The “tenant shopping” trend suggests yes.
I have been working with clients on both sides of the rental market lately, and honestly? Something feels seriously broken in the way we lease and list properties.
It has gotten to the point where more and more Realtors are “shopping” their clients around informally to landlords before they even bother with a full application. Think about that for a second. Why? Because they are anticipating a no — even when the applicant is financially solid and perfectly qualified.
It boils down to two big fears, with a hundred little ones underneath. Landlords are either terrified of application fraud — and honestly, who can blame them, it is a genuine and growing problem — or they are holding out for a “tenant unicorn” who checks every imaginable box. The result is a screening process that has quietly turned into a guessing game, and it is making the whole thing far more complicated than it needs to be.
Let us be fair to the owners here. In Ontario, if a tenancy goes wrong, the road to resolving it can be long and expensive. A landlord is not being unreasonable by being cautious — they are protecting what is often their single largest asset. The problem is that fear, left unstructured, turns into vague, shifting criteria that punish the very tenants who would have been great. And if you are a landlord juggling multiple tenants in one property, there are wrinkles you may not even know about — I broke one of them down in the “three’s a crowd” rule and your insurance.
Now flip it around. A qualified renter with a 750 credit score and a stable job submits application after application, only to be told no with no clear reason. That is demoralizing, and it pushes good people to overpay or to give up on neighbourhoods they would have been perfect for. When the rules are invisible, nobody can play the game well.
I would argue for something simple: properties listed for lease should commit to renting to the first applicant who clearly meets a non-negotiable baseline. Imagine the efficiency if every listing just said it out loud: “Do not apply unless you have a 700+ credit score and verifiable income.” Heck, I would even welcome a clear “no dogs” up front if that was going to disqualify my client anyway. No guessing games. No moving goalposts. Just clear expectations on both sides — which, not coincidentally, is also the fastest way to a signed lease.
I have been through tough markets, and I still believe in doing the job properly: no shortcuts, full paperwork, every time. But until the system tightens up, this “shopping” trend will keep exposing how badly we are failing landlords and tenants alike.
What do you think — should a clear baseline automatically secure the lease for the first qualified applicant? And do we need real reform to help landlords deal with issues like non-payment? I genuinely want to know.
Whether you are a landlord trying to fill a unit the right way or a tenant tired of the runaround, I help both sides navigate this market honestly. Get in touch or learn more about how I work.
Making Moves
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