Most owners find out about a bad tenant at exactly the wrong time. Not during the application. Not during screening. After the lease is signed, after the keys are handed over, and after the first missed rent payment hits their account.
We’ve been managing rental properties in Philadelphia for 40 years, and if there’s one thing we see repeatedly across our portfolio of 1,000+ units, it’s this: the information that would have stopped a bad placement was available before the lease was ever signed. Someone just didn’t look hard enough. If you want the full picture of what a solid screening process looks like, our guide to tenant screening for rental property owners is a good place to start. But rental history verification deserves its own conversation, because it’s where most landlords cut corners.
This post breaks down exactly how to check rental history, what to ask previous landlords, and where the gaps are that let problem tenants slip through.
In This Guide
Why Written References Alone Don’t Cut It
A reference letter is not a rental history check. It’s a document someone wrote with an agenda.
We’ve handled over 250 owner relationships across Philadelphia, and one of the most common setups we see is an applicant showing up with a glowing letter from their previous landlord. Clean formatting, positive language, no red flags. The owner feels good. They move forward.
Here’s what actually happened in one case: a townhome owner in Queen Village received exactly that kind of letter. Our leasing team called the landlord directly anyway. He admitted he wrote the letter to get the tenant out without a confrontation. The tenant had left over $1,800 in damage at the prior unit. The owner found out before signing anything. The tenant did not get the keys.
Our estimate is that 80% or more of late payment, damage, and lease violation history goes undiscovered when landlords rely only on written references and skip the phone call entirely.
“Our estimate is that 80% or more of late payment, damage, and lease violation history goes undiscovered when landlords rely only on written references and skip the phone call entirely.”
Written letters can be fabricated. They can be coached. And in some cases, they’re written by someone who simply wants the problem gone.
How to Pull a Reliable Rental History Report
The first layer of a real rental history check is a proper screening report. Through AppFolio, our team pulls TransUnion rental history data that includes prior eviction filings, address history, and credit behavior across Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware simultaneously. That cross-state coverage matters in Philadelphia, where tenants regularly cross state lines.
Standard turnaround runs 3 to 5 business days for a complete report. Application fees in Philadelphia typically run $30 to $50 to cover these costs. Under Philadelphia’s local ordinance, landlords may be required to keep documentation justifying screening fees; check your municipality’s rules, as Pennsylvania does not appear to have a statewide law requiring an itemized receipt when an application fee exceeds the actual screening cost.
A few things to look for in the report itself:
- Address history gaps: If there’s an 8 to 12 month stretch with no address on file, ask about it.
- Prior eviction filings: Even dismissed cases show up and are worth asking about.
- Short tenancy patterns: A string of 12-to-18-month stays with no explanation is a pattern worth digging into.
- Out-of-state history: Cross-state moves are common in this metro area and shouldn’t be skipped.
The report is your starting point. It is not your finish line.
The Problem With “No Evictions on File” in Philadelphia
Let’s be real about something. A clean eviction record in Philadelphia does not mean a clean rental history.
Philadelphia’s Eviction Diversion Program, launched in 2020 and still active, has diverted a significant number of eviction cases away from the courthouse entirely. If a case gets resolved through mediation or a cash-for-keys arrangement, it may never touch a court record. You won’t find it on a Philadelphia landlord-tenant court website search. You won’t find it through standard background checks.
The only way to surface those cases is by talking to the previous landlord.
Informal landlord-tenant resolutions, including cash-for-keys deals and program-mediated agreements, leave no court record behind. A tenant who was effectively forced to leave two prior units may show a completely clean eviction history on paper. Verbal confirmation from prior landlords is the only way to know.
We’ve also seen tenants list previous landlords in neighborhoods like Kingsessing, Mantua, and Grays Ferry where a lot of the rental stock is managed by individual owners with no professional management behind them. Those landlords are harder to reach, slower to respond, and sometimes don’t respond at all. Small two or three unit operators often don’t prioritize reference calls, which creates a real blind spot.
What to Actually Ask When You Call
Getting the previous landlord on the phone is step one. Knowing what to ask is step two.
Most landlords ask surface-level questions and get surface-level answers. “Was he a good tenant?” doesn’t give you anything useful.
Try these instead:
- Would you rent to this person again, and why or why not?
- Did they ever pay late? How often?
- How did they leave the unit? Did you need to make repairs?
- Were there any complaints from neighbors?
- How did the tenancy end? Did you give notice, or did they?
- Do the dates on this application match what you have on file?
That last one catches more problems than you’d expect. Applicants sometimes fudge move-in and move-out dates to hide a gap or a bad stretch.
One other thing: the landlord who answers on the first ring with nothing but enthusiasm should make you pause, not relax. Landlords trying to shed a problem tenant know exactly what to say. The more useful information usually comes from what they hesitate on, what they qualify, and whether their answers actually match the application details.
Spotting a Fake Landlord Reference
This happens more than owners want to admit.
Dimitra, our Leasing Manager, has seen this setup come through the office. An applicant listed a previous landlord as a reference on their application. When the team called the number, the person who answered turned out to be the applicant’s cousin. A quick cross-check through the Philadelphia Office of Property Assessment database confirmed the address wasn’t a rental property at all. The application was declined before a lease was signed.
Any time a reference feels off, cross-check the property address:
- Look up the address in the Philadelphia Department of Records database to confirm ownership.
- Verify that the person listed as the landlord is actually connected to that property.
- Check whether the address is a residential rental or an owner-occupied home.
If the landlord listed doesn’t own or manage the property they’re supposedly referencing from, you’ve found your problem.
