Hi!

When you need to inform an applicant that they did not pass the prescreening, what do you say? Do you need to tell specific criteria, or can you say "Sorry you did not pass the prescreening. "

You can say that.

But perhaps something a little more "professional" sounding like:

The information you submitted has been received. Unfortunately, it does not meet the minimum qualification criteria for this property, as established by management of (insert business name here?).

Best wishes

Tweak as needed.

Send the same thing to everyone every time.

When you apply for a job and the business doesn't call you in for an interview, what do they say to you?

Nothing.

Same applies. Pre-screen fails get no response. The idea is to SAVE time, not spend time assuaging folks of why they are not qualified at a base level.

I post our basic criteria on our website. 99% of the ones who fail pre-screen do so because they don't meet one of those criteria. Usually, it's income requirement. What is there to say, really? The info is there. If they choose not to look at it, I choose not to waste my time telling them how to look at a website.

Remember, everything you say can and will be used against you, either by the applicant or a free lawyer. So the less you say, the better. If you insist on responding, "Unfortunately, we are unable to proceed with a showing at this time. For more information, please send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to 123 Anywhere Ave for a list of our criteria for renting."

At that point in time if you had not documented your minimum criteria, sending yourself a dated email with you requirements, for that specific vacancy (rental) -- they you could be found discriminating against any particular "group or person".

In CA (maybe other states) the law does not recognize the word "prescreening". It only recognizes words like "application".

In today's environment, it is necessary to have complete documentation of an applicant, his application and its disposition. You need to make sure that your "prescreening" and consequent decision will serve that need.

I do tell people specifically what doesn't work. I have a drop-down list that I use to apply as the "why" in the pre-screen form, and pre-made emails that go at the click of a button for that reason. Because people are so predictable, they always fail for the same things...

I do NOT post my specific criteria for all to read, because people lie - they think if they can get in front of me, their "story" will change my mind about their lack of income, too many pets, PIGS as pets, too many people for the unit, eviction history, violent criminal history, credit traumas, etc. I've had people lie and say their pig was a lab. Did they think I wouldn't notice? NO they just wanted a chance to plead their case to my face.

Moshe, think of pre-screening as submitting a resume and not getting an interview because you are not qualified for the advertised position.

Or, think of it as a Realtor refusing to show a home to a non-qualified Buyer, or if there is a personal safety issue. They are free to not waste their time or endanger themselves or the Seller. It is only if there is a DISCRIMINATION issue that the law and fair housing comes into play.

It is not against any law that I can find to pre-screen a potential renter, as long as you use the same criteria for everyone and none of the criteria used is against the law.

One of the big landlording gurus (can't remember his name off hand) mentioned in his book to not reject them but to instead offer to approve them IF and only IF this and this and this are fixed. Credit score needs to be X. If it's

Unless they ask, I keep it moving and say nothing to them. If they do insist on knowing why, I do as Sid suggests and have them send a self-addressed stamp envelope to me for the details. I've yet to receive such a request.

I'm completely sold on prescreening as it saves a ton of time. Sometimes you do get desperate people however. I had someone upload their resume today as their proof of income!

Moshe makes a great point. If a LL does prescreening that LL can be held liable for handling it same as a full, paid app.

I believe prescreening is a waste of my time. I must handle their call / email / inquiry and info without payment for my time. THEN I have to get back to them and create more work screening their real app.

Prescreening also means I’ll have to sift thru the lowlifes that have no chance of qualifying, using up my time. Paying an app fee helps keep those baddies from using my time.

People will pay you AND complete a full app if you ask.

Don’t be shy.

Don’t create more work for yourself.

Leigh,

Where the LL gets into legal trouble is when they respond.

We only respond IF they follow up and ask.

“Based on the information provided the office did not approve the application.”

Most important, say this: “Everyone is welcome to apply”.

I Believe landlords can be sued for not giving an application to a person based on a pre-screening.

Give everyone an opportunity to apply. That’s what the law says.

