Screening tenants fees

[Vince Mai]

Hi everyone! 

I am starting my first rental property and have read a lot of posts about property management software on here. Avail.co seems to really stand out and has everything I need to get started. I feel the only draw back is the $55 application/screening that potential tenants have to pay. Is that too steep? Avail.co does have a good network for advertising. I don’t want the cost to deter tenants from applying versus other property management software with built in screening for $35. Thoughts? Thank you in advance! 

[Que Tran]

$55 is a lot. I agree, $30 to $35 is fair.  We use to never charge, but too many people were applying just to apply and see.  Once we started to charge, we got rid of all the riff raff. People who you want as tenants, know there is always a charge. The outraged ones are the ones you won't want as a tenant.  Once you approved someone, make sure you get a deposit asap to book the unit. Make it non-refundable, so they can't just walk away. This ensures you don't waste time.  Happy hunting!