Tenant Screening Report

What Goes In It

In Ontario, what a landlord may weigh is set by the Human Rights Code regulation on tenant selection: credit references, rental history, a credit check the applicant authorizes, and income information alongside those, plus a guarantee or a lawful rent deposit.² A report built around those items keeps the decision on ground the regulation permits.

A typical report therefore holds a credit check, an identity check, an income figure, an employment confirmation and a landlord reference. The PropTx Verify sample report shows one layout.

The Consumer Reporting Act Rules

The Consumer Reporting Act defines a consumer report as a communication by a consumer reporting agency of credit information or personal information about a consumer, and lets an agency furnish one to a person who intends to use it in connection with entering into or renewing a tenancy agreement.¹ No one may obtain information from an agency’s files for any other purpose.¹

Three duties follow for the landlord or agent who uses one:¹

• If the report will contain personal information (character, reputation or mode of living, as opposed to credit information), give the applicant written notice first and, if asked, the agency’s name and address.¹
• If the applicant asks whether a consumer report was used for their application, tell them and name the agency.¹
• If a benefit is denied wholly or partly because of information in the report, the Act requires notice to the consumer at the time the decision is communicated.¹

This page is general information about Ontario law, not legal advice.

Related Terms

• Soft Credit Check
• Credit Score (Canada)
• Landlord Reference
• Payroll Verification
• Human Rights Code (Ontario)

Sources

1. Consumer Reporting Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. C.33

   Government of Ontario, e-Laws, s. 1(1) definitions, ss. 8(1)(d)(ii), 8(2), 10(1), 10(2) and 10(7), consolidated from July 1, 2026. Accessed October 22, 2026.

2. O. Reg. 290/98: Business Practices Permissible to Landlords in Selecting Prospective Tenants for Residential Accommodation

   Government of Ontario, e-Laws, ss. 1 to 4, consolidated from March 8, 2018. Accessed October 22, 2026.