Tenant fraud assessment, backed by real forensics.
When a rental application looks too good, we check whether the documents behind it are genuine. Pay stubs, T4s, bank statements and employment letters, examined the way a forensic analyst would and graded by how likely they are to be forged.
This is document authenticity forensics, not legal advice. We report technical indicators and a likelihood, never a verdict on a person.
A forged document usually gives itself away.
Not in how it looks, but in the data underneath it and the way its parts fit together. Here is what we examine across the set.
Income that adds up
We reconcile the numbers a pay stub claims: CPP, EI and tax against the stated gross. When the deductions don't match the public rates, the stub was likely built by hand.
The employer's website, as an artifact
We examine the domain and website named on the documents: when the domain was registered, whether the site actually resolves, and whether it is an established, functional business site or a placeholder stood up days before.
Signs of editing
Embedded metadata, save history and producer details show when a PDF was changed after it was created, or exported from a tool that had no business touching a payslip.
One template, many documents
Shared internal identifiers and reused layouts reveal when several documents came from a single source rather than the separate employers and banks they claim.
Consistent across the set
Names, dates, pay periods and employers should line up across the pay stub, the letter and the bank statement. We flag where they don't.
The file's own timeline
Creation and modification dates, and how far apart they sit, separate a document generated by a payroll system from one assembled the night before.
Three steps from documents to a decision you can trust.
Send the documents
You share the applicant's document set through a secure transfer we set up, never plain email. Pay stubs, T4s, employment or income letters, bank statements and ID.
We run the forensics
We combine the automated metadata read from BadgerForensics with a human review: the income math, the employer, the edit signals and the cross-document consistency.
You get a graded report
A written report with an overall integrity grade, the authenticity checks that passed or failed, and, for each document, the specific findings, how serious each one is, and the evidence behind it. Most are ready within one to two business days, because a careful review of the documents and evidence takes time.
Catching a fabricated application before move-in.
A Hamilton-area landlord came to us uneasy about a prospective tenant. On paper the application looked clean: an employment letter, pay stubs with correct tax math, a credit report, and a six-figure salary. But the deposit had arrived under a different name than the applicant, and something felt off.
We ran a document-forensics review of the full file: the employment letter, pay stubs, credit report, and the named employer and people behind them. Every document was internally consistent yet independently unverifiable. The domain behind the employer had been registered only months earlier and served an unrelated template site, and the contact number on the employment letter was the same number the applicant had given as their own. The credit report's own file data showed it had been assembled from different reports and exported from a phone, not downloaded from the bureau. The pay stubs were a common template, fabricated in batches. And the name on the payment matched none of it.
We delivered a graded findings report the landlord could act on. With a documented, evidence-backed report in hand, they and their agent cancelled the agreement and recovered the unit, with no money lost, no keys surrendered, and none of the multi-month Landlord and Tenant Board eviction a fraudulent tenant in possession usually means.
A stressful, ambiguous situation became a clear, evidence-backed decision, and a property was kept from becoming an address for ongoing identity fraud.
Anonymized and shared with the client's permission. Details that could identify the parties have been removed. This is an account of one engagement, not a promise of the same outcome or turnaround.
The outcome
- No money lostCaught before the deposit and rent changed hands.
- Unit recoveredThe agreement was cancelled and the property kept.
- No LTB fightNo fraudulent tenant in possession, so no multi-month eviction.
An automated scanner might have flagged the edited PDF. It would not have found the days-old employer domain, the contact number shared with the applicant, or the payment-name mismatch. That depth is the difference a person makes.
Straightforward, per-applicant pricing.
One flat price per assessment, and a plan for offices that screen applicants regularly.
Document Forensics Assessment
A full forensic review of one applicant's document set.
- All of our forensic checks on the full document set
- An overall integrity grade, plus per-document findings graded by severity
- A written, referenced report with the evidence behind each finding
- A record of exactly which files were examined
- Most reports back within 1 to 2 business days
Attested forensic report
For when the report may need to hold up in a dispute.
