Created February 4, 2026
Is a Credit Score Enough to Choose a Tenant in Canada?
Credit scores miss key rental risk signals. Here’s what to look for instead.
Most landlords are advised to start tenant selection with a credit score. While credit history can be useful, it was never designed to predict how someone will behave as a tenant. In today’s rental market, relying on a credit score alone leaves landlords exposed to risks that are increasingly common across Canada.
What a credit score actually measures
A credit score reflects how someone has managed debt, such as loans and credit cards. It does not measure rental behaviour. It does not tell you:
- How reliably rent is paid
- How a tenant treats a property
- How disputes are handled
- Whether documents are genuine
Why credit scores fall short for rentals
Good tenants can have weak credit
Newcomers to Canada, younger renters, and people recovering from life events often have limited or imperfect credit histories. That does not make them unreliable tenants.
Poor tenants can have strong credit
A high credit score does not guarantee honesty, accuracy in applications, or responsible behaviour in a rental home.
Credit reports do not detect rental fraud
Manipulated pay stubs, altered documents, and inconsistent claims are not visible in a credit report.
Why references and instinct don’t close the gap
When credit feels insufficient, landlords often rely on references or gut feel. Unfortunately:
- References are often biased or incomplete
- Former landlords may withhold information
- Instinct is unreliable under pressure
This increases regret rather than confidence.
What landlords actually need instead
Modern rental decisions require rental-specific verification:
- Consistency across information
- Plausibility of income and claims
- Detection of red flags and omissions
- Context, not just numbers
This can be done objectively and fairly.
How Verified by Weevva helps
Verified by Weevva strengthens landlord judgement by analysing multiple rental-relevant signals, identifying inconsistencies, and supporting confident, fair decisions. It does not replace human judgement. It supports it.