Tenant application pipeline, how do others manage this task?

[Cody F.]

I'm trying to automate and streamline my application process.

Currently I'm posting my available units online through apps like Zillow and social media like Facebook. Driving traffic isn't my problem.

The problem is that my process is too difficult for people to follow through with it. We currently have applicants come to the office to pick up an application, which requires them to take a page to their employer to fill out with their income information. Then they have to bring it back and turn it in. Then if they're approved for income, we send them to an online background check through my smart move by transunion which costs 40 dollars.

This is a mess, and there must be a much easier and simpler way to go about this. I'm also interested in property management software that maybe has this feature built in. We have 42 units to manage right now.

[Michael Ealy]

Originally posted by @Cody F.:

I'm trying to automate and streamline my application process.

Currently I'm posting my available units online through apps like Zillow and social media like Facebook. Driving traffic isn't my problem.

The problem is that my process is too difficult for people to follow through with it. We currently have applicants come to the office to pick up an application, which requires them to take a page to their employer to fill out with their income information. Then they have to bring it back and turn it in. Then if they're approved for income, we send them to an online background check through my smart move by transunion which costs 40 dollars.

This is a mess, and there must be a much easier and simpler way to go about this. I'm also interested in property management software that maybe has this feature built in. We have 42 units to manage right now.

Cody, I agree - your process is a mess. You can't scale up with that kind of process.

• Email the application once they pay the application fee, they can fill it up manually and fax it to your office OR do Docusign. 
• Part of income verification is they email you a scanned copy of their paystubs for the past 3 months and include that together with the application.
• You can verify their employment by YOU faxing or emailing the employment verification for their employer to sign and then fax to you. You can find the phone number of their employer ONLINE instead of trusting them to give you the phone number of their friend who pretends to be their employer.

I have acquired over 1,000 units - so I don't do the above myself but I have property managers do them for me.