Recently, we received what appeared to be an excellent rental application for one of our listings.
The applicants had a strong income, excellent credit scores, and planned to occupy the property as a single family household.
On paper, they checked almost every box that most landlords look for.
Yet after careful consideration, our landlord decided not to move forward with the application.
Why?
Because the concern had nothing to do with income or credit.
The Situation
Before an offer is submitted, we routinely provide the cooperating agent with a copy of our Schedule A.
Schedule A is an attachment to the lease agreement. It is not a list of unfair demands, nor does it contain additional fees.
Rather, it consists of standard clauses that have been refined over years of managing and leasing hundreds of rental properties across Ontario.
These clauses are designed to address common areas of misunderstanding and potential disputes, including:
- Property maintenance responsibilities
- Key management and replacement
- Move-out cleaning expectations
- Tenant insurance requirements
- Smoke and carbon monoxide alarm responsibilities
- Notice requirements for property showings and inspections
The purpose is simple:
To establish clear expectations from the beginning and reduce the likelihood of conflicts later.
What Happened Next
When the formal offer arrived, we noticed something unusual.
A significant portion of Schedule A had been deleted or heavily revised.
Many of the key clauses had been crossed out entirely.
To be clear, it is not uncommon for tenants to ask questions about specific provisions or request clarification on individual clauses.
However, it is quite rare to see such extensive modifications throughout the entire document.
At that point, I said something to the landlord:
“If a tenant is already challenging nearly every detail of the agreement before moving in, how easy do you think future discussions will be when it comes to repairs, inspections, renewals, move-outs, or showings?”
What Many Landlords Overlook
When screening tenants, most landlords focus on three primary factors:
- Income
- Credit score
- Employment
These are all important.
But there is another factor that is often overlooked:
Does the tenant respect the spirit of the agreement?
A tenancy is not a one-day transaction.
It is a relationship that may last one year, two years, or even longer.
In our experience, tenants who communicate clearly, understand boundaries, and respect agreed-upon terms often create a far smoother rental experience than those who feel the need to challenge every detail.
The Final Decision
After reviewing the application carefully, the landlord decided to decline the offer.
Not because the applicants lacked the financial ability to pay rent.
Not because there were concerns about their employment or creditworthiness.
The decision was based on a concern that the landlord and tenant might have fundamentally different expectations regarding communication, cooperation, and property management.
A Lesson for Landlords
This case serves as an important reminder:
When evaluating a tenant, don’t focus solely on income and credit scores.
Sometimes the attitude reflected within an offer can tell you more than the numbers themselves.
At the end of the day, you are not simply selecting someone to pay rent.
You are choosing someone you may need to work with for years.
And often, the biggest risks are not the ones that appear on a credit report—they are the ones that reveal themselves through behaviour, communication, and approach.
If you’re planning to lease out your property and aren’t sure how to properly evaluate tenant applications, our team would be happy to help.
Because sometimes the most important risks are the ones you cannot immediately see.
