A new joint survey from RentRedi, a DIY landlord software to ease renting for landlords and tenants, and BiggerPockets, the largest online community for real estate investors, revealed that background checks are the most important tool in a landlord’s screening process. These results, paired with a companion survey conducted by RentRedi alone, provide new insights into how landlords conduct tenant screening and how many use technology to strengthen their approach.
BiggerPockets surveyed its members from April 4 to 14, 2025 about the most important thing to check when screening a tenant. Of the 2,100 respondents, nearly half said background checks were the most critical factor when evaluating a tenant, followed by a third who pointed to references from previous landlords. Less than a fifth ranked credit scores as the top priority, while one in 10 said they rely most on paystub history.
RentRedi ran a separate survey almost simultaneously from March 30 to April 14, 2025, garnering responses from nearly 700 landlords, revealing that most landlords are taking a multi-layered approach to tenant screening. A full 88% of respondents said they run a certified tenant screening report, while 78% said they reach out to references and 61% said they review applicants’ social media profiles. In fact, half of all landlords surveyed said they use all three methods, suggesting a growing recognition that no single data point tells the whole story.
Verification also plays a central role, with 91% of landlords saying they verify an applicant’s employment, while 90% confirm income, 84% check references, 82% verify credit scores and 78% look into rental history. More than 60% reported verifying all of these details before making a leasing decision.
Many landlords are also vetting applicants for lifestyle compatibility. Eighty percent said they want to know about a tenant’s pets, while 69% are concerned with smoking habits. Forty percent said recreational drug use was an important factor to understand, and 29% wanted to know whether tenants planned to host parties — and how often. A quarter of respondents said they try to gather information on all of these lifestyle preferences when screening.
“Landlords don’t just want tenants who can pay rent — they want tenants who will take care of their property and be a good fit for their rental,” said RentRedi Co-founder and CEO Ryan Barone. “These surveys show that background checks and references are essential, but they also show that landlords are digging deeper and leaning on software like RentRedi to make more informed, more efficient decisions.”
When it comes to prequalifying prospective tenants, 59% of landlords said they rely on property management software, compared to 43% who still screen manually through phone calls, emails, and texts. Just 12% said they use a third-party property manager, and only 3% reported using a combination of methods.
More than two-thirds of landlords use software to electronically verify at least some of tenant documents such as paystubs and bank records, while a quarter of respondents still request physical documentation. Notably, 8% admitted they do not verify any tenant information, a gap that highlights the continued need for accessible tools and education.
