiting what information can be included in a criminal background check, so make sure you're familiar with your state's laws. With these tips in mind, you'll be able to read a tenant screening report confidently and make informed decisions about who to rent to.

Intellirent provides property managers and leasing agents with in-depth and comprehensive reports about potential renters, called a Renter Resume. Applicant information is organized into a clear and easy-to-read report, making it simple to evaluate the risk associated with a particular tenant. Additionally, Intellirent offers a variety of customization options to tailor the screening process to meet the specific needs of your properties and tenants.

With fast turnaround times and a user-friendly platform, Intellirent helps make informed decisions about tenants and minimize the risk of rental property damage or eviction.

Tenant Screening Report Sample

Click Here to View the Complete Tenant Screening Report Sample

Tenant Screening Report Breakdown

1. Employment and Income

This section of the report verifies the employment history of potential tenants, including information such as job title, length of employment and salary. 

Intellirent’s employment verification process is fully automated, saving time and effort. The employment verification process is done by contacting the tenant’s current and/or previous employer and verifying their employment information such as their start and end dates, job title and salary.

The results are delivered quickly and accurately, giving agents the information they need to make an informed decision.

Key Takeaways

• Verifying an applicant's employment history, and current employment status, can give you valuable insight into whether or not they can afford the rental. 
• One of the most important things to look at, the employment verification will help you confirm whether or not the applicant has the financial means to pay rent consistently.
  
  

2. Rental History

The rental history section outlines their current and prior addresses, how long they stayed there for, how much their rent was, and why they left. This is great information to determine whether or not the applicant tends to stay in places for long, and if and why they’ve moved.

Related Read: How to Screen Tenants for Your Rental Property: 10-Step Guide

Rental history also shows you how much they were paying in rent, and if it’s close to what they would be paying, you can build trust and confidence that they would be good to make payments on time.

Key Takeaways

• What does your applicant’s renter history look like, and is it healthy?
• Important to look at how long they typically stay at each unit and why they’ve left.
• Was their previous rent obligation close to what you’re charging for rent? And if not, are they able to financially sustain an increase in rent cost.
  
  

3. Pet Information

Pet information is important because you must ensure the potential tenant doesn’t have pets outside of the building restrictions. Some buildings restrict pets entirely, some restrict how many pets, and some restrict based on size. Some pet restrictions will even specify certain breeds that aren’t allowed in the building.

Renter resume will include age, breed, weight, and more, so you can confirm whether or not the applicant has a pet that would disqualify them.

Key Takeaways

• Verifying whether or not the tenant has a pet that would disqualify them is a quick and easy way to narrow down the list of applicants.
• If they have a pet outside of the restriction, you can rule them out immediately.
  
  

4. Credit Report

Intellirent offers credit checks provided by Transunion that help evaluate potential tenants' financial responsibility and stability. The credit report includes a detailed analysis of the tenant’s credit score, payment history, and any outstanding debts or bankruptcies.

This information can include the tenant’s payment history on debts, current credit balances and any negative items such as bankruptcies, liens or foreclosures. The credit report provides a clear picture of the tenant’s financial health and helps assess their ability to pay rent on time.

A credit bureau generates the credit report and is up-to-date, accurate, and verified. This feature can be a valuable tool in helping agents make informed decisions about who they rent to and can help minimize the risk of rent payment discrepancies.

Key Takeaways

• Does the applicant typically pay their bills on time, and does their credit history have any red flags that may reflect poorly on their ability to keep up with financial obligations?
• No one wants to deal with missed payments, so diving into an applicant's credit history is important to ensure this won’t be a problem in the future.
  
  

5. Employment Verification

This section of the screening report will confirm their current employment, it also shows what year their employment was most recently verified.

Employment is the process of confirming a tenant’s employment history and current employment with their previous or current employer. The purpose of employment verification is to build trust with your tenant and ensure the information that is provided is accurate.

Key Takeaways

• Does the applicant work where they say they work?
• Builds trust, and confirms that they can afford to rent.
• Avoid costly mistakes and select tenants who are financially responsible, trustworthy and reliable. 
  
  

6. Criminal Records

This feature provides a comprehensive criminal background check of potential tenants to help identify any potential red flags. 

The criminal background check searches nationwide databases to identify any criminal history, including arrests, convictions and any other pending criminal charges. The report also includes information on sex offender registry status and a multi-state criminal database search.

The results are presented in a clear and concise format, making it easy for landlords and property managers to understand the tenant’s criminal history quickly. Be sure to read carefully, as this report will include any court proceedings, including simple traffic violations.

Key Takeaways

• A criminal background check can help you understand whether or not to raise a flag with your applicants.
• If there is a history of violence, you may not want to place this tenant in order to avoid any altercations in the future.
• Theft and damage is also important to consider, you don’t want anything to happen with your rental unit.
• It is illegal in certain areas to use criminal background as a factor in tenant screening, make sure you comply with all local laws and regulations.
  
  

7. Eviction Report

This section is super easy and simple to read, and if it’s empty, you have nothing to worry about!

If the applicant has ever been evicted, it will show up here. Evictions are an automatic red flag, and would be a cause for concern, and reason to dig deeper into why they may have been evicted.

Key Takeaways

• Has the applicant ever been evicted and why?
• If they haven’t, great.
• If they have, what happened, and was it something outside of their control, or something that was a one-off that you can be confident won’t happen again.
  
  

Making Informed Decisions: Decoding the Vital Components of Tenant Screening Report 

Learning to review a tenant screening report effectively and efficiently is a key skill for any leasing agent. By breaking the report down into easy-to-understand sections and steps, you can scan your screening reports and make leasing decisions with ease!

If you’re looking for a tenant screening report built with streamlined, automated processes and guaranteed accuracy and up-to-date information, consider working with Intellirent for your leasing screening processes! 

Our screening report is easily readable, providing all relevant information for informed decision making. With our comprehensive credit, background, employment and rent payment history checks, you can have peace of mind knowing you have a thorough understanding of your potential tenant’s history.

To see our solution for yourself, check out our free product tour today!