Add screening criteria to rental listing

Durham, NC · Member since 2017 · 74 posts · 15 votes

I’m getting a bunch of interest in an apartment that I rent out, but 50%+ don’t meet my screening criteria. Do you include your screening criteria in your ad to cut down on potential renters who don’t meet the screening crit

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Curtis Mears

Property Manager · Raleigh, NC · Member since 2014 · 728 posts · 596 votes

Absolutely. I include all requirements in the ad. Also, when I get any communication from a potential tenant, I always text or email the requirements again as many people tend to ignore requirements in the ads.

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Nathan GesnerBusiness Member
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Real Estate Broker · Cody, WY · Member since 2010 · 28k+ posts · 41k+ votes
3y
Quote from @Steve Fitzgerald:

I’m getting a bunch of interest in an apartment that I rent out, but 50%+ don’t meet my screening criteria. Do you include your screening criteria in your ad to cut down on potential renters who don’t meet the screening crit

You can see my listings on my website. I have a few key criteria listed so applicants can pre-screen themselves. It cuts down on a lot of tire kickers.
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Bjorn AhlbladPro Member
Investor · Shelton, WA · Member since 2017 · 6k+ posts · 6k+ votes
3y
I have mine listed in the ads which has eliminated many free loaders and made life easier. Not everyone reads or cares so you will still get some who are hopelessly unqualified.
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Cory J ThorntonBusiness Member
Real Estate Agent · Raleigh, NC · Member since 2021 · 240 posts · 281 votes
3y
@Steve Fitzgerald - There is a undersupply of rental housing in the Raleigh Durham area which means there is no shortage of renters. I would not worry about spooking a potentially good tenant by being up front with your minimum requirements. Putting the information in the listing helps both you and the applicant save time.
My team manages property all over the Raleigh Durham area. If you are self managing and wanted to chat through your management process, I am more than happy to jump on a call/grab a cup of coffee and we can swap best practices.
Your profile has you as an investor located in Durham. If this property is in Durham then do whatever you can to ensure you get a really well qualified tenant. The Durham court system is not known for being landlord friendly and good screening on the front end goes a long way in helping avoid tenant issues that end up in court.
Best of luck! Give me a shout if you ever want to meet up and chat REI.
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Amanda Janes
Real Estate Broker · Nashville, TN · Member since 2022 · 45 posts · 34 votes
3y
We always list the minimum applicant criteria (3x amount of rent, no eviction actions/felonies in the last X years, etc.) in our ads.
Even if you did include your screening criteria, you'd probably still get a fair amount of folks showing interest that still do not meet the criteria. People just don't read!
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Curtis Mears
Property Manager · Raleigh, NC · Member since 2014 · 728 posts · 596 votes
3y
Absolutely. I include all requirements in the ad. Also, when I get any communication from a potential tenant, I always text or email the requirements again as many people tend to ignore requirements in the ads.
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Adam SchneiderPro Member
Lender · Raleigh, NC · Member since 2012 · 955 posts · 639 votes
3y
@Steve Fitzgerald What would be the reasoning that you would choose to not include the screening criteria in your ad?
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Michael DiossaPro Member
Investor · RI · Member since 2023 · 191 posts · 163 votes
3y
My website features listings that can be accessed where I have included certain essential requirements for interested applicants to pre-screen themselves. This approach helps in filtering out non-serious inquiries, which saves a lot of time and effort.
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Michele FischerPro Member
Rental Property Investor · Seattle, WA · Member since 2013 · 2k+ posts · 1k+ votes
3y
In my area we are legally required to disclose criteria before taking screening money. If we want to show the unit to as many potential applicants as possible we only put it as the first page of the application, otherwise it is good to put in the ad.
We cater to a low income crowd and do not charge for screening, so we keep the criteria pretty vague:
Our Criteria:

We do not deny housing for race, color, religion, sex, national origin, handicap, sexual orientation, marital status, or familial status.

We do deny housing to individuals:
- when the application is not complete or accurate
- where there is not sufficient income/resources to pay rent and live
- where there is poor prior tenancy: evictions, violations, damage to rental property, poorly handled move outs, amounts are still owing to landlords or utilities.
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Mary Smith
Rental Property Investor · Member since 2021 · 384 posts · 197 votes
3y
Yes, I would definitely include your screening criteria as part of your listing description. For us it has particularly helped to weed out a lot of applicants that don't meet our screening criteria, saving us lots of time and money.
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Chris Kendrick
Member since 2023 · 191 posts · 21 votes
3y
Quote from @Cory J Thornton:

@Steve Fitzgerald - There is a undersupply of rental housing in the Raleigh Durham area which means there is no shortage of renters. I would not worry about spooking a potentially good tenant by being up front with your minimum requirements. Putting the information in the listing helps both you and the applicant save time.
My team manages property all over the Raleigh Durham area. If you are self managing and wanted to chat through your management process, I am more than happy to jump on a call/grab a cup of coffee and we can swap best practices.
Your profile has you as an investor located in Durham. If this property is in Durham then do whatever you can to ensure you get a really well qualified tenant. The Durham court system is not known for being landlord friendly and good screening on the front end goes a long way in helping avoid tenant issues that end up in court.
Best of luck! Give me a shout if you ever want to meet up and chat REI.

You say there is an under supply of rental housing??? Have you looked , there are tons and tons of houses of rents in the area
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