PS

For those who are prescreening you MUST have written documentation IN THEIR HANDWRITING OR FROM THEIR COMPUTER as your evidence for denial.

Prescreening on the phone does not give you evidence to protect yourself.

Brad, lucky you who can charge an app fee, and get an app before even showing a unit. you still must get prospects who won't pass and then still have to add through those, no? isn't that the same as pre-screening?

My prescreening starts with the internet, where the house is listed. They can't walk into my office and pick up a paper app. I don't have an office and I don't have paper apps and I certainly don't want to collect cash on the desk.

From my ad they go to my website and fill out my questions, and sign it online. Info saved to a database (Google Sheet.) I can go back now to 2017 to see info about a person. My drop-down list of reasons and my pre-made emails show the (same criteria) applied to each.

Again: Can't show occupied homes to complete unknowns. And I always show occupied homes. I also show by appointment only. Not going to meet a stranger not even knowing their name. Rents change so income requirements change for each one. Pets are allowed but type and number differ according to property.

I also do not have as many homes as you do, Brad. We get a few availabilities a year. It's not a full time job to screen (that is seconds!) schedule and show based on pre-set appointments in cooperation with existing tenants.

ALSO: people here HATE the Application Money Maker Game. All the big PMs charge for their apps - even when they don't have any houses at all. I'm not going to do that. I don't want to be in the business of collecting apps or money unless I have something to offer them.

AFTER they see the house, if they like it, everyone gets an app. Only those who return their completed online app get charged: they pay for their own background check.

Around here, the Facebook/Craigslist scammers are hijacking ads with the guise of collecting a $55 application fee per adult before they'll "schedule a showing" (to a property that isn't theirs). This is making it difficult for prospects to tell the difference between legitimate companies and scammers. Because of this, I fully expect our helpful Commonwealth to come to the rescue by outlawing application fees in the future.

I personally don't collect application fees upfront and force every prospect to pass pre-screening before they get any of my attention, but still have a few FB whiners calling me a scammer because I pre-screen (which is free and requires little effort on their part).

Pre-screening and rejecting the unqualified requires zero time from me, so it wouldn't be ethical for me to collect an application fee from them. But my business model is different: I cast a big net knowing that my system will automatically weed out the dregs.

WMH, I can take your disqualification system up a notch: instead of having to manually send pre-written rejection emails, I can further automate your process so it'll send the rejections automatically. My system basically runs itself on autopilot. Let me know if you're interested.

Jason, thank you! But I actually like laying eyes on the names. I don't ever have that many vacancies at once or even per year that I can't do it in a few minutes a day, and it's a maybe 1/2 dozen average a day when an ad is active (although by the time I set up actual Show Times it's many more!) I find I have a memory for some names when written down and sometimes I can say "Hey that person inquired about (Unit) 2 months ago but all their info is different now!"

Going on weeks, no one has completed and returned our questionnaire.

The process: Prospects view the ad, our website is watermarked on pics; one pic has website on it twice. In ad instructions are to go to our website, fill out the questionnaire and return it completed to my email address (given in ad).

JASON: Can I do that on FB? I started replying "Were you able to navigate to my website?" The answers I got were, i.e.:

-no what is it? (in the ad) so I didn't bother answering

-Yes, I not know - what does that mean, so I didn't answer

Haven't gotten many Craigslist requests.

This ad is to replace the two roommates that are leaving by January 1, 2023 or not...

Dee Ann

Great info. Jason [VA] can you provide more info about your autopilot system? Thanks

MWA [WI] What is CCAP? Thanks

I enjoyed everyone's info and learned alot.

Great info. Jason [VA] can you provide more info about your autopilot system? Thanks

MWA [WI] What is CCAP? Thanks

I enjoyed everyone's info and learned alot.

Toni, see my earlier posts here for more details www.mrlandlord.com/landlordforum/display.php?id=14663582

mrlandlord.com/landlordforum/display.php?id=14663430