What Is the Difference?
The difference is how the bureau records the check on the applicant’s file. The Financial Consumer Agency of Canada (FCAC) defines the two this way:1
- Hard inquiries, also called hard hits, appear on the credit report and affect the credit score. FCAC’s examples include some rental applications and some employment applications.
- Soft inquiries appear only on the version of the report the consumer can see and don’t affect the score. FCAC’s examples include requesting your own report and a company updating its records on an account you already hold.
Every check creates an inquiry of some kind: when an organization “checks your credit” or “pulls your report,” it creates an inquiry on the report.2 The question for a landlord or REALTOR® is which kind your screening service creates.
| Question | Hard check | Soft check |
|---|---|---|
| Effect on the applicant’s score | Can lower it1 | None1 |
| Who sees the inquiry later | Lenders and others who pull the report1 | Only the applicant, on their own copy1 |
| How long the inquiry stays | 3 years with Equifax, 6 with TransUnion3 | Not visible to lenders |
| Consent needed in Ontario | Yes5 | Yes5 |
Why the Score Effect Matters to Your Applicant
An applicant in a tight market may apply for several units in a week. If each application triggers a hard check, each one lands on the file where the next lender sees it, and Equifax keeps lender inquiries for three years and TransUnion for six.3 FCAC advises consumers to limit how often they apply for credit for exactly this reason.1
The bureaus give car loan and mortgage shoppers some relief: several quotes within two weeks count as one inquiry.1 FCAC’s guidance does not describe the same treatment for rental applications. A soft check avoids the question.
What Each Check Shows the Landlord
Hard and soft describe how the inquiry is recorded on the applicant’s file, not how much of the file you receive. FCAC’s definitions are about the score and who can see the inquiry afterwards.1 What you get back depends on the report product your screening service orders, so ask the provider two questions before you rely on it: does the report include the full trade-line history, and how is the inquiry recorded?
A third option is the applicant’s own copy. Anyone can get their Canadian credit report free from Equifax and TransUnion, and checking it does not affect their score.4 It costs the applicant nothing, but the copy reaches you through the applicant, and a PDF can be edited. Fake Credit Reports explains why a tenant-supplied report should not stand on its own.
PropTx Verify describes its check as a soft credit check for a full credit report, without an impact on the tenant’s score.
Consent Is the Same Either Way
A soft check still needs the applicant’s permission. In Ontario, a landlord may request authorization to conduct a credit check on a prospective tenant and may use the result to select or refuse them.5 A bureau may furnish a consumer report to someone it believes intends to use it in connection with entering into or renewing a tenancy agreement, and no one may obtain information from a bureau’s files for any other purpose.6
The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada says landlords should get the applicant’s express agreement before going ahead with a credit check. It also says a basic credit check needs, at a minimum, the applicant’s name, address and date of birth, and that the Social Insurance Number is not needed.7 Ask for the SIN and you invite a refusal you can’t act on. Can a Landlord Run a Credit Check in Ontario? covers consent in detail.
This page is general information about credit checks and Ontario law, not legal advice.
Which Should You Use?
Choose a soft check if you screen rental applicants: you get the report you need to assess the applicant, and the applicant’s score is not touched. Choose a hard check only if your provider offers nothing else, and tell the applicant in advance that it will appear on their file. Use the applicant’s own copy only as a starting point, and confirm it against a report you or your service ordered.
Whichever you use, read the report the same way. How to Read a Tenant Credit Report in Canada walks through it section by section.
Questions
Is a Landlord Credit Check a Hard or Soft Inquiry?
It can be either. The Financial Consumer Agency of Canada lists some rental applications among the checks that create hard inquiries. Ask the landlord or screening service how the check is recorded.1
Does a Soft Credit Check Affect a Tenant’s Score?
No. Soft inquiries appear only on the version of the report the consumer can see and don’t affect the credit score.1
Does a Landlord Need Consent for a Soft Credit Check?
Yes. Ontario lets a landlord request the applicant’s authorization for a credit check, and the Privacy Commissioner says landlords should get express agreement first, whatever kind of check it is.5,7
Does a Landlord Need My SIN for a Credit Check?
No. The Privacy Commissioner says the SIN is not needed for a basic credit check; name, address and date of birth are the minimum.7
Sources
- Improving your credit score
Financial Consumer Agency of Canada, Limiting how often you apply for credit; Understanding credit inquiries. Accessed October 22, 2026.
- Credit report and score basics
Financial Consumer Agency of Canada, Financial information on your credit report: inquiries. Accessed October 22, 2026.
- How long information stays on your credit report
Financial Consumer Agency of Canada, Negative financial information: credit inquiries by lenders. Accessed October 22, 2026.
- Getting your credit report and credit score
Financial Consumer Agency of Canada, Getting your credit report for free. Accessed October 22, 2026.
- O. Reg. 290/98: Business Practices Permissible to Landlords in Selecting Prospective Tenants for Residential Accommodation
Government of Ontario, e-Laws, s. 1(1) and (2). Accessed October 22, 2026.
- Consumer Reporting Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. C.33
Government of Ontario, e-Laws, s. 8(1)(d)(ii) and 8(2). Accessed October 22, 2026.
- Privacy in the landlord and tenant relationship
Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, What personal information do I have to provide to a prospective landlord?; How should landlords be obtaining my consent?; What are my options if a landlord asks for my Social Insurance number?. Accessed October 22, 2026.
