Tenant Screening in Wales: A Landlord's Guide to Vetting Applicants

The tenant screening process, step by step

Screening starts before the first viewing. Most problems come from rushing to fill a void, or from bending the test for an applicant you liked at the door.

1. Write your criteria down before you advertise. Set the rent, the income you need to see, whether you'll accept a guarantor, and your position on pets and smoking. The same written test for every applicant is your best protection against a discrimination complaint.
2. Check the basics on the first call. When do they want to move? How many people will live there? What is their income? Will they need a guarantor? Ask everyone the same questions.
3. Hold proper viewings. Show the home yourself or through your agent. How an applicant asks about the home, and what they ask, tells you a lot.
4. Take a written application with consent. Get their written agreement to the credit check and to contacting their employer and previous landlord. Ask only for what you need.
5. Run the checks. Credit history, identity, proof of income, an employer reference and a previous landlord reference. Speak to the previous landlord, not just a reference letter.
6. Take a holding deposit if you want one. Give the required information first, and keep to the 15-day and 7-day rules below.
7. Decide, then confirm in writing. Tell the successful applicant what happens next. Tell the others politely and promptly.

What each check tells you

Credit history

A credit report shows county court judgments, defaults and how the applicant manages their bills. One old missed payment matters less than a recent pattern. A judgment for unpaid rent is the one to ask about. You cover the cost: the Welsh Government's guidance on the Fees Act says a landlord or agent cannot charge an applicant for a credit check (Schedule 1, 2019 Act; Welsh Government guidance for tenants, accessed 16/10/2026).

Income and affordability

Check that the rent is affordable from the applicant's income, using payslips, bank statements or an employer reference. The law says nothing in the new discrimination rules stops you taking income into account when you decide whether someone can afford the rent (s.8I, 2019 Act, accessed 16/10/2026). What you must not do is treat benefits income as a reason to refuse in itself. Use one affordability test and count all of the applicant's income in it.

Previous landlord reference

This is the most useful check of all. Ask whether the rent was paid on time, what condition the home was left in, and whether they would let to this person again. Make sure you're talking to the real landlord or agent: check the name against the address, or call the agency's main number.

Employer reference

Confirm the job, the salary and whether the role is permanent or on probation. For self-employed applicants, ask for an accountant's letter or tax returns.

Guarantors

If an applicant's income is short of your test, a guarantor who passes the same checks can close the gap. You can ask for one, but a guarantor fee is a prohibited payment in Wales (Welsh Government guidance, accessed 16/10/2026).

The Welsh rules that change how you screen

No "No DSS", no "no children": an offence since 1 June 2026

Part 2A of the Renting Homes (Fees, Discrimination etc.) (Wales) Act 2019 came into force on 1 June 2026. It makes it an offence for a prospective landlord, or anyone acting for them, to stop a person who claims benefits from asking about a home, getting information about it, viewing it or getting the contract. It is also an offence to apply a rule or practice in order to make benefit claimants less likely to get the contract. The same rules protect people who have a child who would live with them or visit (s.8A, s.8B and s.8J, accessed 16/10/2026).

There are narrow defences. For children, the conduct can be justified if it is a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim. For both, there is a defence where an existing insurance policy requires the restriction. From the same date, most occupation contracts carry terms that stop the landlord restricting children living in or visiting the home, or prohibiting the contract holder from claiming benefits (s.54A and s.54B, 2016 Act). The Welsh Government gives overcrowding as an example of a possible legitimate aim for restricting children under that term (Welsh Government guidance for landlords, accessed 16/10/2026).

In practice: take "No DSS", "professionals only" and "no children" out of every advert, and judge every applicant on the same affordability test.

The Equality Act 2010

A landlord must not discriminate against an applicant in the terms offered, by refusing to let, or in how they treat people looking for a home (Equality Act 2010, s.33, accessed 16/10/2026). The protected characteristics include race, disability, sex, religion or belief, and sexual orientation.

No Right to Rent checks in Wales

Many screening guides tell landlords to check immigration status. That duty comes from Part 3 of the Immigration Act 2014, which was brought into force for England only (commencement note on s.20; GOV.UK: "residential property in England", accessed 16/10/2026). A landlord in Wales has no Right to Rent duty. You should still confirm the applicant's identity as part of referencing.

Holding deposits: one week's rent, 15 days, 7 days

A holding deposit can be no more than one week's rent. Anything above that is a prohibited payment. Before you take one, you must give the applicant the information set out in regulations. If you don't, you lose most of your rights to keep the deposit (2019 Act, Schedule 1, paras 4 and 5; Schedule 2, para 11, accessed 16/10/2026).

The deadline for agreement is the 15th day, counting the day the deposit is paid as day 1, unless you both agree another date in writing. Repay the deposit within 7 days of the contract being made, or within 7 days of the deadline if no contract is made, unless you put it towards the first rent or the security deposit. You can keep it only in set cases: the applicant gave false or misleading information you were entitled to rely on, they pulled out, or they failed to take reasonable steps to sign when you did (Schedule 2, paras 2 to 10). Our holding deposits guide covers this in more detail.

Warning signs and what to do about them

Screening done for you

Referencing is part of every let we arrange across Swansea, Neath, Port Talbot and Llanelli. We check credit history, verify employment, contact previous landlords and confirm identity, and we verify references directly rather than taking documents at face value. You see the full picture and you have the final say on who moves in.

Our tenant find service is a flat £295 + VAT (£354 including VAT), which covers marketing, viewings, referencing and the occupation contract. With full management at 10% + VAT, we also collect the rent, handle repairs and keep the compliance up to date. See every fee on our fees page, or call us on 01792 651311.