Too many applications, not enough time: how to structure your tenant selection during peak season

Peak rental season often brings great opportunities—but also significant pressure. In just a few hours, a rental listing can generate dozens of applications, calls, viewing requests, and repeated messages. Faced with this influx, many landlords find themselves in the same situation: many applicants, but very little time to properly review them.

In this context, structuring the tenant screening process becomes essential to avoid costly mistakes and make informed decisions, even when everything is moving quickly.

Selecting a tenant under pressure involves several risks, including:

• Relying solely on a good first impression or reassuring speech (the sympathy bias);
• Overlooking important verifications, such as prior records with the Tribunal administratif du logement (TAL) [Administrative Housing Tribunal];
• Reviewing applications based on inconsistent criteria, which can lead to unintentional discrimination claims.

In the short term, this approach may seem effective for renting quickly. In the medium and long term, however, the consequences can be significant: late payments, conflicts, neighborhood disturbances, or considerable loss of time. Speed should never replace due diligence.

Setting up a clear process saves time without sacrificing tenant quality.

Even before scheduling a viewing, it is important to define clear criteria and ask the right questions, such as:

• Do you have a job or a stable source of income?
  (Note: at this stage, request verbal confirmation only. Avoid asking for physical proof before the visit to respect personal information protection.)
• How many occupants will there be?
• What is your desired move-in date?
• Are pets allowed or prohibited?

An initial exchange or a short phone call makes it possible to quickly eliminate incomplete or non-compliant applications. This simple step significantly reduces the number of files to review and helps avoid unnecessary visits.

To ensure a consistent and rigorous approach, all candidates who remain interested after a viewing should be invited to complete the same rental application. This application allows the landlord to gather the information required to analyze the file and to obtain the necessary consent to conduct, if needed, a pre-rental screening.

Such a screening may be used, among other things, to verify income and employment stability, as well as rental history, including the names of previous landlords.

A candidate’s statements—no matter how convincing—must be verified. Errors or omissions are not always intentional, but they can have a direct impact on the landlord-tenant relationship.
At this stage, it is essential to distinguish between what the candidate claims and what can be independently verified. Is the former landlord’s phone number actually that of the landlord, or a friend? Does the employer truly exist?

A complete pre-rental investigation provides a reliable and centralized overview, including notably:

• Credit checks (payment habits and outstanding debts);
• Verification of records with the Administrative Housing Tribunal (TAL);
• Criminal and civil records;
• Rental references.

Rather than multiplying manual checks and relying on uncertain Google searches, landlords save time and base their decision on concrete, verified facts reviewed by professionals.

The key is not to do less, but to do better:

• Standardize your selection process;
• Use specialized tools to accelerate feedback;
• Centralize information.

A structured process not only allows for more efficient renting but also reduces the stress associated with peak rental season.

When applications pile up and time is limited, it can be tempting to rush the decision. Yet, a good tenant is chosen, it is not guessed.

By structuring your screening process and relying on appropriate tools, you can turn peak rental season into a controlled, efficient, and secure period—both today and in the months ahead.