How do you disqualify tenants during the pre screening process?

[Kobey Heberling]

Hi everyone, I just finished reading the managing rental properties book from BP and when it comes to pre screening tenants i'm a little lost. If for example, you are talking to a tenant on the phone about your property and you know they aren't suitable and decide not to move forward. 

1. How do you properly inform that person? Am i supposed to collect their address right of the bat and then send them a decision letter? 

2. Since it's a phone call, wouldn't it be pretty easy for a tenant to lie and say I discriminated against them because of x reason? How do I keep a record when it's all verbal communication?   

[Jill F.]

 I require a free written application up front but make very few of my fields "required" (and software enforced)--  it is the tenant's responsibility to provide sufficient information for me to rule them in. When I get an application, I start with the premise that I want to rule this person in. My goal is to eliminate applicants that are high in entitlement and to consider applicants that don't look perfect on paper. I find that "entitled" people tend to rule themselves out by failing to provide sufficient information in the applications and then by refusing to answer follow-up questions about missing information-- they will often tell me that they don't feel that particular financial information or reasons for leaving is "any of my business". Mission accomplished.