12 Tenant Screening Questions to Ask Before Scheduling a Showing

Pre-screening prospective tenants is a great way to filter out unqualified leads before scheduling a showing or running a full rental background check. Instead of screening every interested renter, you can require them to complete a pre-screening questionnaire to see if they’re serious about renting and qualify for the unit based on your screening requirements. 

To help you find tenants you love, here are the top questions to ask interested renters with a free pre-screening questionnaire.

What Is Pre-Screening?

Pre-screening tenants involves interviewing an interested renter in person or online to evaluate their eligibility for your rental property. This exercise aims to highlight a person’s income, rental background, current living situation, credit score, and other important factors so landlords can determine if it makes sense to move on to the next step. 

Requiring interested leads to completing a pre-screening exercise adds a step to the process requiring their time to provide the necessary information. So if you send them a questionnaire to complete, you’ll know if they’re serious about finding their next home based on how they respond.

If you choose not to pre-screen interested renters, you run the risk of wasting your time showing your unit and requesting rental applications from people who didn’t meet your screening criteria.

What Questions Should I Ask When Pre-Screening Tenants?

Below is a list of questions to ask people interested in your rental property. You can ask these questions over a phone call or an online pre-screening questionnaire before scheduling a showing. 

1. Why Are You Moving?

Renters will have varying reasons for seeking a new rental. Common reasons are:

• Want to pay less in rent than they currently are
• Relocating to a new city or state for employment
• Want a smaller or bigger home
• Need a pet-friendly rental
• Want to live closer to friends or family
• Renting on their own for the first time

There may be instances where they’ve recently been evicted from their previous home, but before using this as a factor in your decision, refer to landlord-tenant laws for screening laws. 

2. When Are You Looking to Move In?

In most cases, renters are prompted to submit their ideal move-in date when submitting an online inquiry but it’s always good to double check by asking this in your pre-screening form. Most landlords require tenants to submit a non-renewal lease letter 30 to 60 days before their current lease ends so a tenant may want to move in within the next month or a month and a half, depending on their timing.

There are some cases where renters start their search 90 days out, but this may be to understand their local rental market or what their options are if they’re unsure about renewing or not. 

3. What Is Your Monthly Income?

Renters can earn their income in various ways, such as through full–time employment, part-time employment, self-employment or freelance work, or rental assistance programs. In either case, they should be able to comfortably afford your rent price to reduce late rent payments in the future. 

Most landlords require they earn at least three times the rent monthly in gross income. There are other income rules, such as the 50/30/20 rule, which advises renters to have 50% of their income going towards needs (which includes rent), but choose a criteria that feels best for you.

While you don’t need to verify this number at the moment, let them know that they’ll need to provide proof of income during the rental application process. 

4. Can You Provide References from Your Current or Previous Landlords?

The best way to learn about a person’s renting history is by talking to their previous landlords. For that reason, you’ll want to know if the person can provide the contact information of their previous landlords to send an online questionnaire or call directly. 

If you find that they’re hesitant to provide their landlord’s contact information, consider having a conversation as to why to better understand the situation before starting the application process.

5. Are You Comfortable Undergoing a Credit and Background Check?

If locally allowed by landlord-tenant laws, you can conduct a credit and background check to get the full picture of each applicant. However, to do this, applicants will need to authorize this with a social security number (SSN) or individual taxpayer identification number (ITIN) since these reports do request sensitive information.

Some international renters may be unable to complete this step, so ensure your screening process abides by Fair Housing and doesn’t discriminate against applicants. 

6. Do You Have Pets?

Asking if a tenant has pets is helpful for both pet-friendly and no pets allowed rentals. On one hand, if you do allow pets, you can inquire about the pet type, the size, the breed, and confirm they can provide necessary pet records. You can also share pet-related fees you require such as monthly pet rent or pet deposit. If you don’t allow pets, you can let them know pets aren’t allowed so they can decide how to move forward.

As a reminder, service animals and in some states emotional support animals are not considered “pets,” so landlords cannot turn away applicants based on this. Doing so violates Fair Housing and other service-animal-related laws that can exist. 

7. Do You Smoke?

The hope in asking this question is that the renter will be upfront about their smoking habits (if they exist). Either way, this question can segway into you sharing your non-smoking policy and where they can smoke without violating the lease if approved.

Even if they say they don’t smoke, it’s helpful to share your policy either way so they know what your expectations are as a landlord. 

