How to Screen Rental Applicants over the Phone
Eliminate Unqualified Potential Tenants before Showing the Unit
Jul 8, 2009
Eliminating unqualified prospects as early as possible can also be a big money saver, especially for landlords who have to travel to a rental unit in order to show it.
The very first phone call with a potential renter can yield information that helps landlords screen out bad applicants and allows them to focus on the good ones.
Write Down Minimum Rental Requirements before Screening
The first step in applicant screening is to write down a list of minimum standards renters must meet to qualify for the unit. Requirements on the list can include such things as minimum income, minimum acceptable credit score, no previous evictions, no felony convictions, or no dogs of certain breeds, among others.
It's important to make sure nothing on the list violates any local fair housing laws. In the United States, landlords aren’t allowed to discriminate on the basis of family status, disabilities, ethnicity, religion, or a wide range of other protected categories.
Make a List of Applicant Screening Questions
A written list of questions like the one below helps guarantee that every potential renter gets asked the same questions.
Some of these questions may seem too personal or too awkward to ask at first. Most tenants are actually happy to talk about themselves and their circumstances when they’re asked in a friendly and non-threatening way.
The right phrasing is important. Use open-ended questions that encourage the renter to talk. Try not to ask questions that can be answered with a simple “yes” or “no.” If the tenant’s answers raise red flags, follow up with more questions to clarify the situation. Rude or evasive answers may be enough to disqualify the caller on the spot.
Tenant Screening Question Checklist
Ask these questions and take notes on the answers:
- “So, when are you looking to move?” Tenants who need to move right away are often in the process of being evicted or have been thrown out of their current living situation because of problems living with others. Other prospects may have a move date that’s months away. Depending on the answer, follow up to ask if the tenant needs to give notice to the current landlord. It’s a red flag if the tenant is willing to move without giving notice.
- “Who else will be living in this rental besides you?” If others will share the unit, ask the rest of the screening questions about each adult applicant.
- “Why are you moving?” Be wary if this question elicits a long list of complaints about the current landlord. While the complaints may very well be valid, “My landlord never fixes anything” is often an excuse for failure to pay rent.
- “Where are you renting now?” If the prospect is calling from a motel or staying with relatives, find out what led to this temporary living situation.
- “When I contact your previous landlords, what kind of references will they give you?” Surprisingly, many prospects will admit that they weren’t good tenants in the past.
- “What kind of work do you do?” This question gives clues as to whether the potential tenant is likely to meet the income requirements for this rental unit. A person who works at a fast food restaurant may not earn enough to pay for an expensive executive house. Be careful with this question, though. In some jurisdictions, landlords are not allowed to discriminate against tenants whose source of income comes from non-work sources such as disability payments.
- “What kind of pets do you have?” Ask this question even if you advertised a no-pets policy. Tenants are more likely to answer honestly if the question is phrased this way than they will if asked “Do you have pets?”
- “How many in the group are smokers?” Ask this if the unit or the property have any smoking restrictions.
- “We run a credit and criminal background check on every applicant age 18 and over. Will I see any issues come up?” Tenants with bad credit or felony convictions will often admit it.
How to End the Screening Call
If the tenant’s answers seem promising, it’s time to make an appointment to show the rental in person. If there are problem areas, you can tell the caller that while he or she is welcome to apply for the unit, your requirement is no previous evictions, or no felony convictions, or no smoking on the property (or any other item on which the tenant doesn’t qualify.)
Many landlords make applications available on their websites so that anyone can download them and apply. This helps avoid accusations that the landlord discriminates against applicants who don’t qualify.
See more articles on tenant screening:
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