What a Tenant Screening Report Is
A tenant screening report is the result of checking a rental applicant, written up for the landlord who has to decide. It answers the questions a landlord in Ontario may weigh: credit, rental history and references, and income alongside them.1 A good one also says how each answer was obtained, because a figure the applicant typed in and a figure read from their payroll record are not the same evidence.
In Ontario, a report that a consumer reporting agency gives someone who intends to use it to enter into or renew a tenancy is a “consumer report” under the Consumer Reporting Act.2 That brings rules with it: written notice to the applicant before the report is requested, and notice after if a refusal turns on what the report said.4
What Each Section Shows
Reports differ in layout, but most cover the same ground. Read each section for the answer and for its source.
| Section | What it shows | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | Name, date of birth, address, and whether the ID matched its issuer and the person | That the ID was checked against a source, not just photographed |
| Credit | Credit score, accounts, payment history, collections and judgments | That the report came from the bureau, not from the applicant |
| Income | Deposits and balances from connected bank accounts | That deposits arrive on a regular cadence from a named payer |
| Employment | Employer, status and income from payroll, or a confirmed call | That the employer was reached independently |
| Rental history | Previous addresses and what previous landlords said | That the landlord reached is the real one for that address |
| Records | Public court and tribunal records matched to the applicant | How the match was made, and whether a name-only match was flagged |
In a PropTx Verify report, identity is verified against authoritative databases and issuing sources, credit comes from a soft check with Equifax, employment is verified through payroll providers, income is read from connected bank accounts, and previous landlords are contacted for references. You can see the layout in the sample report.
How It Differs From a Credit Report
A credit report shows how someone has handled credit: accounts, balances, payment history, collections and public records the bureau holds. It says nothing about whether the applicant has a job today, what their income is, or how they treated their last landlord. A tenant screening report puts the credit report beside those answers.
The difference matters because Ontario’s regulation treats them differently. Credit checks and rental history can carry a decision alone; income can be weighed only together with them.1 A landlord holding only a credit report has part of what the law lets them consider. More in Tenant Screening Report vs Credit Report and How to Read a Tenant Credit Report in Canada.
What a Screening Report Can’t Tell You
A report is limited by the law and by the evidence. Know the gaps before you read it.
- Old information drops off. A consumer reporting agency may not report most judgments, bankruptcies, debts and convictions after seven years, or criminal charges that were dismissed, set aside or withdrawn.3
- Some information is never in it. The Act bars a consumer report from including race, creed, colour, sex, ancestry, ethnic origin or political affiliation.3
- Unfavourable personal information may be uncorroborated. If the agency could not corroborate it, the report must say so beside the item.3
- No history is not bad history. Newcomers, young people and people returning to work may have thin credit or no rental history in Canada. The OHRC says neither should be read as a negative.5
- Uploads are weaker than sources. A pay stub or statement the applicant uploads proves less than a connected payroll or bank account, however clean it looks.
A report also doesn’t decide. The landlord does, on the criteria the regulation allows, applied the same way to every applicant.1,5 Newcomer files are covered in Screening Newcomers and Students With No Canadian Credit History.
Reading a Sample Report
The fastest way to learn a report is to read one. Open the PropTx Verify sample report and work through it in this order: identity first, since everything else depends on it; then income and employment, checking that the deposits support the stated job; then rental history and references; then credit; then records.
If you are reviewing several applicants, Chat with Report lets you ask a finished report questions in plain English, flag possible concerns and compare applicants. For the full screening process, see Tenant Screening in Ontario: A Guide for REALTORs®.
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.
Questions
Is a Tenant Screening Report the Same as a Credit Report?
No. A credit report covers credit accounts and payment history. A tenant screening report adds identity, income, employment, rental history and records checks, and shows where each was verified.
Does the Applicant Have to Agree to a Screening Report?
Yes. The Consumer Reporting Act requires written notice before a consumer report is requested, and the Privacy Commissioner expects express consent before a credit check.4,6
How Far Back Does a Screening Report Go?
For most adverse items, about seven years. Ontario’s Consumer Reporting Act bars agencies from reporting most judgments, debts, bankruptcies and convictions past seven years, with some exceptions.3
Can an Applicant See Their Own Report?
Yes. A consumer may ask a consumer reporting agency in writing for their consumer report. If a landlord refuses them because of a report, the user must tell them and, on request within sixty days, name the agency.4
Sources
- O. Reg. 290/98: Business Practices Permissible to Landlords in Selecting Prospective Tenants for Residential Accommodation
Government of Ontario, e-Laws, s. 1(1) to (5), consolidated to March 8, 2018. Accessed October 22, 2026.
- Consumer Reporting Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. C.33
Government of Ontario, e-Laws, s. 1(1) definitions of “consumer report” and “consumer reporting agency”; s. 8(1)(d)(ii), consolidated to July 1, 2026. Accessed October 22, 2026.
- Consumer Reporting Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. C.33
Government of Ontario, e-Laws, s. 9(3)(b), (c), (e) to (h), (j), (k) and (l). Accessed October 22, 2026.
- Consumer Reporting Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. C.33
Government of Ontario, e-Laws, ss. 10(2), 10(7) and 12(1). Accessed October 22, 2026.
- Policy on human rights and rental housing, V. Identifying discrimination in rental housing
Ontario Human Rights Commission, ss. 4.1.2.3, 4.2.2 and 4.2.4. 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?. Accessed October 22, 2026.
