Application Submission & Authorization to Release Information

[Austin Lukes]

Hello all, 

As a newer landlord looking into self-managing my current singular property, I have come to a crossroads with regards to receiving applications to process. This question primarily pertains to the signed release of information form. 

For those of you that do an online application or furthermore just a simple "form" that is completed online, how do you go about acquiring and subsequently providing proof of obtaining such authorization without a signature? I am leery of signing up for DocuSign considering they limit the documents on a per-month basis and I don't know how many individuals may express interest... I could very easily hit the threshold for a month in one weekend without a qualified applicant and no way to proceed in sending out these forms for a signature. 

Is this a non-issue? Are most landlords/PMs not contacting employers and instead simply trusting the paystubs provided? If contacting the employer and asked for a signed authorization, but never truly obtained signatures due to an "online form" (or similar Zillow/Apartments(dot)com application), what is being done in this instance? 

Upon initially listing within both the Zillow and Apartments(dot)com networks, I left the application feature on to see what would be received... Zillow was severely lacking and Apartments(dot)com seemed somewhat cumbersome to navigate their CBR, although it at least had good/complete details.

I have my own application that I began as the BP one for my state and made various tweaks based on a few samples provided by other local landlords in my area. Most importantly, the final page has an "authorization to release information" form that is signed by the applicant, authorizing various entities (primarily landlord/employer) to speak to me and confirm various details. I have primarily experienced this with employers that want a written consent before releasing any details about an employee, understandably so. 

My primary goal is to verify current employment, wages, and outlook (if they will go this far). Due to my background in consumer lending, I am highly skeptical of paystubs and other address verification due to the widely available websites that are out there to generate forms relatively easily... so I like to verify the information by contacting the listed employer using their listed number on Google to avoid possibly calling a friend etc.