- Everything in the standard assessment
- A named examiner of record who signs the report
- A signed statement of the method and evidence behind each finding
- Your original files preserved under legal hold
- Documented so your lawyer or paralegal can take it forward
Realtor & Property Manager Plan
For agents and managers vetting applicants regularly.
- Discounted per-assessment pricing
- Priority turnaround
- A simple way to submit throughout the month
- One point of contact for your office
Prices are in Canadian dollars. Every assessment records the method behind each finding, so you can rely on it if the outcome is ever challenged.
Handled the way a security firm should.
Rental documents are full of sensitive personal information. We take them over a secure transfer rather than plain email, use them only for the assessment, and delete them once it is complete and a short retention window has passed (originals are preserved under legal hold only if a matter may be disputed). You should have the applicant's consent to verify the documents they submitted, and we will ask you to confirm you are authorized to share them.
What it can and cannot tell you.
What the assessment shows
- How well a document's own data holds together
- Whether the income math is internally consistent
- How established and functional the employer's website and domain are
- Whether a file was edited after it was created
- Whether a set of documents shares one hidden source
What it is not
- A verdict that a person committed fraud
- Whether to approve or decline an applicant
- Legal advice on tenancy or the LTB
- Anyone's intent
- A guarantee: clean metadata is not proof of anything
Findings are technical indicators, not proof, and never a statement about a person. This service is document authenticity forensics, not legal advice. For a decision, a dispute, or anything before the Landlord and Tenant Board, speak with a qualified lawyer or paralegal.
Built for the people who screen applicants.
Landlords
Vetting the applicant you are about to hand the keys to.
Realtors
Adding a document check to the applications you pass to owners.
Property managers
Screening a steady flow of applicants across a portfolio.
Want to look first, for free?
BadgerForensics reads a single document's metadata and structure right in your browser, with nothing uploaded. It is the same engine behind this service. Try it, then send us the set when you want a person to weigh in.
Open BadgerForensicsKnow the warning signs
Our free guide lays out the 10 red flags our examiners check first, from a days-old employer domain to files exported from the wrong place. Read it, print it, and keep it by your side while you screen.
Read the red-flags guideCommon questions
Is it legal to check a rental applicant's documents?+
Yes, when the applicant has agreed to have the documents they submitted verified, which is standard on a rental application. We assess documents you are authorized to hold. This is document forensics, not legal advice: for questions about tenancy law or the LTB, speak with a lawyer or a licensed paralegal.
Do you decide who I should rent to?+
No. We report on the authenticity of the documents only. The rental decision is yours, and it must follow the Ontario Human Rights Code. Our findings are one input, never a verdict on a person.
What documents can you assess?+
Pay stubs, T4 and T4A slips, employment and income letters, bank statements, a Notice of Assessment, government photo ID, and reference or previous-landlord letters. The more of the set we see, the stronger the cross-checks.
How is my applicant's information handled?+
We set up a secure transfer rather than accepting documents over plain email, and we use them only for the assessment. We keep them only as long as needed to deliver and stand behind the report, then delete them; if a matter may go to a dispute, we preserve the originals under legal hold until it resolves. We are a cybersecurity company, so handling sensitive files properly is the whole point.
How fast is it?+
Most assessments come back within one to two business days. A proper review of the documents and the supporting evidence takes time, so we do not rush it. If something is time-sensitive, tell us when you send the set and we will let you know what is realistic.
Can this prove a document is fake?+
No, and we never claim to. We report technical indicators and a likelihood, not proof. Metadata can also be stripped, so a clean read is not a guarantee. For anything contested, the report documents our method.
Do you only assess rental documents?+
No. The same forensics apply to invoices, employment and income verification, insurance paperwork, and documents offered as evidence. If you have something to check, ask us.
Have documents you need checked?
Send us the application set and we will tell you how well it holds up. $400 per assessment, with attested reports and volume pricing available.