The real meat of the screening process is the rental application. We’ll talk about what should be on the rental application, who should fill it out, and how you should use the information provided by the prospective tenants to help make your decision easier.
All interested tenants should complete the rental application. If the person will be living in the rental property or paying any part of the rent (like parents of students or guarantors), then they should complete an application. From a legal perspective, this shows that you treat all applicants the same and are not being discriminatory.
But from a tangible business perspective, this is a great way to allow tenants to self-select or self-reject their candidacy for your property. Letting tenants know right away what your requirements are lets you see who is serious about renting your property.
It’s advised to meet and screen an average of three tenants for each property. When we say tenants, we often mean groups of tenants — if there are two roommates, that would be one group of tenants.
Your rental application should request an applicant’s contact information, residential history, current employer, and if they have any pets. While you can always create an application from scratch, Avail offers comprehensive lease applications that include all the important questions and can be bundled with a credit and background check.
Once an applicant completes an application, our system will automatically reach out to their previous landlords to learn more about their renting history. What used to be a manual process can now be streamlined with property management software platforms like Avail. Create an account today to start screening prospective tenants online.
