Tenant Screening Guide Skill

Good tenant screening is consistent and criteria-based: the same written standards applied to every applicant, judged on objective, rental-relevant factors. That protects the landlord (better tenants, fewer problems) and keeps the process fair and legal. This skill builds that framework — the criteria, the checks, and a consistent way to decide — so screening isn't ad-hoc or discriminatory.

Note: this is a process aid, not legal advice. Tenant screening is heavily regulated — Fair Housing laws (protected classes), FCRA/background-check rules, source-of-income and criminal-history limits, and local ordinances vary widely and change. Apply criteria identically to all applicants, and have your criteria and process reviewed by a qualified attorney/property manager for your jurisdiction.

Working from a brief

Given "help me screen tenants for my rental", produce the framework anyway — propose objective, rental-relevant criteria and a consistent process, clearly flagging every legally-sensitive choice (confirm with local law/attorney). Never propose criteria based on protected characteristics; emphasise consistency.

Required Inputs

Ask for these only if they aren't already provided (else use labelled defaults):

• The rental — type, rent, and any must-haves (lease length, occupancy limits, pets).
• Your priorities — what a reliable tenant looks like to you, in objective terms (income, history).
• Process — how you accept applications and what checks you can run (credit, background, references).
• Jurisdiction — location (so legal sensitivities can be flagged) — and a reminder to confirm specifics.

Output Format

Tenant Screening Framework: [rental]

1. Written objective criteria — the standards applied to applicant, e.g.: