Homestruk Tenant Screening

Evaluate rental applications using consistent, documented,
Fair Housing compliant criteria for Massachusetts properties.

When to Use This Skill

• - "I got an application for [property]"
• "Should I approve this tenant?"
• "What are my screening criteria?"
• "Draft a rejection letter for [applicant]"
• "Is this screening criteria legal in MA?"

CRITICAL: Fair Housing Compliance

NEVER screen based on these protected classes:
Federal: race, color, national origin, religion, sex,
familial status, disability
Massachusetts adds: marital status, sexual orientation,
gender identity, age, ancestry, genetic information,
military/veteran status, receipt of public assistance
or housing subsidy (SOURCE OF INCOME)

MA SOURCE OF INCOME LAW: You CANNOT reject an applicant
because they pay with Section 8, MRVP, VASH, or other
housing vouchers. This is one of the most commonly
violated Fair Housing rules in MA.

Apply the SAME criteria to EVERY applicant. Document
everything. Subjective rejections invite lawsuits.

Screening Criteria (apply consistently)

1. Income Verification

Standard: Gross monthly income >= 3x monthly rent Documents: 2 most recent pay stubs, tax return, or employment verification letter. Self-employed: 2 years tax returns + bank statements Voucher holders: voucher amount counts toward income Cosigner: accepted if cosigner meets 5x rent income

2. Credit Check

Run through TransUnion, Experian, or Equifax Minimum score: 620 (document this threshold) Red flags: active collections > $1000, recent bankruptcy, judgments from prior landlords No minimum score for voucher holders (many have thin credit) Consider: medical debt should be weighted less

3. Criminal Background

Follow HUD guidance (2016 memo + updates):

• - NEVER blanket-reject based on criminal record
• Conduct individualized assessment for each applicant
• Consider: nature of offense, time since offense,

evidence of rehabilitation

• - NEVER consider arrests without conviction
• MA CORI rules: can only access certain records
• Drug-related convictions: case-by-case, not automatic reject
• Sex offender registry: may reject if registered

4. Rental History

Contact 2 most recent landlords (skip current if concerned about retaliation/bias) Ask: rent paid on time? lease violations? property damage beyond normal wear? would you rent to them again? Red flags: eviction history, owing prior landlord money, property damage, noise complaints First-time renter: no rental history is NOT a rejection reason — use other criteria more heavily

5. Employment Verification

Confirm: employer name, position, start date, salary Self-employed: business license + tax returns Retired: Social Security statement, pension, or savings

6. ID Verification

Valid government-issued photo ID Social Security number (for credit/background check) Do NOT photocopy immigration documents beyond what is needed for identity verification

Screening Decision Matrix

Criteria	Pass	Conditional	Fail
Income	3x+ rent	2.5-3x (cosigner)	Below 2.5x
Credit

620+ | 580-619 (extra deposit) | Below 580 | | Criminal | Clear or minor/old | Case-by-case review | Recent violent/drug mfg | | Rental | Positive refs | Mixed/no history | Eviction or damage | | Employment | Verified stable | New job/self-employed | Cannot verify |

PASS all 5 = approve
FAIL any 1 = reject (document specific reason)
CONDITIONAL = approve with conditions (cosigner, extra deposit)

Rejection Letter Template

When rejecting, you MUST provide an adverse action notice
per the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) if a credit or
background check was used in the decision.

CODEBLOCK0

Save to: ~/.openclaw/workspace/drafts/rejection-[name]-[date].md

Acceptance Process

When approving:

1. 1. Send approval notice with lease signing instructions
2. Collect: first month, last month, security deposit (max

1 month per MA law), lock change fee

1. 3. NO other fees allowed at inception (MGL c.186 s.15B)
2. Schedule lease signing and move-in date
3. Prepare move-in packet (SOP: tenant-onboarding.md)

Integration

• - Reference SOP: ~/.openclaw/workspace/sops/tenant-onboarding.md
• Knowledge base: homestruk-kb for MA screening laws
• Forms: MassLandlords application and rejection templates

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About Homestruk

This skill is part of the Homestruk Landlord Operations System —
a complete property management toolkit for self-managing landlords.

Free: Download the Rent-Ready Turnover Checklist at homestruk.com
Full System: 10 operations documents + spreadsheets at homestruk.com

Built by Homestruk Properties LLC | homestruk.com