Declining an applicant

[Kasey Destache]

Hi BP Fam! 

I have a question as I am new to landlording. I have a back house in the Marina Del Rey (90066) area to be rent out. So far, I have one applicant (a couple moving from out of state) but they do not meet our criteria. I'm basing this on their credit scores and their self-reported income. The back house is really only ideal for 1 tenant. Regardless, their self-reported income does not make sense and it did not meet 3X the rent as a couple. I'm going to decline their application but I wanted to see if anyone has any feedback on best practices or responses on denying an applicant in California. Also, SmartMove does not provide past employers, references or proof of income. Income Insights on SmartMove mentions that I cannot deny an applicant based on that report alone. However, I don't want to ask the applicant for this extra step when I plan on denying them anyway. 

Any feedback is much appreciated! Thanks in advance!