Before the Showing
Most screening problems start in the listing. Set the criteria and the wording before anyone applies.
- Write the criteria down: what the landlord will weigh and how. Use the items the regulation names: credit, credit references, rental history, income alongside them, and a guarantor if one will be required of everyone.1
- Check the ad for wording the OHRC flags, such as “adults only”, “suits a working person”, “professionals only” or “not suitable for children”.4 Publishing a notice that signals an intention to discriminate is itself an infringement of the Code.2
- Decide the deposit now. The only security deposit an Ontario landlord may collect is a rent deposit, capped at one month’s or one period’s rent, whichever is less.8 A damage or pet deposit is not permitted.9
- Confirm the lease form. Ontario’s standard lease is required for most residential tenancies signed on or after April 30, 2018.9 See The Ontario Standard Lease.
- Treat every inquiry the same way, by phone, email or in person. The OHRC notes that a unit becoming “unavailable” after a first contact is a common pattern in discrimination complaints.4
At Application
- Use one application form for every applicant. What it should hold is in What Goes in a Rental Application Package in Ontario.
- Ask for credit references, previous addresses with landlord contacts, consent to a credit check, and income information.1
- Collect date of birth for the credit check. A basic check needs name, address and date of birth, not a Social Insurance Number.6
- Give written notice of the credit check in bold or underlined type of at least ten point, and say the applicant can ask which agency supplies the report.5
- Get express consent that names what you will collect, why, and who will see it, including for reference and background checks.6
- Send the screening request the same day, so consent and account connections aren’t waiting on a follow-up.
Verification
Verify each item at its source. Where that isn’t possible, record what you relied on instead.
| Item | Verified when | Not verified by itself |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | The ID is checked against its issuer or an authoritative source and matched to the applicant | A photo of a licence |
| Income | Pay deposits show in a bank account the applicant connects | An uploaded bank statement |
| Employment | A payroll record the applicant connects, or a call to a number you found yourself | An employment letter or the phone number printed on it |
| Credit | A report you pulled with the applicant’s consent | A credit report the applicant sends you |
| Rental history | The previous landlord, confirmed as owner or manager of that address | A reference letter or a number the applicant gives |
- Weigh income together with credit and rental history, not on its own, unless income is all that came back.1
- Don’t apply a rent-to-income cut-off. The OHRC says a 30% rule is illegal and income should only confirm the rent can be paid.3
- Don’t treat no credit or no rental history as a bad one; look at what else is available.3
- If payroll or a bank account can’t be connected, use the other. PropTx Verify falls back from payroll to bank deposits and back, and runs fraud detection on uploaded documents while treating them as weaker evidence.
- View ID and pay stubs without keeping copies where viewing is enough.6
The steps in order are in How to Screen a Tenant in Ontario, Step by Step.
Red Flags
Fake credit reports, bank statements, pay stubs and employment letters are easy to make. A red flag is a reason to verify at the source, not a reason to refuse.
- The applicant will send documents but won’t connect payroll or a bank account, or won’t consent to a credit pull.
- A credit report arrives as a PDF from the applicant. See Fake Credit Reports.
- Pay stubs with round numbers, deductions that don’t add up, or details that disagree with the bank deposits. See How to Spot a Fake Pay Stub.
- An employment letter whose only contact is a mobile number or a personal email address. See Fake Employment Letters.
- A previous landlord who can’t be tied to the address, or who answers a number the applicant supplied.
- Names, dates of birth or addresses that differ between the ID, the credit report and the application. See Tenant Identity Fraud.
- Pressure to skip steps: an offer to pay months upfront in place of checks, or urgency to sign before references come back.
More patterns are in Rental Application Fraud: Red Flags for Listing Agents.
