- To screen tenants effectively, landlords should carry out key background and credit checks to confirm a tenant’s identification, employment and past renting history
- Effective tenant screening can take over a week but is key for minimising the risk of void periods or tenant disputes
- Working with a property management company can speed up the process and ensure that landlords have trustworthy tenants in their rental property
Screening tenants effectively involves running background and credit checks, verifying ID and using references from past landlords to check if a tenant has a reliable track record for rent payments.
Making sure to screen your tenants can take over a week, but it’s worth it to reduce the risk of property damage, minimise the likelihood of disputes or missed payments and facilitate long-term, positive tenancies (instead of frequent turnover and void periods). In fact, according to NRLA, missed rent payments affected 19% of landlords in 2024 and void periods can result in weeks or even months of missed income.
Screening your own tenants can be complicated and time-consuming. Luckily, at J Property Management London, our tenant sourcing provides thorough tenant screening, comprehensive background checks and handles all the paperwork to get trustworthy tenants into your property in as little as 11 days. Contact us today to find out more!
Why Is Screening Tenants Important?
Screening tenants helps to minimise the risk of future problems between landlord and tenant, be it property damage, missed rent payments or even legal disputes.
The addition of the Renters’ Reform Bill means that landlords face additional pressures to source good tenants as they have fewer rights when it comes to evictions. Thanks to rolling tenancies with no fixed end dates and the abolishment of Section 21 (“no fault” evictions), landlords can now only evict tenants if there are reasonable, evidence-based grounds. So, having good tenants to begin with can save them a great deal of time and hassle.
When landlords have good, trustworthy tenants who pay on time, their property is in safe hands and their rental income is steady.
How To Screen Tenants Effectively: Step By Step Guide
1. Pre-screen applicants
As early as the enquiry stage, you can start to screen tenants effectively by making sure they’re serious about moving into your property. Here, you can ask them when they’d be ready to move in, their employment status, whether they’ve rented before, whether they will be living with anyone else or any other tenant criteria you decide is important for your property. This helps to filter out anyone who isn’t genuinely interested or who may not be suitable for your property. It also gives you an indication of how they communicate and whether they are polite and friendly.
2. Tenant Referencing And Background Checks
Background checks and referencing should be used to check a tenant’s financial stability and history of rent payments. At this stage, tenant screening methods could include:
Employment status & income
Recent payslips and a reference from an employer can confirm how much the prospective tenant earns and give an indication of the type of person they are. As a general rule, a tenant should earn at least 2.5 times the monthly rent in order to be comfortable meeting monthly rental payments.
Credit history
Running a soft credit check can highlight any missed payments, county court judgements or bankruptcies that may indicate that the tenant cannot keep up with rent payments.
References from former landlords
If the tenant has rented before, a letter from a former landlord is a great resource, as it lets you know how the tenant treats their rental property and whether they’ve had any issues with rent payments.
3. Verify ID and confirm right to rent
In England, it is the landlord’s responsibility to check that tenants legally have the right to rent in the UK. They’ll also need to verify a valid ID to confirm that the tenant is who they say they are.
4. Decide if it’s a match
Aside from running all the background checks, part of effective tenant screening is determining if the tenant is a good match for your property. For example, is the property well-suited to their needs? A family of 4 may have different requirements from a young professional, students or a childless couple.
You want to make sure that the property is a good match for everyone. As a landlord, you’ll probably want a trustworthy tenant who will take good care of your property, make payments on time, not cause any problems and who will stay on a long-term basis.
5. Have a clear tenancy agreement
A clear tenancy agreement sets out the rental terms so that the tenants and landlord are all on the same page. This can avoid any misunderstandings and disputes later down the line, as well as tenants leaving without notice.
6. Ask for a guarantor
While not mandatory, asking for a guarantor is an important step in protecting your assets as a landlord. Having a guarantor in place means that should anything go wrong during the tenancy and the tenant is unable to pay, you’re still covered as a landlord. If you are renting to students or young adults, a guarantor is highly recommended for extra financial security.
7. Ensure anti-discrimination
At all stages of the tenant screening process, you’ll need to make sure to avoid any accidental discrimination against tenants. Beyond discrimination based on gender, sex, religion, ethnicity, sexuality or disability, additional legislation also prohibits blanket bans against tenants with pets, tenants with children or tenants claiming benefits. Taking care to avoid discrimination in the tenant screening process is also necessary to avoid costly fines.
What Makes A Good Tenant?
It can be hard to know what you’re looking for when screening tenants but a good, reliable tenant usually has:
- Right to rent in the UK
- Valid identification
- Good credit history with no history of missed payments and no CCJs
- Verified employment and income
- Clear communication style with polite and punctual responses
- A lifestyle which suits your property type
- Strong references from previous landlords.
How Long Does Effective Tenant Screening Take?
The time for effective tenant screening can vary based on which background checks you want to carry out. For example, basic credit checks or identity verification could take as little as 24-48 hours, while employment verification could take more than a week. There also may be some chasing involved, as it can sometimes be difficult to get in touch with former landlords or employers.
Working with a property management company like J Property Management can speed up the process. Thanks to great working relationships with referencing companies and well-honed operations, we pride ourselves on comprehensive tenant sourcing and screening to get thoroughly-screened tenants into your property in an average of just 11 days. Contact us today to find out more about our efficient tenant sourcing services.
Effective Tenant Screening With J Property Management
By working with J Property Management, landlords can sit back and enjoy the profits of their property investment with none of the hassle.
From our thorough tenant screening process, drawing up legally-binding tenancy agreements and handling move-ins to being on call for your tenants 24/7 and managing rent payments, we do the hard work so you don’t have to. The result? Fewer void periods, steady rental income and total peace of mind.
Finding the right tenants is key for positive tenancies and preserving property value, which is why we take great care to screen and source the best tenants for your rental property. Contact our friendly team today to get started!
