Tenant screening is the application + background-check process landlords use before signing a lease. Federal and state law constrain what landlords can ask, what they can charge, and how they must handle adverse decisions.
§ I — What "tenant screening" means
Tenant screening typically includes a written application, credit check, criminal background check, and prior-landlord references. The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) governs all credit-based decisions and requires adverse-action notices when a landlord rejects an applicant based on a consumer report. State law layers on top: maximum application-fee limits, prohibitions on certain criminal-history inquiries, source-of-income protections (Section 8 vouchers, etc.), and limits on what a landlord can ask about prior evictions.
§ II — How tenant screening varies by state
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Massachusetts
See the Massachusetts lease agreement page for Massachusetts-specific tenant screening rules.
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Florida
See the Florida lease agreement page for Florida-specific tenant screening rules.
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California
California prohibits landlords from rejecting applicants solely because they hold a Section 8 voucher (source-of-income protection, AB 329).
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New York
New York caps application fees at $20 and prohibits screening for prior eviction filings that did not result in a judgment (HSTPA 2019).
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Texas
See the Texas lease agreement page for Texas-specific tenant screening rules.
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North Carolina
See the North Carolina lease agreement page for North Carolina-specific tenant screening rules.
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Georgia
See the Georgia lease agreement page for Georgia-specific tenant screening rules.
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Pennsylvania
See the Pennsylvania lease agreement page for Pennsylvania-specific tenant screening rules.
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Illinois
See the Illinois lease agreement page for Illinois-specific tenant screening rules.
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Ohio
See the Ohio lease agreement page for Ohio-specific tenant screening rules.
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Michigan
See the Michigan lease agreement page for Michigan-specific tenant screening rules.
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Washington
Washington imposes specific tenant-screening criteria disclosure and limits adverse-decision recoupments. RCW 59.18.257.
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Arizona
See the Arizona lease agreement page for Arizona-specific tenant screening rules.
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Virginia
See the Virginia lease agreement page for Virginia-specific tenant screening rules.
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New Jersey
See the New Jersey lease agreement page for New Jersey-specific tenant screening rules.
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Colorado
See the Colorado lease agreement page for Colorado-specific tenant screening rules.
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Tennessee
See the Tennessee lease agreement page for Tennessee-specific tenant screening rules.
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Minnesota
See the Minnesota lease agreement page for Minnesota-specific tenant screening rules.
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Maryland
Maryland recognizes reusable tenant screening reports under Md. Code, Real Prop. § 8-218: landlords must disclose whether they accept them. Maryland also prohibits source-of-income discrimination in screening under § 8-208.2.