How do I deny a rental applicant?
You can reject an applicant for a variety of reasons including bad credit, previous evictions, non-verifiable income, and more. Before you decide against offering a Lease Agreement to a prospective tenant, make sure you are deciding against them as renters for legitimate and legal reasons. If the applicant is denied due to the information in their credit report, you generally must provide an Adverse Action Notice to them. An Adverse Action Notice includes the reasons they were denied, the credit agency used to obtain the information, and how to contact that credit reporting agency. If you are denying them because of their criminal background, you must provide them with a denial letter and instructions on how they can obtain a copy of their criminal background report. Keep the application and associated reports for your records in case your decision is challenged. If you have questions about how to communicate a denial, ask a lawyer.