How to Screen a Tenant: 9 Checks You Can Run in a Minute

A bad tenant is the most expensive mistake a landlord can make. Evicting a non-paying tenant in the Czech Republic takes months, and the costs can easily exceed a hundred thousand crowns. Yet a large share of the risk can be uncovered in advance - in public registers, free of charge, in just a few minutes. Here is what you can find out about an applicant, and how Rential does it for you with a single click.

Why screen every applicant

An applicant will only tell you what they want you to hear. Public registers tell a different story: an ongoing insolvency means the person is already failing to keep up with their obligations. A freshly registered trade licence from a "business owner with years of experience" suggests something doesn't add up. And debts owed to the state tend to be the first thing people stop paying - rent follows shortly after.

The good news: most of this information is public, and checking it is both legal and fast.

The 9 checks Rential runs automatically

In Rential, you enter a name, date of birth and, optionally, an IČO (Czech business ID number) and address. Within seconds the system goes through these sources:

1. 1
   ISIR (Czech insolvency register)

   The most important check. An ongoing or recent insolvency is a major warning - Rential also lists the case numbers of the specific proceedings.

2. 2
   ARES (Czech register of economic entities)

   Verifies that the given IČO exists and actually belongs to that person - exposing made-up or borrowed business IDs.

3. 3
   RŽP (Czech trade licence register)

   Does the applicant hold a valid trade licence? Essential for the self-employed - a suspended or cancelled licence held by an "active entrepreneur" is a warning sign.

4. 4
   Commercial register (OR)

   If the applicant is a company director or shareholder, you will see it - including a direct link to the extract on justice.cz.

5. 5
   VAT payer register

   Shows whether the entrepreneur is registered for VAT, including their VAT ID (DIČ) - another piece of the puzzle about the size and credibility of their business.

6. 6
   Unreliable VAT payer (Czech Ministry of Finance register)

   A live query to the Ministry of Finance register. Unreliable VAT payer = VAT debts owed to the state. A strong warning.

7. 7
   Business start date

   How long has the applicant actually been in business? "I've been running my business for 10 years" vs. a trade licence registered three months ago - you'll spot the difference at a glance.

8. 8
   Registered office per ARES

   The official registered business address - compare it with the address the applicant gave you.

9. 9
   Address verification on a map

   Does the stated previous address even exist? Geocoding exposes made-up addresses.

More registers, one click away

Some registers require confirmation directly on the authority's website (for example because of bot protection). For these, Rential prepares pre-filled links - you click and see the result:

• CEE (Czech central register of debt enforcement proceedings) - name pre-filled; the extract carries an official fee (about 60 CZK)
• Czech Police wanted persons - the nationwide wanted list
• Sociálna poisťovňa SR (Slovak social insurance agency) - the link opens straight to debtors with the applicant's surname
• VšZP SR, Obchodný register SR, Register exekúcií SR (Slovak health insurer, commercial register and enforcement register) - for Slovak tenants
• Ukrainian registers - debtors and wanted persons (useful for Ukrainian applicants)

How to read the results

Immediate red flags: an ongoing insolvency, unreliable VAT payer status, a hit in the enforcement register. Here we recommend rejecting the applicant, or at the very least asking for a higher deposit and a guarantor.

Yellow flags: a very recent trade licence, a mismatch between the stated address and the registered office, a past insolvency that has been closed. These may mean nothing - but keep asking questions and ask for proof of income.

Watch out for name matches: with surname-based lists (insurance debtors), always confirm it really is your applicant - by date of birth or address. Registers may also lag behind reality; treat the results as input for your decision, not as a verdict.

Is it legal? Yes - and here's why

All of the sources above are public registers, run by the state precisely so that anyone can verify the trustworthiness of a counterparty. Screening an applicant before signing a lease is a legitimate interest of the landlord within the meaning of the GDPR - you only process the data necessary to decide whether to enter into the contract. Never publish the results anywhere, and you don't need to keep them once the decision has been made.