When choosing a tenant, it is natural to want information about their ability to pay the rent.
A credit check can provide a better basis for your decision, but it contains private financial information. It should therefore only be performed when there is a specific and legitimate reason.
In short:
- The credit check must relate to a specific and current tenancy.
- You should not credit-check everyone who shows interest in the property.
- The applicant is automatically informed when a credit check is performed.
- The information should only be used for the purpose for which it was collected.
- The credit check supports your decision. You remain responsible for the final choice.
When can you credit-check a potential tenant?
Credit information may only be disclosed when the recipient has a legitimate need to assess the person’s creditworthiness.
Renting out a property can involve financial risk. A credit check may therefore be relevant when you are considering entering into a specific tenancy agreement.
This does not mean that you can freely credit-check everyone who responds to your listing. The need should relate to a real and current situation, such as when you have selected one or a small number of candidates and are approaching a decision.
You should be able to explain:
- Which property the check concerns
- Why the information is necessary
- How far you have progressed in the rental process
- How the result will be used
- How long the information will be retained
A credit check should not be conducted out of curiosity or saved for unrelated purposes.
Do you need the tenant’s consent?
Consent does not replace the requirement for a legitimate need. The check must still be relevant to a specific tenancy.
When using Keyhole Tenant Screening, Keyhole’s terms require the landlord to obtain valid consent from the tenant.
The consent must be:
- Freely given
- Specific
- Informed
- Unambiguous
The applicant should understand what they are agreeing to, why the check is being performed and how the information will be used.
It is good practice to explain the credit-check process early, while waiting to perform the actual check until the person is a serious candidate.
What is a gjenpartsbrev — the credit-check notification?
When credit information about a private individual is disclosed, the credit information company must simultaneously send a free notification to the person who was checked.
The notification must show, among other things:
- Who requested the credit information
- When the credit assessment was carried out
- Which information was disclosed
- Which sources the information came from
- The information behind any credit score
- An explanation of how the score was calculated
So the applicant will know the credit check took place. That gives them the opportunity to check the information and ask for corrections if something is wrong.
What can a credit check tell you?
A credit check can provide information relevant to assessing the finances of a specific tenancy.
Depending on the service, the result may show:
- Whether there are registered payment defaults
- An assessment or score relating to creditworthiness
- Information that gives a better basis for assessing financial capacity
You receive a structured assessment, not the tenant’s raw financial records. That is both more useful for the decision and less intrusive for the applicant.
The result does not give a certain answer about how the person will behave as a tenant.
A credit check also cannot guarantee that the rent will be paid in future. A person’s financial situation can change, and the assessment reflects the information available at the time the check was carried out.
The result should therefore be used together with other relevant information, such as documented income, references and a conversation with the prospective tenant.
Does the landlord have access to Gjeldsregisteret?
As a landlord, you do not have direct access to search for the tenant in Gjeldsregisteret, the Norwegian debt register.
Debt information may be disclosed to certain parties, including financial undertakings in connection with specific credit applications, and credit information companies that produce credit scores.
A credit check is therefore not the same as the landlord opening or reviewing the tenant’s personal debt-register record.
Does a payment default automatically mean rejection?
No. A payment default is relevant information, but it does not tell the whole story.
It can be useful to consider:
- Whether the information appears to be correct
- Whether the tenant can explain the situation
- Whether their finances have changed
- Whether the tenant can document stable income
- What security is being provided for the tenancy
- Whether a co-tenant or guarantor is involved
A credit score or recommendation is indicative. The final assessment and the decision to enter into the tenancy agreement rest with the landlord.
Remember the rules on discrimination
You can choose between candidates on relevant and objective criteria, such as documented ability to pay and references.
When letting a separate dwelling, you cannot reject someone on grounds including:
- Gender
- Pregnancy
- Ethnicity
- Religion or belief
- Disability
- Sexual orientation
- Gender identity or gender expression
- Age
Apply the same relevant criteria to every candidate. It makes the process cleaner and easier to document.
How long can you keep the information?
Personal data should not be kept longer than is necessary for the purpose for which it was collected.
Once the rental process is complete, you should delete information about candidates you did not choose, unless you have another valid and documented reason to keep it.
Results from Keyhole Tenant Screening are available for seven days before being deleted automatically.
You should also avoid:
- Downloading or copying more information than necessary
- Sharing the result with people not involved in the decision
- Using the information in later rental processes without a new basis
- Storing the information in personal email or unsecured documents
Who is responsible for the decision?
A screening service can help you gather and understand relevant information, but it is only one part of the assessment.
As the landlord, you remain responsible for:
- The check having a legitimate purpose
- Obtaining the necessary consent
- How the result is used
- Handling the information securely
- Assessing candidates lawfully and objectively
- The final decision about who is offered the property
A recommendation or score should not be treated as a guarantee of ability to pay or of future behaviour.
How to run a clean credit check
Follow these steps:
- Select relevant candidates on relevant criteria.
- Explain that a credit check is part of the process.
- Say why the check is being carried out and how the result will be used.
- Obtain valid consent where the service requires it.
- Carry out the check only once the tenancy is specific and current.
- Assess the result alongside other relevant information.
- Document your own decision.
- Delete the information once you no longer need it.
Keyhole Tenant Screening
Keyhole Tenant Screening gives landlords a digital tool for checking relevant financial information before a tenancy agreement is signed.
You receive a structured assessment that supports the decision, not the tenant’s raw financial records. The assessment is indicative and is not a guarantee of ability to pay or of future behaviour.
All results are available for seven days before being deleted automatically.
The landlord must have a legitimate purpose, obtain valid consent from the tenant, and make the final decision themselves.
Frequently asked questions
Can I credit-check everyone who responds to my listing?
Normally you should wait until you have shortlisted candidates. The credit check must relate to a specific and real tenancy.
Does the tenant have to consent?
When using Keyhole Tenant Screening, the terms require valid consent. Consent does not remove the requirement that you also have a legitimate need.
Will the tenant know I have run a credit check?
Yes. The credit information company automatically sends a notification with details of the check.
Can I see all of the tenant’s debt?
No. As a landlord you do not have direct access to the tenant’s personal record in Gjeldsregisteret.
Can a credit check predict whether the tenant will pay the rent?
No. It provides information based on the financial data available at the time of the check, but it cannot guarantee future payment or behaviour.
Who decides whether the tenant is approved?
The landlord does. The result from a screening service is an indicative basis for the decision.
A better basis for the decision
A credit check can make the rental process clearer when it is used at the right moment and with respect for the tenant’s privacy.
Keyhole Tenant Screening helps you gather relevant information in a structured process. You keep responsibility for the assessment and the final decision.
Want to know more?
Book a free, no-obligation conversation with Emma about how Keyhole Tenant Screening could fit into your rental process.
