E . Considerations In Developing Screening Criteria

Specific screening criteria will vary from property to property. In developing screening criteria, owners may want to consider the following factors:

1. Length of the property’s waiting list. An owner of a property that has a long waiting list may consider establishing relatively restrictive screening standards, whereas an owner of a property with little or no waiting list may want to have less restrictive standards. *Regardless of standards established, the owner must screen for State lifetime sex offender

HUD Occupancy Handbook Chapter 4: Waiting List and Tenant Selection

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Section 1: Tenant Selection Plan registration in all states where the applicant, or members of the applicant’s household, have resided or using a database such as the Dru Sjodin National Sex Offender Database that searches all of the individual state sex offender registries. This searchable database is located at http://www.nsopw.gov.* Setting standards involves balancing the need to fill vacancies with the long-term effect of accepting higher risk tenants. Thorough screening often makes the project more attractive to applicants, thereby decreasing vacancies and turnover.

2. Application and screening fees. Screening takes staff time and may require funds to pay for credit reports and other information.

Rental housing. Owners may not charge application fees or require applicants to reimburse them for the cost of screening, including screening for criminal history. Therefore, owners will want to carefully weigh the cost of various screening activities against the benefits. Screening costs may be charged as an operating expense against the property operating account.