Write your screening criteria down before you list, give them to every applicant before you take an application or a fee, and apply them the same way to everyone. Verify income and employment yourself, call more than one past landlord, and treat credit and eviction records as part of the picture, not an automatic no. Never ask about protected characteristics. In Philadelphia, the Renters’ Access Act adds specific rules for criteria, denials, and disputes.
If you’ve had one bad tenant, you remember every detail of it: the missed rent, the calls that didn’t get returned, the condition of the place at move-out. It makes sense that the next time around you want to be careful.
The fix usually isn’t being more suspicious. It’s being more consistent. A clear, written process protects your property, and it’s also what protects you if a decision is ever questioned.
This is practical guidance from a REALTOR®, not legal advice. Rules change, and they differ by town, so check current requirements or talk with an attorney before you finalize your criteria.
1. Write your criteria before you list
Decide what qualifies someone before you meet anyone. Put it in writing and use the same version for every applicant. A good set of criteria covers:
- Minimum income, and which documents you’ll accept to show it.
- What you look at in credit history, and what you don’t.
- Rental history and references.
- How you treat eviction records.
- Occupancy limits, based on code, not preference.
- Pet policy, application fee, and ID requirements.
In Philadelphia, the Renters’ Access Act requires you to give applicants your written or electronic screening criteria before you accept an application or an application fee.
2. Verify income, don’t just collect it
Many landlords use a rule of thumb, often gross monthly income of about three times the rent. Whatever ratio you choose, write it down and apply it to everyone.
- Count all lawful income. In Philadelphia, source of income is a protected category, which includes housing vouchers, so you can’t turn someone down because their rent is partly paid by a program.
- Ask for recent pay stubs, an offer letter for a new job, or tax returns and bank statements for self-employed applicants.
- Call the employer using a number you look up yourself, not the one written on the application.
3. Call the right landlord references
The current landlord may be eager to see a tenant go, so the previous one is often more candid. Try to reach both. Keep the questions the same for everyone:
- Did they pay on time?
- Did they give proper notice?
- What condition was the unit in when they left?
- Would you rent to them again?
It’s worth confirming that the reference actually owns the property. In Philadelphia you can look up ownership on the city’s public property records.
4. Credit and eviction records are context, not a verdict
Look for patterns, like unpaid rent or utility debt, rather than reacting to a single number. In Philadelphia, the Renters’ Access Act says you can’t reject someone based only on a credit score or tenant screening score, and you can’t have a blanket policy against anyone with an eviction record.
Philadelphia also limits which eviction records you can use at all. You can’t deny based on one that is more than four years old, was sealed, didn’t end in a judgment for the landlord, was withdrawn or settled, was filed during the COVID-19 emergency period, or has a judgment by agreement in place or resolved.
Anywhere in the country, if you deny or set tougher terms because of a credit or screening report, federal law requires an adverse action notice. It names the reporting company and tells the applicant how to get a free copy and dispute it.
5. Criminal history needs a careful, written approach
Philadelphia’s Fair Criminal Record Screening Standards were written mainly for employment, but fair housing guidance for rentals points the same way. HUD and the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission both warn against blanket bans on anyone with a record and against using arrests that didn’t lead to a conviction. If you consider records at all, limit it to convictions that relate to the safety of the property and neighbors, use a reasonable look-back period, and let the applicant share context before you decide. Because this area keeps changing, confirm the current rules before you use it.
6. Questions you can’t ask
Federal fair housing law protects race, color, religion, sex, national origin, familial status, and disability. Pennsylvania and Philadelphia add more, including ancestry, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, and, in Philadelphia, source of income and being a survivor of domestic or sexual violence.
In practice, don’t ask whether someone has kids, where they’re from, if they’re married, what church they go to, or about a disability or medication. Ask everyone the same things instead: how many people will live there, the move-in date, income, and rental history.
7. If you say no in Philadelphia
Under the Renters’ Access Act, you must give a written or electronic statement of the reasons within three business days, with copies of any third-party reports you relied on. The applicant then has 48 hours to say they want to dispute or ask for reconsideration, and seven business days to send information. If you own five or more rental units in the city and they show they can meet the tenancy, you must offer them your next comparable available unit.
Screening checklist
- Written criteria, shared with every applicant before any fee.
- Same application and same questions for everyone.
- Income verified with documents and a call you placed.
- Two landlord references, with ownership confirmed.
- Credit and evictions reviewed for patterns, within local limits.
- Adverse action notice and, in Philadelphia, a written denial within three business days.
- Everything saved in one file for each applicant.
Done this way, screening stops feeling like guesswork. You’ll make better decisions, and you’ll be able to explain every one of them.
Next step Free listing check
If you want me to take a look, just say so.
The listing check is free, and you can use the notes yourself. I’ll look at the asking rent, the photos, and how the place is being shown, and I’ll get back to you myself.