The five-minute vetting checks every landlord should insist on.

Most bad tenants are flagged in their first credit and reference check. Most agencies skip half of them.

Tenant vetting is not difficult. There are five checks that, run thoroughly, catch the overwhelming majority of applicants who will become problems. They take a combined five minutes per applicant. The fact that bad placements still happen routinely is not a sophistication problem. It is a discipline problem. Most agencies skip at least two of the five.

The five checks

1. A real credit check. Not a quick affordability score. The full credit report, including judgments, defaults, and the names of every previous credit provider. Read it.
2. Bank statements, three months. Look for the actual income pattern, not just the headline figure. Reversed debit orders are the single strongest predictor of late rent.
3. Employment verification by phone. Not email. Phone the listed HR number, not the number on the application. Confirm employment status, role, and length of service.
4. Two landlord references, at least one not on the application. The reference the applicant gives you is the reference they want you to call. The reference you find via a quick property-records search is the one that tells you the truth.
5. A site meeting. Five minutes face-to-face tells you what an hour of paperwork will not.

There is no such thing as a tenant who is good on paper and bad in person. If the paper looks good but the person feels off, trust the person.

Why credit alone is not enough

Credit scores are backwards-looking and contextual. A clean score from someone who has never had credit tells you very little. A weak score from someone who is actively repairing a single old default can be entirely fine. Use the credit report as one of five inputs, not as the decision.

How to do the reference call

• Identify yourself and your reason for calling. Do not lead with leading questions.
• Ask whether the applicant paid rent on time, every time. Listen for hesitation as much as for the answer.
• Ask whether the landlord would re-let to the applicant. This single question is the most diagnostic in the entire conversation.
• Ask about the condition the property was left in.

The red flag agencies miss

Applicants who can produce three months of bank statements but show systematically reversed rental debit orders represent the strongest leading indicator of future arrears we know of. It takes thirty seconds to spot. It is routinely missed.