Before you even give out the application, or invite people to see the place you're renting, do a prescreening over the phone. This is an easy way to eliminate the people for whom the property just isn't right for whatever reason. Prescreening will save both you and the applicants time and money, since you won't have to bother doing credit and background checks.


Ask up front to make sure all your basic qualifications with regards to pets, smoking, and so on are met. If smoking is a deal breaker, for example, don't wait until the person comes in for a viewing to find out.
Answer their questions to see if it’s a good fit, too. Invite the applicants to ask you questions about the property and neighborhood, and give honest answers.;
, You can design your own application or download a standard one and print it out for your applicants. The most important purpose of a rental application is to obtain information that will help you decide whether the tenant has a stable job and finances, so you can be reasonably sure they'll be able to pay rent on time. Ask the following questions on the application:


Ask for the name, birth date, address and social security number of anyone who will be on the lease. You need this information so you can conduct a credit and background check.Ask about applicants' job history and current employment. Get detailed information about where they are employed and how long they've worked there.
Ask about current income. The monthly income should be at least three times as high as the monthly rent.
 Either on the same application or using a separate form, it's important to have applications provide information on previous landlords as well as job references and personal references. The references should paint a clear picture of the applicant's history as a tenant, employee and neighbor. No matter how well the applicant checks out in other areas, if one of his or her references doesn't recommend that you rent to him, you probably want to heed that advice.


Ask for the names and phone number of three or more references. Specify that you want to talk to the last landlord the person had as well as his or her employer.
You can also ask the applicant to specify why he or she left previous residences, and how things stand with the previous landlords.
 Try to figure out what type of situation you'll be getting into by renting to each particular person. Things will go more smoothly if you pick someone who fits with the vibe in the building. For example, if you own an apartment building and your other tenants are mostly seniors, you might run into trouble if you rent to members of a rock band who want to practice in the apartment.


Request to know the of people who will live in the apartment, including children.
Find out whether they have pets, and what size the pets are. You have the right to deny people or charge a higher security deposit to account for pets.
 The Federal Fair Housing Acts prohibit landlords from refusing tenants based on certain qualities. Make sure your application doesn't have questions that could be construed as discriminatory, and don't ask these questions in person, either. If you do, you could be subjected to a lawsuit.You aren’t allowed to discriminate based on someone’s race, religion, national origin, gender, age, familial status, physical or mental disability.
In many states you aren’t allowed to discriminate based on marital status or sexual orientation.
 The application is an important step in the screening process, and many people will be eliminated at this point. Read through the applications carefully see if there are any red flags before you go deeper into the screening process. If you find some that check out fine, you can move on to conducting credit and background checks.


Make sure the income level and employment situation are sufficient. If you have concerns that the person might have trouble making rent, it might not be worth the risk.
Make sure the lifestyle information checks out with what you want. Don't get yourself into a situation where you're renting to someone with three cats and three dogs unless you're truly ready for what it would entail.
Look for blanks where info was left out. If they didn’t fill out a certain question, that could be a red flag. For example, if they provided only two references and you asked for three, find out why.
 Choose the applications that checked out fine and run credit checks on the applicants to determine whether they have solid credit. In some states you’re responsible for the cost, but in other states you can charge the tenant. It's usually between $25 and $50 per credit check.Assess the person's credit history. See if there’s a history of late payments. If you see information that's troubling to you, ask the applicant what happened.
See if the person has debt. It can be risky to rent to someone who's deep in debt. However, if records show that her or she has been making consistently monthly payments to get rid of the debt, you might not want to hold it against him or her.
 Hire an agency to find information on the person’s criminal history, eviction history, and so on. Do an online search for trusted agencies, and you'll see dozens of results. While not all landlords do background checks, since they can be costly, a background check can provide plenty of information that will affect your decision. When you're about to enter a lease agreement with someone that could last a year or more, it's worth the relatively small cost of making sure you're renting to someone you can trust.


See if the person has ever been evicted. If so, you’ll need to find out why and be wary of renting to the person until you've received a satisfactory explanation. If the person was evicted for failing to pay rent, you should probably pass on him or her.
See if the person has criminal records. It's up to you to determine what your comfort zone is in this area.
See if the person has public records indicating they were part of a lawsuit. If they were sued by a previous landlord or for reasons having to do with financial problems, you might not want to rent to them.
 This step is almost as important as credit and background checks. Talking to other people who have rented to or worked with the the applicant in question will give you a much better picture of his or her personality. Call each reference to ask about the person’s history as a tenant. Here are some good questions to ask:Ask if the person paid rent on time each month.
Ask if there were any problems, and if so, how they were resolved.
Ask if the person would recommend the tenant.
If no one answers, consider it a red flag. Keep trying until you reach the person.
 Once the person has cleared all the other checks, it's time to make your decision. Having a longer conversation with the applicant and showing him or her the property you're renting will provide the last pieces of information you need in order to feel secure with your final choice.


You can let the person know that you're going to interview him or her, or you can just invite the person to the property with the understanding that it's for a detailed viewing. The interaction might be more revealing if the person doesn't feel put on the spot.
Ask the person to bring pay stubs so you can verify employment history. He or she should might also bring a check for the amount of the deposit, in case you both want to seal the deal right away.
 Keeping in mind that certain questions are off limits, start a conversation that will help you understand where the person is coming from. Find out why the person wants to move, how long he or she intends to stay, and anything else you might want to know.


Take the opportunity to ask about any red flags that came up in the application process. For example, if one of the person's references didn't answer the phone, ask if there's a better way to get in touch.
Be ready to answer questions, too. Remember that the potential tenant also needs to feel comfortable and trusting before deciding to commit to a lease.
 As you're talking with the applicant, try to get a read on his or her personality, and decide if you can picture a long-term business relationship going smoothly. It's good to rent to tenants who are responsible and punctual. Keep the following in mind as you talk:


Was the person punctual, or did he or she show up late?
Is the person dressed neatly, or did he or she come wearing sloppy clothes? This might say something about how he or she will take care of the property.
Does he or she already have complaints about the place? It's better to rent to someone who actually likes the property up front.
Lay out ground rules and assess the person’s response. If you sense defensiveness or other attitude issues, think twice before renting.
 After interviewing several people, it's time to make your decision. Remember that in most cases, you don't have to be great friends with the person you're renting to. As long as the person pays rent on time and takes good care of the property, it doesn't matter how much the two of you have in common.


Remember to be consistent and give each person an equal shot. Fairness laws specify that in the absence of red flags, you must give each person who fills out an application an equal shot at getting the apartment.
When you've made your choice, be sure to take the time to draw up a lease that protects you. While having tenants undergo a rigorous screening process is always helpful, you can't always predict how things will end up. A good lease is one you can fall back on in case you end up having to evict the tenant.
Pre Screen before handing out the application.
Ask serious applicants to fill out an application.
Request references.
Ask for lifestyle information.
Don’t ask discriminatory questions.
Review the application before proceeding.
Run a credit check.
Run a background check.
Call the person’s references.
Ask the person in for a detailed viewing and interview.
Ask questions to help you get to know the person better.
Figure out if it’s a good personality match.
Compare and contrast with other applicants before making your decision.
{"src": "wikihow-all_validation", "title": "How to Screen Tenants"}