8. How Many People Will Live in the Unit?

States and counties can have occupancy limits per household, so ask this question to avoid overcrowding. For example, if they’re looking at a two-bedroom apartment, but planning to have 5 roommates, then this may not be allowed in certain locations. This is also helpful to ask if the renter does plan to have a roommate or find one at some point in the lease term. 

If they do plan to have a roommate, remind them that the other person will also need to complete the screening process to be approved for the unit. 

9. Have You Previously Been Evicted or Broken a Lease Early?

While it’s not super common, some renters can have an eviction on their rental history report. So to be proactive, you can ask this question to learn more about what happened and how they’ve adjusted their financial or renting habits since then.

For renters who broke a lease early, this can be a good way to know why and ask any clarifying questions you may have. Breaking a lease is usually only done during severe circumstances, like for safety reasons. 

10. Can You Pay the Security Deposit and First Month’s Rent Upon Signing the Lease If Approved?

This question can help you understand their financial preparedness as they embark on their rental search. This also highlights to them what fees they’ll need to cover if they do get approved, which could be helpful for their own budgeting efforts. 

11. What Is Your Preferred Lease Length?

This question isn’t always required to ask, but it could be helpful to double check their plans match the lease terms you’re offering. If you’re offering a 12-month lease term, but they’re looking for a short-term stay less than 6 months, then it may not be an ideal option for them.

12. Do You Have Renter’s Insurance?

If a renter is currently renting, they most likely have renter’s insurance already to cover potential damages or liabilities. You can inform them of your expectation for approved renters to have renter’s insurance and the minimum coverage requirements.

Frequently Asked Questions: Pre-Screening Tenants

What Is Tenant Pre-Screening?

Tenant pre-screening involves interviewing an interested renter, either in person or through an online questionnaire, to evaluate their baseline eligibility before scheduling a showing or running a full background check. It serves as an initial evaluation step to confirm that a prospective tenant meets your core leasing requirements.

Can I Pre-Screen Tenants Before Full Applications?

Yes, landlords can pre-screen tenants before requesting full rental applications to verify baseline eligibility — such as income, move-in timeline, and occupancy limits — before either party spends time or money on screening reports.

Pre-screening ensures that only qualified applicants move on to property showings and official application stages.

Why Should Landlords Pre-Screen Tenants Before a Showing?

Landlords should pre-screen prospective tenants to filter out unqualified applicants early in the rental process. Pre-screening saves you time and effort that would otherwise be spent coordinating property showings and processing applications for renters who do not meet your basic criteria.

Can I Ask a Tenant About Their Income During Pre-Screening?

Yes, you can ask a prospective tenant for their gross monthly income during pre-screening to confirm they can afford the rent. Most landlords require tenants to earn at least three times the monthly rent amount, though formal proof of income is verified later during the official application stage.

Are There Questions I Cannot Ask Potential Tenants?

Yes, landlords must avoid asking questions that could violate the Fair Housing Act or local landlord-tenant laws. Never ask prospective renters questions related to protected classes, including race, religion, national origin, disability, sex, age, or familial status.

Do I Need to Ask Every Applicant the Same Pre-Screening Questions?

Yes, landlords must ask every applicant the exact same pre-screening questions. Maintaining a consistent pre-screening questionnaire ensures a fair, uniform evaluation process and protects you against potential claims of housing discrimination.

What Should I Do if a Tenant Has a Prior Eviction?

If an applicant indicates a prior eviction, ask them to explain the circumstances surrounding the event before making a decision. Understanding what happened and evaluating how their financial or personal situation has improved since then can help you determine whether to proceed with a formal application.

What Happens After Pre-Screening a Tenant?

After a tenant successfully completes pre-screening, you can move forward with scheduling a property showing. If the showing goes well, you can invite them to submit an official rental application, run background and credit reports, contact previous landlord references, and make your final approval or denial decision.

How Do I Set Up Pre-Screening Questions With Avail?

While you cannot run initial pre-screening directly within the Avail platform, you can download our free pre-screening template to collect responses via email.

Once a prospective tenant meets your baseline criteria, you can easily invite them to complete an official Avail rental application and request TransUnion screening reports.

Find Great Tenants With Avail

Pre-screening is a simple way for you to attract quality tenants, screen them, and save yourself time down the road. These questions can help you better assess a person’s eligibility before moving on to scheduling a showing.

Once you’ve pre-screened your leads and are ready for the next step, consider using tenant screening software. For example, Avail can help you easily request rental applications and add locally allowed screening reports for a one-time fee the applicant covers. Our system also automates landlord reference checks by sending them an online questionnaire to their provided email to save you time when finding your next tenant.

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