Once the right candidate is identified at pre-screening, comes the deep verification: credit, references, employment, TAL history. How long does it take? The honest answer: 2 to 5 business days for a complete and rigorous verification.
Knowing these timelines lets you plan the placement, manage candidate expectations, and avoid yielding to pressure for a rushed signing — which is almost always a bad calculation. Here's the breakdown.
Timeline summary by verification
| Verification | Typical timeline | Requires written consent? |
|---|---|---|
| Credit verification (Equifax/TransUnion) | Near-instant to 24 h | Yes — written |
| Prior-landlord reference validation | 1 to 3 business days | Yes — contact info provided |
| Employment validation | A few hours to 2 days | Yes (or sufficient official documents) |
| TAL search (public rulings) | Near-instant | No — public registry |
| Identity validation and file consistency | A few minutes | Documents provided by candidate |
| Total typical timeline | 2 to 5 business days | Depends on cooperation |
Step 1 — Credit verification (near-instant)
With written consent from the candidate, an Equifax or TransUnion check is obtained in minutes to hours via a specialized service. Cost: around $25 to $40 depending on the provider.
The report contains: credit score, current debts, prior defaults, collection accounts, 6-year history. It's the fastest AND most objective tool to assess financial reliability.
Step 2 — Reference validation (the longest)
Generally the most time-consuming step: you need to reach the prior landlord by phone, ideally twice if the first attempt yields nothing. Count 1 to 3 business days, sometimes more if the reference is on vacation or hard to reach.
Avoid email-only validation — too easy to fabricate. A direct call, with a few open-ended questions, gives information quality on a different level.
- Attempt 1: call the day the file is received
- Attempt 2: 24 h later if no response
- If still nothing: detailed voicemail + email follow-up
- Beyond 3 business days with no response: signal worth digging into
Step 3 — Employment validation
Several options depending on the candidate's profile:
- Recent employer letter (dated within a month): sufficient in most cases, immediate validation
- Direct call to HR: 1 to 2 business days, more credible for high incomes
- Recent paystubs (last 3): immediate validation, cross-checked with credit
- Tax notice (self-employed): last 2 years to validate regularity
Step 4 — TAL search (instant)
The Tribunal administratif du logement (TAL) maintains a public registry of its rulings. A search by candidate name is free, requires no consent, and takes 5 minutes. It's a mandatory cross-check.
What we look for: rulings for non-payment, damages, eviction, or abusive tenant claims. No ruling = positive signal. A ruling over 5 years old with clear context = to discuss. Multiple recent rulings = strongly negative signal.
Step 5 — Cross-check and consistency
Once all verifications are in, the final step is cross-referencing. Do the credit-report incomes match the paystubs? Do the references confirm the address history? Does the employer declared by the candidate match the HR letter? Count 30 minutes to 1 hour for this synthesis.
What can speed up the process
- Prepared candidate: complete file, digitally signed consent form, reachable references
- Digital tools: e-signature, online credit request, HR platform
- Standardized method: fixed verification grid, no improvisation per file
- Specialized placement service: refined process, deadlines met, all-in-one coordination
What can slow it down (and you must accept)
- Reference on vacation or hard to reach
- Self-employed candidate: tax notices to obtain
- Multiple prior landlords: validating several
- Atypical situation: co-signer, guarantor, multi-source income
What if I need to lease quickly?
If you need to sign in 7 days, plan backwards: pre-screening in 48h, complete file requested within 24h, verification launched the day of receipt, decision within 5 days, signing on D+7. It's tight but realistic — provided you skip NO step.