How Many Previous Landlords Should You Contact?
Most owners contact the most recent one and stop there. We’d push you to go at least two landlords back, especially in neighborhoods like University City and Cecil B. Moore where student turnover is high and co-signer situations involving out-of-state parents are common.
A tenant with a pattern of 12 to 18 month tenancies might look like a normal renter. But if each one ended poorly and only the most recent landlord was screened, you’re getting a partial picture. The prior landlord may have the piece that changes everything.
Going one landlord back is standard. Going two landlords back is what actually catches patterns. If an applicant has rented from three different places in four years, contact all three. The consistency of the story across sources tells you more than any single reference does.
We’ve also had cases where an owner re-screened a returning tenant without checking the gap years. One Point Breeze owner skipped the verification step for a tenant they had rented to two years prior. In that time, the tenant had rented from two other landlords and both had filed complaints. New Age now treats any gap of more than 12 months in a prior relationship as requiring full re-screening, regardless of past history.
How Philadelphia’s Fair Chance Ordinance Affects Your Process
Philadelphia’s Fair Criminal Record Screening Standards Ordinance restricts when and how landlords can consider criminal history during the application process, with housing-specific provisions taking effect in 2024. Rental history checks have to be structured carefully so they don’t cross into territory the ordinance prohibits.
The ordinance doesn’t prevent you from checking rental history. But it does set a specific sequence for how and when you can review certain background information. If you’re newer to managing rentals locally, and especially if questions like how to become a landlord in Philadelphia are still fresh in your mind, understanding the timing of your screening steps matters.
We see landlords blur the line between a rental history verification call and a general background inquiry. Keep those separate. The rental history call is about tenancy conduct: payment, property condition, lease compliance. Full stop.
Timing and the Security Deposit Connection
Here’s something most people overlook. Pennsylvania requires landlords to return a security deposit within 30 days of a tenancy ending. If a previous landlord withheld a deposit without documentation or explanation, that tells you something.
It might mean the landlord was in the wrong. But it might also mean the tenant caused damage that warranted the deduction, and the landlord handled it poorly. Either way, it’s worth asking. The response tells you something about both parties.
If a previous landlord took 45 days to return a deposit, filed no itemized list, and the tenant disputes it, you’re dealing with a messy prior tenancy. That’s data. Work with it.
A landlord who doesn’t respond at all within 72 hours is often another signal. That delay is worth noting. Some landlords don’t want to give a reference because the reference would be negative. Others are just hard to reach. If you’re managing a small portfolio without professional support, tracking down a non-responsive landlord reference is genuinely hard work.
What a Thorough Verification Process Looks Like
Putting it together, here’s what a real rental history check involves:
- Pull the screening report through a platform like AppFolio that covers multi-state rental history, eviction filings, and credit.
- Verify every address listed in the application against actual property ownership records.
- Call every previous landlord for the past two tenancies, not just the most recent one.
- Ask specific questions about payment behavior, property condition, and how the tenancy ended.
- Cross-reference dates between the application and what the landlord confirms.
- Flag any hesitation or inconsistency in the landlord’s answers, not just outright negative feedback.
- Document your findings in writing before a leasing decision is made.
For owners with a single-family or a small multi-family, that process takes a few days but saves a lot of money. At an average rent of $1,200 a month in this market, a tenant who stops paying and runs 12 months before eviction is finalized can leave you $14,400 in the hole before you’ve even factored in damage and legal costs.
If managing that process yourself feels like more than you want to take on, that’s a fair assessment. We’re open to a conversation about what that support looks like.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find out if a previous landlord is a legitimate property owner in Philadelphia?
Check the property address through the Philadelphia Office of Property Assessment database (property.phila.gov), which is publicly available online and lets you confirm ownership details, assessed value, and sales history. To verify whether a property is registered as a rental unit, you will need to consult a separate city registration system, as that information is not part of the OPA database. If the name on the application doesn’t match the owner of record, ask for clarification before proceeding.
Does Pennsylvania have any restrictions on what I can ask a previous landlord?
Pennsylvania doesn’t restrict what you can ask another landlord about a prior tenancy. You can ask about payment history, property condition, and how the tenancy ended. Just keep the rental history call separate from any inquiry into protected class information, and don’t let the conversation drift into territory covered by Philadelphia’s Fair Criminal Record Screening Standards Ordinance.
What if the previous landlord won’t respond to my reference request?
Give it 72 hours after your initial call or email. If there’s still no response, try a second contact method. A landlord who actively avoids giving a reference is worth noting. In cases where you genuinely cannot reach a prior landlord, lean more heavily on what the screening report shows and verify addresses through public records before making a decision.
Can I charge an application fee to cover the cost of a tenant screening report in Philadelphia?
Yes. Application fees in the $30 to $50 range are standard locally for this purpose. In some jurisdictions, landlords may be required to limit or account for application fees relative to the actual cost of tenant screening — so it’s worth checking your local rules before charging prospective tenants. Keep documentation of your actual screening costs.
Do evictions always show up on a tenant’s record in Philadelphia?
No. Cases resolved through Philadelphia’s Eviction Diversion Program or through informal agreements like cash-for-keys may not appear in court records at all. A tenant can have multiple forced departures with nothing showing on a standard background check. Calling prior landlords directly is the only reliable way to catch what the records don’t show.
Should I re-screen a tenant who previously rented from me?
Yes, if more than 12 months have passed since the prior tenancy. What a tenant did in your unit two years ago doesn’t tell you what happened in the rentals in between. A lot can change in 12 to 18 months, and skipping re-screening on a familiar applicant is one of the more common mistakes we see in this market.