---
title: "Tenant screening — What It Means | Ondo RE"
canonical: https://www.ondorealestate.com/glossary/tenant-screening/
---

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Renting & management[All terms starting with T](/glossary/#letter-T)

# Tenant screening

Evaluating applicants against consistent, lawful criteria: income, rental history, credit, and background.

Screening typically verifies income against a stated ratio, contacts prior landlords, and reviews credit and background reports. Written criteria applied identically to every applicant are what make the process defensible.

Fair housing law governs how screening is conducted, and adverse action based on a consumer report carries its own notice requirements.

## Why it matters

Consistency is the protection. Criteria decided in advance and applied to everyone are far safer than case-by-case judgment.

## Related terms

- [Fair housingLaws prohibiting discrimination in housing based on protected characteristics, applying to advertising, screening, and terms.](/glossary/fair-housing/)
- [Lease agreementThe contract setting the terms of a tenancy: rent, duration, responsibilities, and how it ends.](/glossary/lease-agreement/)
- [Rent rollA schedule of every unit with its tenant, rent, lease dates, and deposit, the income snapshot of a property.](/glossary/rent-roll/)

## Go deeper

- [Tenant screening](/property-management/tenant-screening/)

## More in Renting & management

- [Eviction](/glossary/eviction/)
- [Fair housing](/glossary/fair-housing/)
- [HOA (Homeowners Association)](/glossary/hoa/)
- [Lease agreement](/glossary/lease-agreement/)
- [Maintenance reserve](/glossary/maintenance-reserve/)
- [Move-out inspection](/glossary/move-out-inspection/)

## Have a question about your own situation?

Ondo handles brokerage, lending, property management and notary under one roof, so the answer does not change depending on who you ask.

[Talk to Ondo](/contact/)[Browse all terms](/glossary/)