Application says \"do not contact current landlord\" — how do you verify?

It can be a red flag, but it's also a legitimate request — many tenants don't want to alert their current landlord while they're still in the unit. Distinguish based on what other verification is available.

**Safer to accept the request when:**
- Previous landlord references (from 1+ tenancy ago) are reachable and check out
- Employer reference is solid
- Credit pull shows no rental-related collections
- Bank statements show consistent rent payments matching their reported rent

**Red-flag territory when:**
- This is their first tenancy or only landlord listed
- They can't provide ANY previous landlord reference
- Credit pull shows rental collections or LTB-related judgments
- Reported income doesn't match bank deposits

What you CAN do:
- Call the previous landlord (not current)
- Search the LTB orders database for their name (free, public — they're already in landlordezy.ca for ~45k orders)
- Check public records for any judgments
- Verify employer separately
- Pull a credit report (with their consent)

**What you CAN'T do:** Discriminate based on a protected ground (family status, source of income, citizenship, etc. — Ontario Human Rights Code). Asking for first-and-last month is fine; demanding a guarantor only from racialized applicants is not.

LandlordEzy's tenant screening + Equifax credit pull catches most of the patterns. Free tier for screening; $59.99 add-on for credit pull.