Screening Travel Nurse Tenants: What Landlords Need to Verify

How is screening a travel nurse different from screening a regular tenant?

Screening a travel nurse requires a fundamentally different approach than screening a traditional long-term tenant. These professionals are itinerant by design — they may not have a local rental history, their income comes through staffing agencies rather than a single employer, and their "pay stubs" include tax-free housing stipends that do not appear on standard income verification documents. A landlord who runs a basic credit check and calls a previous landlord is missing the verification steps that actually matter.

The good news is that travel nurses are structurally lower-risk tenants than the general population. They hold professional licenses monitored by state nursing boards, they are pre-vetted by staffing agencies, and they have professional reputations to protect. But "lower risk" does not mean "no risk." Assignment cancellations, professional scammers posing as nurses, and documentation mismatches can still cost you months of lost rent if you skip the verification process.

This guide covers the five-step screening system that experienced mid-term rental investors use for healthcare tenants in the Temple TX market.

Step 1: Verify the assignment contract

A travel nurse's income is tied to an "Assignment Confirmation" or "Employment Contract" from their staffing agency. This document is the equivalent of a job offer letter and should be the first thing you request during the application process.

What the contract must include

What nurses commonly redact — and what is acceptable

It is standard practice for travel nurses to redact their specific hourly pay rate for privacy reasons. This is normal and should not raise concern. However, the housing stipend amount, per diem rates, and assignment dates should be fully visible. If the entire financial section is blacked out, ask for a version with at least the stipend and dates showing.

How to verify the agency is legitimate

If you are unfamiliar with the staffing agency listed on the contract, verify it through:

• The Joint Commission certification — reputable agencies carry this accreditation
• BluePipes or Highway Hypodermics — travel nurse community sites where agencies are reviewed and rated by nurses
• A direct phone call to the agency's housing department — legitimate agencies will confirm that a nurse is on assignment at a given facility without disclosing pay details

Step 2: Verify the nursing license through the Texas Board of Nursing

This is the step most novice landlords skip — and it is one of the most powerful screening tools available. The Texas Board of Nursing provides a free public verification portal where you can confirm any nurse's license status in under two minutes.

How to verify

1. Go to the Texas Board of Nursing License Verification Portal (accessible through the BON website)
2. Search by the applicant's full name and license number (they should provide this on their application)
3. Confirm the license shows "Active" status
4. Check for any pending disciplinary actions, restrictions, or probationary terms
5. Note the license expiration date — it should extend through the full lease term

Why this matters beyond identity verification

The Board of Nursing conducts ongoing criminal monitoring of all licensees. A nurse with an active, unrestricted license has passed a state-level background check that is more thorough than most landlord screening services. This verification effectively serves as a secondary background check at zero cost to you.

Compact License (NLC) for out-of-state nurses

Many travel nurses practice under a Compact License issued by the Nurse Licensure Compact. This allows nurses licensed in one NLC member state to practice in any other member state — including Texas — without obtaining a separate state license.

If the nurse holds a compact license from another state, verify that:

• Their home state is an NLC member
• The license is listed as "Active - Multistate" (not "Single State")
• Texas is listed as a state where they have compact privileges

Texas has been an NLC member since 2000, so this is a well-established process.

Step 3: Run KeyCheck through Furnished Finder

If you are listing on Furnished Finder, the platform's integrated screening tool — KeyCheck — handles the standard background screening at no cost to you. The applicant pays $44.99 directly.

What KeyCheck covers

The screening workflow

1. You receive a lead through Furnished Finder (message or phone number reveal)
2. You communicate with the prospective tenant and collect basic information
3. When ready to proceed, send a KeyCheck invitation through the Furnished Finder platform
4. The applicant completes the screening and pays the $44.99 fee
5. You receive the results within 24 to 48 hours
6. You make your acceptance decision based on the combined results of KeyCheck plus your independent contract and license verification

Because KeyCheck uses a soft credit pull, most healthcare professionals complete it without hesitation. In fact, willingness to complete KeyCheck is itself a positive screening signal.

