Rental Criteria Checklist for Landlords

How to write and apply consistent rental criteria: income, history, occupancy, pets, and screening — with fair housing and FCRA reminders.

By RentalNoodle Editorial Team · Updated 2026-09-13 · Published 2026-09-13

Write rental criteria before you advertise, share them with applicants, and apply them the same way to every complete file. Criteria are your defense against inconsistent, discriminatory, or improvised decision-making.

Tenant selection, criminal history rules, and local source-of-income laws vary by state and local jurisdiction. This guide is educational — not legal advice. Confirm requirements with local counsel or your housing authority before relying on any deadline, notice form, or deposit rule.

What good criteria look like

• Objective enough to audit (numbers, documents, yes/no history checks)
• Related to ability to pay rent and care for the property
• Published or available on request before people pay fees
• Stable for the vacancy (not rewritten per applicant)
• Compliant with fair housing and local screening ordinances

Income and employment checklist

Credit and screening standards

If you use consumer reports, define what you evaluate (payment history patterns, collections related to housing, etc.) without inventing illegal shortcuts. Screening via TransUnion SmartMove is optional link-out; applicant typically pays the provider. RentalNoodle tracks consent/status only and does not retrieve or interpret credit reports. Adverse action procedures apply when you deny or increase costs based on a consumer report, when FCRA requires it.

• When screening is requested in your process
• Who pays provider fees
• What outcomes fail criteria (stated carefully and lawfully)
• How adverse-action notices are sent

Rental history

Occupancy, pets, smoking

• Occupancy limit based on lawful standards (size/code — not "no kids")
• Pet policy: species/count/weight/deposit or rent as lawful
• Assistance animal process separate from pet policy (fair housing)
• Smoking/vaping policy
• Parking allotment

Criminal history — proceed carefully

HUD guidance and many local laws limit blanket bans. If you consider criminal history, use individualized assessment where required, follow timing restrictions on arrests vs. convictions, and document consistently. This is not DIY-legal territory — get local guidance before publishing harsh bright-line rules.

Application completeness & false statements

• Incomplete applications are not evaluated until complete (state this)
• Material misrepresentations are grounds for denial
• All adult occupants must apply

Sample one-page criteria outline

1. Equal housing statement
2. Income multiple + proof
3. Optional SmartMove screening; applicant-paid; adverse action when applicable
4. Rental history requirements
5. Occupancy & pets
6. Smoking
7. Processing order (e.g., first complete qualified)
8. How to request reasonable accommodations

"We process complete applications in the order received. Combined verifiable gross income must be at least 3x monthly rent. We may request TransUnion SmartMove screening (applicant typically pays the provider). RentalNoodle tracks consent/status only. Denials based on consumer reports include FCRA adverse-action information when applicable."

Applying criteria without drifting

Common criteria mistakes

• Unpublished standards that change weekly
• Income multiple so high only a tiny population qualifies — then "exceptions" for friends
• Pet rules that ignore assistance animal obligations
• Relying on illegal ad preferences instead of written criteria
• Pasting credit scores into emails; treating RentalNoodle as if it hosted the report

Revise criteria between vacancies if needed — not mid-stream — and keep a dated copy with each listing's records.

When and how to share criteria

Applicants should see criteria before paying fees or submitting sensitive documents. Share at listing (link or PDF), again at showing, and on the application acknowledgment screen.

Income calculation examples

Publish how you compute income so staff or future-you applies the same math. Gross vs. net, which stubs count, how part-time second jobs count, and whether unverified cash income counts (usually it does not until documented).

Rent $1,800/mo; criteria 3x gross = $5,400 minimum combined verifiable gross. Applicant A earns $3,200 documented; Applicant B earns $2,400 documented; combined $5,600 meets standard. If B's income unverified, household is incomplete — not a silent exception.

Documenting lawful exceptions

Sometimes you approve outside the numeric line for lawful reasons — reasonable accommodation, guarantor added, additional deposit where allowed. Write the exception, the lawful basis, and who approved. "Friend discount" is not an exception category.

• Exception note tied to application ID
• Criteria version date referenced
• No oral-only overrides
• Accommodation process documented separately from pet policy

Screening timing in written criteria

State explicitly when you request optional TransUnion SmartMove screening: after completeness, before offer, or only when income is borderline. Applicant typically pays the provider. RentalNoodle tracks consent and status; it does not retrieve or interpret credit reports. Criteria should say denial based on consumer reports triggers FCRA adverse action when applicable.

Criteria review between tenants

1. Pull last vacancy's decision notes — any repeated confusion?
2. Check local law changes (source-of-income, criminal history, fees).
3. Update income multiple or doc list if market shifted.
4. Date and save new PDF; retire old version from active listings.
5. Do not apply new stricter rules to applications already in pipeline.

Voucher and alternative income sources

Many jurisdictions treat housing vouchers and alternative income sources as protected. Your criteria should state how voucher income counts toward your income multiple after local law review — not silent rejection or extra undocumented steps. Document the lawful math the same way you document W-2 stubs.

Training anyone who touches applications

If a spouse, VA, or property manager helps with leasing, they need the same criteria PDF and the same rule: no side conversations about who seems like a fit. Role-play the showing script and incomplete-application email once per vacancy. One off-script comment at a showing can undo months of careful process.

Storing criteria with the vacancy file

• PDF dated and saved when listing goes live
• Copy attached to each application record as received
• Screening consent timestamp after criteria acknowledgment
• Decision notes cite criteria version if you updated mid-year between vacancies

Educational content for independent landlords. RentalNoodle is property management software — not a law firm, CPA firm, or government agency. Rules vary by state and locality. Confirm legal and tax questions with qualified professionals.