I always vet prospective tenants using social media, here's why you should too.

We find ourselves in a world where we can snoop on just about anyone or anything we wish. Rather than trawling through Instagram to see who’s following your ex, we can use it to vet prospective tenants and why not?

It’s not illegal if you check someone’s social media and they’re profile is public. But if someone checked mine, they would see I’m obsessed with dogs, videos of people falling over and, near miss plane crashes.

But would that make me an unsuitable tenant? Agents can ask tenants for their financials, proof of ID, but they can’t ask them if they’re party animals who like to play Bon Jovi until 3am every morning whilst smoking some of Colombia’s finest herbs on the balcony.

While Social media won’t show you the full picture it certainly helps get a more honest view when selecting a tenant. I’ve learnt first hand that looks can be deceiving, and Job title/qualifications even more so. Here is a short story about one experience I had, that proves how much we can be fooled by outward appearances.

A stabbed bank manager, armed police, and me…

A couple viewed my apartment back in 2020. One was a bank manager and the other was self-employed with 20 staff. Their home was undergoing huge renovations, and they needed a 6-month tenancy nearby. They were the ideal tenants, sharp young disciplined professionals with a defined rental period who’d take great care of my flat! This will be an easy 6 months… Or so I thought.

1 month into the tenancy I got a phone call from a neighbour to inform me, armed police were outside the apartment block and my corridor had been evacuated and the police were negotiating with someone inside my apartment.

I nearly fell over, I couldn’t believe what she was telling me, this was a super quiet apartment block of 16 flats mainly owned or rented by those approaching retirement age, this would give them nightmares for months. I raced to the apartment and saw an ambulance driving off with my tenant inside who had been stabbed by his wife in a drunken rage. The apartment was a state, broken bottles everywhere, long story short, they didn’t come back.

Later that evening I decide to do some digging, and low and behold big warning signs from my tenants Facebook posts. I don’t wish to identify them so I wont comment on what I saw but I certainly learnt my lesson, do all the research you possibly can!

Vetting tenants - 4 step guide

Here’s my 4 step guide I always follow when vetting a prospective tenant on social media

Step 1: Collect Basic Info

Gather details from their application:

• Full name

• Email & phone number

• Employer (if known)

• Verify with ID (passport, driving licence, etc.)

Step 2: Search Social Media Platforms

I always check Facebook & Linkedin, while the others vary depending on the tenant

• Facebook – Public posts, check-ins, community interactions 

• Instagram – Lifestyle, potential red flags

• LinkedIn – Employment history, job duration

• X (Twitter) – Opinions, interactions, online behaviour

• TikTok – Public content, lifestyle insights

Step 3: No Results? Try this.

• Google full name + “Facebook,” “LinkedIn,” or “Instagram”

• Search phone/email on LinkedIn & Facebook 

• Example searches:

• "John Smith Facebook”

• "John Smith Instagram”

• "John Smith Companies House”

Step 4: What I Look Out For when vetting tenants

• Employment – How long do they stay with companies?

• Lifestyle – Frequent moves, partying, financial struggles?

• Community – Aggressive posts, disputes?

• Rental history – Complaints about landlords or properties?