What Not to Ask
The Human Rights Code protects equal treatment in housing on sixteen grounds, and the regulation that allows screening says it never authorizes refusing someone on any of them.2,1 The OHRC’s position is that the regulation permits no inquiries beyond the ones it lists.3 Leave these off the form and out of the conversation:
| Don’t ask | Why |
|---|---|
| Age, or the ages of household members | Asking ages has been found to be prima facie discrimination based on family status.4 |
| Number of children, pregnancy or plans for children | Family status and sex are protected grounds.2 |
| Marital status | A protected ground.2 |
| Citizenship, immigration status, place of origin or ethnicity | Protected grounds.2 |
| Religion or creed | A protected ground.2 |
| Disability, health or medications | A protected ground.2 |
| Sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression | Protected grounds.2 |
| Whether income comes from social assistance | Receipt of public assistance is a protected ground; the OHRC says landlords may confirm a source of income exists but may not judge its type.2,4 |
| Employment history or minimum time in the job | The OHRC says the regulation does not permit asking for employment history.4 |
| Social Insurance Number as a requirement | Not needed for a credit check; the OHRC says to use other means.6,4 |
Requirements count too. A guarantor, deposit or direct rent payment asked of only some applicants, such as newcomers or people on social assistance, can be discriminatory even when the requirement itself is allowed.4 Sixteen and seventeen year olds who have withdrawn from parental control are protected, so a flat minimum age of 18 is not safe.2 The full rules are in What Can a Landlord Ask on a Rental Application in Ontario?.
This page is general information about Ontario law, not legal advice. Where a situation turns on its facts, get advice from a lawyer, a licensed paralegal or a community legal clinic.
After the Decision
- Write down who was chosen and why, in terms of the criteria you set. The OHRC says to be prepared to show how the successful applicant was chosen.4
- If a refusal turned on a consumer report, tell the applicant, and name the reporting agency if they ask within sixty days.5
- Have the landlord give the tenant a copy of the signed lease within 21 days.9
- Dispose of other applicants’ information once it is no longer needed, so it can’t be recovered.7
Questions
What Should Be on a Tenant Screening Checklist?
Written consent, identity, income and employment verified at the source, a credit check, landlord references, the same criteria for every applicant, and a written record of the decision. In Ontario, income is weighed alongside credit and rental history.1
Can a Landlord Ask for a Damage Deposit in Ontario?
No. The only security deposit an Ontario landlord may collect is a rent deposit of no more than one month’s or one period’s rent, whichever is less.8,9
Can a Landlord Ask How Many Children an Applicant Has?
It is risky. The OHRC says asking ages or the number of children shifts the onus to the landlord to show there was no discrimination; if there is a real need, ask after the application is approved.4
Sources
- O. Reg. 290/98: Business Practices Permissible to Landlords in Selecting Prospective Tenants for Residential Accommodation
Government of Ontario, e-Laws, ss. 1, 2 and 4, consolidated to March 8, 2018. Accessed October 22, 2026.
- Human Rights Code, R.S.O. 1990, c. H.19
Government of Ontario, e-Laws, ss. 2(1), 4(1) and 13(1), consolidated to July 1, 2025. Accessed October 22, 2026.
- Policy on human rights and rental housing
Ontario Human Rights Commission, Overview, Choosing tenants. Accessed October 22, 2026.
- Policy on human rights and rental housing, V. Identifying discrimination in rental housing
Ontario Human Rights Commission, ss. 4.1.1, 4.1.2.1, 4.1.2.3, 4.2 and 4.2.1 to 4.2.8. Accessed October 22, 2026.
- Consumer Reporting Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. C.33
Government of Ontario, e-Laws, ss. 10(2), 10(6) and 10(7), consolidated to July 1, 2026. Accessed October 22, 2026.
- Privacy in the landlord and tenant relationship
Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, How should landlords be obtaining my consent?; What personal information do I have to provide…?; Does a landlord require my Social Insurance Number?; Can a landlord ask to see my driver’s licence…?. Accessed October 22, 2026.
- 10 privacy tips for the rental housing sector
Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, Tip 4, Think about disposal right from the start. Accessed October 22, 2026.
- Residential Tenancies Act, 2006, S.O. 2006, c. 17
Government of Ontario, e-Laws, ss. 105(1) and 106(2), consolidated to September 21, 2026. Accessed October 22, 2026.
- Guide to Ontario’s standard lease
Government of Ontario, About the standard lease; sections 8, 15 and 17. Accessed October 22, 2026.
