In Canada, the wrong tenant is an expensive mistake.
Falsified income, late payments, damage, disputes, and tenants who won't leave. The numbers aren't small.
Fake pay stubs are now the most common fraud landlords see, and AI has made convincing ones easy to produce. A document someone hands you proves very little on its own.
Ontario's Residential Tenancies Act doesn't let you take a damage deposit either, and removing a tenant who stops paying means an eviction hearing at the Landlord and Tenant Board, not a phone call. Choosing well is the last point in the process where you're fully in control.
What a tenant background check actually covers.
Every check runs through Certn against official records, with credit data from Equifax Canada, so nothing rests on a document someone hands you.
Identity verification
Confirms your applicant is who they claim to be, using their government ID and a live check.
Adverse media check
Scans news sources, court records, and public reports for serious red flags.
Global watchlist screening
Checks your applicant against international fraud, sanctions, and criminal watchlists.
Equifax credit report
Essential planCredit score, debts, and payment history pulled straight from the bureau, not sent to you by the applicant.
Tamper-proof sharing: every report is sealed so it can't be edited or faked after the fact.
Why not just ask for their documents?
Because an application is built to make someone look their best.
From applicant to verified report.
Three steps, a few minutes, no paperwork.
Send your applicant a screening link
No account or paperwork on your end. Share one link by text or email and your applicant takes it from there.
Your applicant verifies
They get a secure link, confirm their ID on their phone, and consent to the checks. Takes them a few minutes.
Your report arrives in minutes
A clear, tamper-proof report lands in your inbox, so you can offer the place with confidence.
Before you send the link, take a written application with one of our free rental application forms.
One report. One price. No subscription.
Choose the package that fits, then pay once per screening.
Screening powered by Certn. Managing more than a few units? See tenant screening for property managers for volume pricing and team access.
Got questions?
Questions landlords actually ask
How is this different from asking my applicant for their documents?
You could ask an applicant to send you a credit report or a copy of their ID directly, but then you're storing sensitive documents and trusting whatever they hand over. We pull identity, credit, and background data straight from the source, and your applicant deals with us directly, never with you.
Does my applicant have to agree to this?
Yes. Consent is built into the flow: your applicant receives a secure link, confirms their identity themselves, and agrees to the checks before anything runs. You never need to collect or forward their documents.
What if an applicant refuses to be screened?
Screening is standard practice in Canadian rentals, and serious applicants expect it. If someone won't verify who they are for a $0 cost to them, that's useful information too. You can always share our sample report so they can see exactly what's checked.
Is my applicant's information safe?
Yes. The process complies with PIPEDA, Canada's federal private-sector privacy law, and uses bank-level encryption. Your applicant submits their own information directly to us; you never see or store their SIN, banking details, or documents. You only receive the finished report.
Can I refuse an applicant based on their credit score?
A credit report is one input, not a verdict, and human rights legislation limits what you can decline someone for. Use it the way it's meant to be used: as evidence of how someone has handled obligations before, alongside identity verification and their rental history. If credit is thin rather than poor, a guarantor is often the practical answer.
How long does it take?
Most reports come back within minutes of your applicant completing their part. In the occasional case where extra verification is needed, it can take up to 24 hours.
What's the difference between the screening packages?
Essential ($19.99) includes ID verification and full credit history. Complete ($29.99) adds adverse media and global watchlist screening. Priority Complete ($38.99) includes every check plus direct access to our in-house support team.
Do I need an account or subscription?
No. Screening here is pay-per-report, built for one-off checks. You only pay when you run one, with no subscription and no monthly fees. If you manage a portfolio, a Great Renter account gets you volume pricing and a dashboard.