Enough to make a defensible decision, and nothing you aren’t entitled to ask for.
Score and history from the bureau, including current obligations and any collections or judgments on file — the strongest single signal of whether rent gets paid on time.
Verified income against the rent, so you can see the ratio rather than guess it. A common benchmark is rent at or under 30% of gross income.
Previous tenancies and landlord references, plus any tenancy-tribunal history that’s a matter of public record in your province.
Confirmation the applicant is who they say they are — the check that stops the most expensive kind of problem before it starts.
Per report, no subscription. Realtors and property managers running volume should talk to us about the enterprise rate.
per applicant
per applicant
2 reports per tenancy
Screening is legal. Screening on the wrong thing is a human rights complaint. Most landlords have never been told where the line sits, so here it is.
Two rules that catch people out. First, you need the applicant’s written consent before a credit file is pulled — no consent, no report, and that consent has to be informed rather than buried. Second, a low credit score alone is not a lawful reason to refuse someone whose income clearly covers the rent; several provinces have found that using income or credit as a proxy for a protected ground amounts to discrimination. Apply the same criteria to every applicant, write down why you decided what you decided, and keep it.
Human rights and tenancy law are provincial and this is a summary, not legal advice. Loonwise is not a law firm — where a decision is close, get advice before you refuse someone.
A screening report is about you, so you have rights over it.
Ask and we’ll show you the report that was produced about you — you shouldn’t be turned down over something you were never allowed to read.
If something is wrong, you can challenge it with us and with the credit bureau directly, and have it corrected.
No file is pulled until you have agreed to it in writing, and you are told who is asking and why.
Thin credit file, new to Canada, or self-employed? A guaranteed tenancy is often what turns a “no” into a set of keys.
Send the applicant a consent link, get the report back, and decide with something better than a hunch.
