A Personality Test for Tenants

A short online survey that predicts how someone will behave as a tenant.

Why Measure Personality?

There's more to being a good tenant than being able to afford rent.

Credit Checks

Can they pay?

  • Financial risk indicators

Personality

How will they behave?

  • Make paying rent a priority
  • Cooperate with landlords
  • Treat your property with respect

Each reveals something the other doesn't. Together, they provide a more complete picture.

What do Candidates See?

Does this sound like you?

I expect the best because I deserve it.

What do Landlords See?

Here's an interactive sample report. Click to expand/collapse a category. Hover to see definitions.

Below Average
Average
Above Average

Candidness

High
0.95
Response consistency
16.5
Minutes spent responding

How long does it take?

As little as 8 minutes! Choose how much detail you need.

Each longer version builds on the shorter one.

Essentials

8minutes
8behaviors

Measures 8 essential tenant behaviors that credit checks don't cover.

See what's included
  • Respects property
  • Reports problems needing attention
  • Risk for hoarding
  • Honesty
  • Keeps expectations reasonable
  • Respects need for permission
  • State of unit upon vacating
  • Accepts eviction
  • Includes a lie detector

Expanded

13minutes
13behaviors

Everything in Essentials, plus rent payment and housekeeping behaviors.

See what's added
  • Makes paying a priority
  • Punctuality with payments
  • Takes responsibility for damages
  • Keeps unit clean
  • Goes above and beyond

Comprehensive

18minutes
22behaviors

Covers all 22 tenant behaviors, including interactions with neighbors and landlords.

See what's added
  • Mindful of bothering neighbors
  • Friendly with neighbors
  • Friendly with landlord
  • Cooperation
  • Temper control
  • Conscientious use of utilities
  • Aversion to theft & fraud
  • Expected length of stay

How well does it work?

We conducted a validation study with 300 current tenants in two North American cities. Participants completed the personality test then anonymously reported their behaviors. Here's how tenants with the highest scores (top quartile) differed from those with the lowest scores (bottom quartile):

Property damage

3×

Less likely to cause significant property damage.

4× faster at reporting damage requiring attention.

Neighborliness

3×

Less likely to keep neighbors up at night.

Landlord interactions

16×

Fewer angry outbursts.

Half as many unreasonable requests.

Housekeeping

3×

More likely to keep their living space tidy.

Illicit activities

18×

Less likely to engage in theft.

3× less likely to have unauthorized additional occupants.

Moving out

5×

More likely to leave a clean unit when vacating.

Results are based on anonymous, self-reported tenant behaviors. Comparisons are between the top and bottom quartiles on the relevant assessment scales.

What's to stop people from lying

It includes a lie detector.

How does the lie detector work?

Unlikely virtues. When a person tries to distort their answers to make themselves look good, they will claim virtues that are only true of a small percentage of people. Examples include “I never feel sad,” or “I never lie.” Ironically, a person claiming to never lie is probably lying about it! A person is flagged for claiming too many unlikely virtues.

Frequently Asked Questions

It’s probably a good idea to screen both people. If one person moves out, you might get stuck with the other.

When you have a personality conflict with someone, you don’t have to rent to them. In fact, personality should help comply with laws because it helps avoid discrimination on the basis of protected grounds.

No. It was specifically designed and validated for residential tenancy situations.

It would take a couple of years of research.

It’s a matter of personal preference. Some customers use it as a pre-screen, only meeting with the candidates who are worth their time. Others would rather meet with the candidate first before deciding whether to invest in additional screening on that person.

Yes. Credit reports & personality surveys compliment each other by drawing on different sources of evidence to help you make an informed decision. We recommend a multiple hurdle approach: run credit reports on people who pass the personality survey. That way acceptance decisions are based on both personality and credit information. At the same time, net costs go down by avoiding unnecessary credit checks.

Pricing

Pay Per Use

$23 per report

No annual commitment

Ideal for occasional screening

  • Only pay for reports you use
  • First 3 personality reports are free
  • Upgrade to a yearly plan at any time

Yearly Plans

Predictable annual billing and significant savings when you need more reports.

Basic

$99 per year

10personality reports per year
  • 30-day free trial
  • Free residential application forms

Gold

$1,200 per year

200personality reports per year
  • 30-day free trial
  • Free residential application forms
  • Customize weights
  • Customize norms
Create Free Account

Get your first 3 personality reports free.