Combining pre screening and the application?

Question

I'm learning how to screen tenants and how the applicant process should take place. I've read the Turners' book on managing properties and I've taken a look at BP's guide to tenant screening.

The guide suggest that a pre screening takes place. From there the most standout applicants are allowed to check out the property for a viewing. Finally, after showing the property and getting to know the potential client through a series of questions the prospect is finally allowed to submit a formal application where a series of important questions are submitted that make or break the applicant after the information has been used to verify minimal standards and background checks.

To me this seems to be highly inefficient. Is there a specific reason why one should not have the prospect submit the application right away, including all the questions and then determine the best applicants to show the property? How is your process?

It doesn't seem very efficient to pre screen a lot of tenants and take them to a viewing when one could have known on beforehand they the potential tenant would never qualify, just by asking the make or break questions right away.

A pro I can see to asking all questions upfront is that lazy people or people who realise they would never qualify don't bother applying. I might get away from wasting my time and prospects time when viewing who never had a chance in the first place

A con I can see however is that I'd waste 5 minutes from a lot of people. Some people might feel uncomfortable giving too much information away without having met the landlord or manager.

I'd like to optimise the process as possible for the manager and the potential tenants. Can you please help me understand why its not proposed like this? Thanks!

P.s. One reason I've seen is that a manager would be wasting his time processing an application of someone who doesn't stand a chance to pass the pre screen but I'd argue that one could just stop processing the application at any time. Right?

Bjorn Ahlblad · Answer

@Jonas Tryggvi Stefansson we do a pretty thorough pre-screen over the phone and if they seem qualified we send an app via txt or email-the vast majority of callers do not get this far. When, or if, we get it back and everything checks out, only then do we show the unit. If everyone is happy we do the tenant paid credit and BG check. That is our process and we have been doing it this way for years.

Jónas Tryggvi Stefánsson · Answer

Thanks for asking David. I've not started the process itself but here's the template I'm constructing for the pre-screening questioner and as of now these are the questions I intend to be asking until something changes:

1. Who will live in the unit? Please list names, date of birth (to verify that one is over the age of 18), email and phone number.*

2. When would you like to move in?*

3. For how long would you like to live in the unit?*

4. What pets do you have?*

5. Do you or anyone in your household smoke or vape?*

6. How many evictions have been filed upon everyone in your household?*

7. Can you provide references from past landlords?*

8. If you can not provide references from past landlords, what's the reason?

9. Have you or anyone in your household ever broken a rental agreement/lease?*

10. What's the household's current living situation?*

11. Why are you moving?*

12. Can you provide a criminal record?*

13. Do everyone in your household have a job? If so, where and since when?*

14. Can you provide confirmation of employment if you are employed?*

15. Are there any other sources of income? If so, which ones?*

16. Which felonies have you and everyone in your household committed?*

17. Under which circumstances would you not be able to pay the rent?*

18. Why should we rent to you?*

19. Is there anything else we should know?

* are required questions.

These are the requirements I list before the potential tenant starts to answer the questioner:

• * Smoking (vaping included) not allowed.* Pets not allowed.* A criminal record is required and its important that it does not contain serious sentences.* It's required that you've never been filed for evicted before.* Recommendations from previous landlords is important, if applicable.* A stable job/income required.* Long term renting preferred.* All applicants must be 18 years of age or older.* Not recommended for more than one person since the unit is small.

I understand that the questioner may appear long, but it actually only takes a couple of minutes to answer and its purpose is to replace the phone-call and in the long term save my time and the applicant's time. What's your opinion on it?

It should be noted that the laws are pretty weird here in Iceland so we can't ask for salary questions and credit checks are only getting started by tech companies so we're limited to basic internet background checks and checking references.

Does this list seem sufficient for a pre-screen, an overkill or perfect? It sounds like this should weed out most of the bad apples. The idea is to take those who pass through this to a showing and then allow them to make an official application where they'd submit their criminal record and a list of past landlords and confirmation of employment. Calling HR to verify employment might be viable here but there's no way that we're allowed to dig deeper than that here.

Thanks again!

BTW I'm not discriminating due to age. This is simply not a family unit. It's for 1 person due to how small it is.

David Boroughes · Answer

That's quite a list! WOW! I guess I start a bit more informal, see if I get a response and then dig a little deeper.

Can you tell me a little about yourself and who would be living with you?

Any pets?

Where are you living now, and what is your reason for moving?

I understand laws are different there, but here we have to be careful about limiting occupancy... make sure you are legally allowed to limit the occupancy, just a suggestion...

Jorge Hernandez · Answer

Hello,

I am in the process of automating the pre-application/screening process using Monday.com, and the questions you presented were super useful. I'm sure its going to save me a lot of time.

Thanks!

Jónas Tryggvi Stefánsson · Answer

Yeah it appears to be long but anyone who knows these answers should be able to submit within a few minutes.

The way I see it is that I'm going to be asking all of these questions at one point or another anyway. Why not do it right away, filter out those who are not committed (I mean it, these questions only take a few minutes to fill out) and save my time over the phone with something like this that does not scale at all, and really makes a hazzle for the applicants?

I'm not going to be asking all of this over the phone, the idea is to have a Google Form or a website (Google Form for now) that collects these answers. I'd only have to get on the phone or invite the ones that make it through this pre-screening phase. From there I could accept a formal application (which would be very short due to most of the information being in place) and make the reference checks.

What do you think? Thanks BTW for pointing out potential laws that could be involved.

David Boroughes · Answer

What are some of all of you folks pre-screen questions?

Jónas Tryggvi Stefánsson · Answer

Thanks for the answers guys. I'm going to take a route that's somewhere in the middle of what you suggest that makes sense for me and my location.

Jónas Tryggvi Stefánsson · Answer

@Bjorn Ahlblad I'm from Iceland. I understand that a lot of what is said here doesn't apply in my country and vise versa but 95% of what I read here is definitely helpful.

Michael Noto · Answer

Very few people are going to pay an application fee for an apartment they haven't seen yet. During the pre-screening process you should be eliminating anyone who doesn't qualify anyway.

Josue Vargas · Answer

I don't pre-screen.  Just because like you stated before, most of the time is a waste of their and my time.  I have very high standards to begin with to avoid unwanted tenants.  Properties are in good areas of the town and rent is high.  I also make them pay directly for the background checks.  Just doing that, means prospect tenants are serious and not wasting my time.  In the application process, simple but direct questions in their application works for me.  I only verify past tenancy with their previous Landlords and their employer, if they don't show W-2s or past income tax returns.  If they are own business owners, I just simply ask if they can provide a P&L Statement.  Asking this question you know immediately who has legit business and how is "Joe Smith" with no previous income records.

Combining pre screening and the application?

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