Screening

[Andrew Bosworth]

I am about to list my first rental property and am trying to decide how to screen potential tenants.  Before taking any phone calls, showing the property or going through the application process, I want to vet potential tenants to make sure they are worth pursuing.

I decided to create an online survey that I will link to in my ad.  It asks some basic questions such as...why are you moving, when are you looking to move in, have you been evicted, etc..

Has anyone else tried this tactic?  Was it helpful?  Did you feel it helped weed out potential tenants versus "tire-kickers"?  Would you recommend this approach prior to getting on the phone with a prospect?

[Nick E.]

Andrew Bosworth I use a very similar method. I just listed my first duplex last week and the phone calls, texts, and emails started rolling in. I realized that I couldn't spend 15 minutes on the phone with every lead. Here is what I set up:

1. I post my listing through Zillow, Zumper, and Craigslist. The first two syndicate the posting across numerous sites. All are free. Through my spreadsheet described below, I track my lead sources. Hotpads.com is currently my top lead source (syndicated through Zillow). I use a dedicated Google Voice number and Gmail account to track rental specific communication. This protects my personal number and email from getting out.
2. Every contact I receive gets a link to my Google Forms questionnaire. It is very easy: it asks Name, Phone, Email, Desired Move-in Date, Number of Pets, and lists my Qualification Standards and asks if there are any they won't meet. This form can be filled out on the phone or computer. Every email lead receives a "Canned Response" that I set up in Gmail (enable this feature in Google Labs). All I have to do is click reply and select the canned response and enter their name to personalize it. If they call me I tell them the first step in our process is for them to fill out our questionnaire so I can receive all of their information and they can see our qualification standards. I ask for permission to text or email them the link. If they text, I reply with a text containing a bit.ly link to the form. I track all of my leads in Google Sheets and include their status. I can track my statistics and I get about 30-40% of my leads to fill out the questionnaire. If they don't fill it out, I never respond back to them because they either aren't interested, don't qualify, or are too lazy (which aren't tenants I want).
3. Once the questionnaire is filled out I receive a notification and call the person. I go through a phone questionnaire from the Bigger Pockets Rental Management book. If they qualify, I proceed with scheduling a showing.
4. I received 30 leads in the first week and 10 people who filled out my questionnaire. I scheduled a showing on a Saturday (New Years Eve) with 7 people and had 5 show up. Every person was interested and took an application. I will be proactively following up with them tomorrow. Hoping to have both units with approved tenants and hold deposits before I close on Thursday.

I think your method is great. Anything you can do to remain efficient is positive.