Landlords should use a rental application and have ALL prospective tenants complete it as this ensures that the same information is collected from all prospective tenants. Typically, a rental application requires information related to employment, current and previous landlords, banking information and, most importantly, a clause authorizing the landlord to conduct a credit check. The landlord is not permitted to access the tenant’s confidential credit information unless the prospective tenant provides written consent agreeing to permit a credit check. There are limited circumstances under which access to an individual’s credit information may be gained; one of them is for the purpose of approving an application for rental accommodation. If a prospective tenant refuses to provide all the requested information (rental history and credit references) the landlord can then proceed to use the income information to determine eligibility. IMPORTANT: Landlords may only request income information if rental history, credit references and authorization to perform a credit check is also requested. Income information cannot be used as the sole reason to decline an application.