Tenant screening guide

A consistent, privacy-aware tenant screening checklist.

A good screening process collects only what has a legitimate purpose, uses consistent criteria, obtains the required consent, and gives the landlord enough evidence to make their own decision.

Published
Reviewed
Jurisdiction
Canada, confirm provincial requirements
Next review

Before accepting applications

Write down the same lawful, property-related criteria you will use for every applicant. Confirm the human-rights, privacy, application-fee, deposit, and credit-report rules that apply in your province or territory.

  • Describe the unit, rent, included services, availability, and application steps accurately.
  • Identify which information is necessary, why it is needed, how it will be used, and who may receive it.
  • Set a secure retention and deletion process for unsuccessful applications.
  • Avoid collecting a Social Insurance Number as a standard identifier.

Application and verification checklist

  • Confirm identity using proportionate information and avoid retaining unnecessary ID copies.
  • Review income or ability-to-pay information using a consistent standard.
  • Contact references with the applicant's knowledge and document objective answers.
  • Obtain appropriate consent before requesting a credit report; rules vary by province.
  • Record the decision against the published criteria, not assumptions about protected personal characteristics.

What DwellTrack does, and does not do

DwellTrack can publish a rental application form, organize submissions, generate review insights from the application record, track candidates, and send decision emails.

DwellTrack does not currently perform credit, criminal, eviction, income, identity, or reference checks. The landlord makes and remains responsible for every screening and tenancy decision.

Sources

  1. Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada: Privacy in the landlord and tenant relationship (accessed 2026-07-25)
  2. Financial Consumer Agency of Canada: Credit report and score basics (accessed 2026-07-25)

Authored by DwellTrack Editorial Team. Review owner: Editorial review required for privacy and province-specific updates.

Keep applications organized without outsourcing the decision.

See how DwellTrack supports landlord-controlled application review.

Explore rental applications