Tenant Screening Checklist for NYC Landlords

Screen every applicant the same way — and stay compliant

Choosing the wrong tenant is one of the most expensive mistakes a landlord can make. Missed rent, property damage, and a drawn-out holdover or eviction can cost far more than any vacancy. But in New York City, screening isn't just about protecting yourself — it also has to be consistent, documented, and Fair Housing compliant for every single applicant.

This free checklist gives you the exact, step-by-step process our team uses to screen renters across nearly 400 units in Brooklyn. It's built for hands-on landlords who want to do it right, and it doubles as a paper trail if a decision is ever questioned.

The checklist

Run every applicant through the same steps in the same order, and write down the outcome of each. The consistency is not bureaucracy — it is what makes a decision defensible if it is ever questioned.

1. Before you show the unit

• Write down your criteria first: income standard, credit standard, rental-history standard. Written before applicants exist, they cannot be accused of being written around one.
• Confirm your listing language is compliant — no stated preferences, no "no programs," nothing implying a protected characteristic is unwelcome.
• Decide what you will collect, and collect the same from everyone.

2. Application

• Completed application from every adult who will be a leaseholder.
• Government-issued photo identification.
• Written authorization to run credit and background checks.
• Confirm what you may charge. New York limits screening fees to the actual cost of the check, up to a statutory cap — verify the current figure before collecting anything.

3. Income

• Verify rather than accept: recent pay stubs, an employment or offer letter, or tax returns for self-employed applicants; bank statements as corroboration.
• Apply your stated income standard consistently.
• Count subsidy income. A voucher is lawful income. Applying an income multiple to the tenant's share rather than the full rent is a common and unlawful error.
• Contact the employer to confirm employment where it is not otherwise documented.

4. Credit

• Pull the report and read it, rather than reacting to the score alone.
• Look at payment history and housing-related debt specifically. A medical collection and a pattern of missed rent are not the same signal.
• Note your reasoning in writing.

5. Rental history

• Contact the current landlord and, where possible, the prior one. A current landlord who wants a difficult tenant to move has an incentive; a prior landlord usually does not.
• Ask: dates of tenancy, rent amount, payment timeliness, notice given, condition at move-out, and whether they would rent to the applicant again.
• Verify the person you are calling is actually the landlord. Fabricated references are common.

6. Background review

• Understand what you may and may not consider. New York restricts the use of criminal history and of eviction-case records in tenant screening, and the rules are specific. Confirm current requirements with counsel before building either into your criteria.

7. Guarantors, where used

• Apply a stated, consistent standard, and vet the guarantor the same way you vet an applicant.
• Get the guaranty in writing as part of the lease package. What a guarantor is

8. Decision and documentation

• Apply your written criteria and record the basis for the outcome.
• If you decline, do it consistently and carefully. An inconsistent or ill-worded rejection is one of the two most expensive mistakes in leasing — the other is filling a vacancy fast with someone you should have declined.
• Retain the file. Applications, verifications, and your recorded reasoning are the record if a decision is challenged.

Screen legally — the NYC rules that trip up landlords

New York City has some of the strongest tenant protections in the country, and a well-meaning landlord can break the law without realizing it. The checklist keeps you on the right side of three big ones:

• Source-of-income discrimination is illegal. You cannot refuse an applicant because they pay with a Section 8 voucher, CityFHEPS, or another lawful subsidy. Subsidy income counts toward your income requirement.
• Application and screening fees are capped. New York limits what you can charge — you can generally only pass through the actual cost of a background or credit check, up to a low statutory limit.
• Consistency is your best defense. Applying the same written standards to everyone is both good practice and the strongest protection against a discrimination claim.

This is a practical guide, not legal advice — for a specific situation, consult a NYC landlord-tenant attorney. For deeper background, read our Fair Housing guide for NYC landlords and How to Find & Screen Great Tenants in Brooklyn.

Prefer to hand screening off entirely?

Many owners start with our checklist and quickly decide they'd rather not run screenings themselves — especially once they see how much NYC compliance is involved. That's exactly what we do. Screening is built into our tenant placement and full-service property management, backed by professional screening software and a team that stays current on Fair Housing, HPD, and rent-stabilization rules.

Because Yak Management grew out of a Brooklyn brokerage, we also lease fast — routinely filling vacancies in under seven days with qualified, well-screened tenants.

Ready to talk it through? Schedule a property consultation or contact our team — you'll deal with the people who actually run the properties, not a call center.