Renting to C class tenants...

On my automated pre-screening google form...one of my questions is:

Do you CURRENTLY have enough in savings, checking, or cash to pay the DEPOSIT + FIRST MONTHS RENT?

95% of 'em answer "YES".

Of the ones that end up passing the pre-screening...and I show 'em the place... and ready to offer it to 'em...I bet a solid 1/2 say "I get paid Friday".... or "I have the deposit, but not the first months rent" or "I'll have it soon"....... or whatever.

We don't hold property...and we don't "work with people on deposit"... so it's a bit frustrating to get to that point, to realize they've not been truthful on the pre-app. I've even tried asking them again, verbally, when I schedule time to show.

Wonder if theres a better way to ask the question to get a more truthful answer?

or, perhaps, I require proof of funds prior to showing?

I ask for proof of funds during the application process.

Disclaimer for all the folks on here who live in CURRENTLY landlord friendly areas:

If you do a prescreen, which is a MUST in militantly pro tenant areas simply because MOST people will not qualify to apply and you're limited to a pittance from the tenant every time you run a background check/aka application, then lying on the prescreen is an auto DQ.

You'll lose your shirt doing it the way landlord friendly places do i.e. charge an application fee no matter what since the cost to background check/credit check is HIGHER than what you can legally charge; in my state it is $20.

It's a fine line to walk in TENANT FRIENDLY areas. No renter will show their credit score in a screen shot or move in funds BEFORE the tour. I do ask if their credit score is above or below 600. I used to add a "I don't know" which is comprised almost exclusively of the below 600 sort so I dropped that option.

I've had a few make it to the tour who were lying about their credit score and they were immediately DQed.

"95% of 'em answer "YES"."

Problem is 99% of them lie.