Step 4: Understand the housing stipend payment models

Before signing a lease, clarify how rent will be paid. There are two primary models in travel nurse housing:

Model 1: Stipend Pay (most common)

The staffing agency pays the housing stipend directly to the nurse as part of their weekly or bi-weekly paycheck. The nurse then pays you. This is the standard arrangement and gives you direct communication with your tenant.

Advantages: Direct relationship with the occupant, ability to negotiate terms, faster communication on maintenance issues.

Risk: If the nurse mismanages their stipend, rent could be late. Mitigate this by collecting the full first month plus a security deposit before move-in.

Model 2: Agency-Placed Housing

The agency's internal housing department finds the property and pays the landlord directly. Some agencies operate housing divisions that actively seek properties for their traveling staff.

Advantages: The agency handles the search, the payment comes from a corporate entity rather than an individual, and there is less administrative burden.

Risk: Lower negotiation power on price — agencies often push for below-market rates. You may also have less direct communication with the actual occupant.

For Temple investors: Stipend Pay (Model 1) is more common and generally preferred because it preserves your pricing power and your direct relationship with the tenant. If an agency contacts you directly, it is fine to work with them — but do not discount below your standard rate simply because the payment source is corporate.

Step 5: Structure the lease correctly

A mid-term lease for travel nurses must be more flexible than a standard 12-month residential lease. The "Initial Term" is typically 13 weeks (matching the standard assignment length), with options to extend.

Essential lease clauses for MTR

The cancellation clause: the most critical provision

Hospitals sometimes cancel travel assignments with little notice due to changes in patient census or budget adjustments. This is an industry reality, not a tenant fault. A fair lease allows the nurse to terminate with 30-day written notice if their hospital contract is canceled, usually with a small penalty — typically forfeiture of the remaining security deposit or a fee equal to one to two weeks of rent.

This clause protects you by ensuring 30 days of notice to find a replacement tenant, while protecting the nurse from being locked into a lease for a job that no longer exists. Most experienced MTR landlords view this as a reasonable trade-off that attracts better tenants.

Proactive extension management

Around week 9 of a 13-week assignment, contact your tenant and ask: "Has your assignment been extended?" Many nurses know by this point whether they are staying. Proactive communication gives you the maximum runway to list the property on Furnished Finder if they are leaving, or to issue a simple Lease Extension Addendum if they are staying.

Extensions are common. Many assignments get renewed for an additional 8 to 13 weeks if the facility remains understaffed. When this happens, issue an addendum that confirms the new end date and any changes to the rental rate.

Red flags: when to decline an applicant

While the travel nurse tenant pool is generally high quality, these warning signs should trigger immediate caution:

Immediate disqualifiers

• Refusal to complete KeyCheck. A legitimate healthcare professional understands background screening. Refusal is the single strongest indicator of a problematic applicant.
• No verifiable assignment contract. If the applicant cannot produce a staffing agency contract naming BSW or a local facility, they may not have a confirmed assignment — or they may not be who they claim to be.
• License shows "Inactive," "Expired," or "Disciplinary Action." Do not proceed regardless of explanation. An inactive license means they cannot legally work at BSW, which means their assignment does not exist.

Caution signals (investigate further)

• Pressure for instant booking without asking about the property. Legitimate nurses ask about hospital proximity, parking, laundry, and neighborhood safety. Someone who just wants to book immediately without questions may be running a housing scam.
• Dates on the license do not align with the assignment contract. If the license expires before the assignment ends, the nurse needs to renew before you sign a lease.
• Unwillingness to provide agency contact information. Legitimate nurses are happy for you to verify their assignment. Reluctance suggests the documentation may be falsified.
• Request to pay in cash only. Standard practice is electronic transfer, check, or Zelle. Cash-only requests make record-keeping difficult and may indicate unreported income issues.

