Refusing showings / application from prospective tenants

[Alex Casperson]

Hello,

I am a first time landlord in Massachusetts trying to fill my first vacancy and have found myself with an influx of applications. I had my first showing today and found a great tenant who meets all my requirements and is eager to move in. I would love to accept them as soon as possible, as I know they are considering other options.

However, I have scheduled showings with and received applications from a number of other tenants. Would I be violating any sort of FHA rule by cancelling future showings due to the vacancy being filled?

Would an adverse action letter be required for each of these potential tenants who has requested a showing or submitted an application (I did not invite anyone else to apply yet, but some have applied immediately upon seeing the listing without any pre-screening).

Any insights would be very much appreciated.