How scams typically work

The most common MTR scam involves someone posing as a travel nurse using fabricated assignment documentation. They pay the first month, move in, and then either stop paying or sublease the property. The license verification step (Step 2) eliminates this risk almost entirely — a fake nurse cannot produce a verifiable active license through the Texas Board of Nursing portal.

The complete screening checklist: one page summary

Use this as your go-to checklist for every applicant:

Before showing the property or discussing lease terms:

• Applicant has provided their full legal name and nursing license number
• You have verified their license is "Active" on the Texas BON portal
• You have confirmed the license has no pending disciplinary actions
• For out-of-state nurses: compact license status is verified

Before signing the lease:

• Assignment contract received and reviewed (facility name, dates, agency)
• Agency legitimacy confirmed (Joint Commission, nurse reviews, or direct call)
• KeyCheck screening completed with satisfactory results
• Payment model clarified (Stipend Pay vs. Agency-Placed)
• First month's rent + security deposit + cleaning fee collected

At lease signing:

• Lease includes all essential MTR clauses (utility cap, early termination, extension notice)
• Pet addendum signed if applicable
• Tenant has digital welcome guide with local information
• Emergency maintenance contact provided

This entire process — from first inquiry to signed lease — should take 3 to 5 business days. Faster is better. Travel nurses often make housing decisions within 1 to 2 weeks of their assignment start date.

Building your screening system for scale

If you own one MTR property, the manual process above works fine. If you are building a portfolio of 3 or more furnished rentals near BSW Temple, consider systematizing:

• Create a Google Form with all required fields (name, license number, agency name, assignment dates, pet information) and send it to every applicant as your standard "application"
• Save your BON verification portal bookmark so license checks take under 60 seconds
• Keep a template lease with all MTR clauses pre-filled, only updating the tenant name, dates, and rent amount for each new booking
• Maintain an agency contact list so you can verify assignments quickly with agencies you have worked with before

The goal is to make screening fast without making it sloppy. A 3-day turnaround from inquiry to signed lease is competitive in the Temple market — and the verification steps protect you from the rare bad actor without slowing down the process for legitimate tenants.

Next steps

For the complete financial analysis of mid-term rental investing near BSW Temple, read my travel nurse housing investment guide.

To learn how to list your property and optimize for healthcare tenants, see my Furnished Finder setup guide.

For the room-by-room furnishing checklist that travel nurses actually care about, read my furnishing checklist.

Ready to find your next investment property? Visit my investing in Temple page or contact me directly.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I verify a travel nurse's license in Texas?
Use the Texas Board of Nursing's free public verification portal. Search by the nurse's name and license number to confirm the license is "Active" with no pending disciplinary actions. For out-of-state nurses, verify their Compact License (NLC) status. The entire process takes under two minutes.

What is KeyCheck on Furnished Finder?
KeyCheck is Furnished Finder's integrated screening tool that performs a national criminal background check, eviction history search, soft credit pull, and identity verification. The applicant pays $44.99 directly — there is no cost to the landlord.

What if a travel nurse's assignment gets canceled mid-lease?
Include an early termination clause in your lease that allows the tenant to terminate with 30 days written notice if their hospital contract is canceled. Standard practice is forfeiture of the remaining security deposit or a fee equal to one to two weeks of rent. This protects both parties.

How long should the screening process take?
The full process — license verification, assignment contract review, KeyCheck screening, and lease signing — should take 3 to 5 business days. Travel nurses often make housing decisions within 1 to 2 weeks of their assignment start, so speed matters.

What is the biggest red flag when screening a travel nurse?
Refusal to complete KeyCheck screening. A legitimate healthcare professional with an active license and a verified hospital assignment has no reason to decline a standard background check. Treat refusal as an immediate disqualifier.

Taylor Dasch is a licensed real estate agent with EG Realty and an active investor with 100+ transactions in Central Texas. He specializes in helping out-of-state buy-and-hold investors find cash-flowing rental properties in Temple, Belton, and surrounding markets. Contact: (254) 718-4249 | [email protected]