I recently listed a single-family rental home and received an application through Zillow from a candidate who initially appeared ideal. The applicant presented a strong profile: a credit score over 770, a 98% on-time payment history, and no background issues. The submitted pay stubs were from a large, well-known hospital or healthcare organization, and her stated income was 3.7 times the monthly rent.

Although communication was somewhat slow, the applicant expressed interest in moving forward and asked how to submit the security deposit. However, I encountered red flags during the verification process. I attempted to contact both her stated employer and current property manager but was unable to reach anyone by phone, and I received no response from the HR department.

Out of concern, I asked a friend who works within the same hospital system to verify the applicant, and they were unable to locate any record of her employment. When I confronted the applicant about the incorrect reference information, she quickly followed up with revised contacts who responded immediately and offered glowing feedback — which felt orchestrated.

When she arrived for the home tour, she brought a young child and revealed she actually had four children under six years old, contradicting her earlier statement of having only one. When I mentioned my friend who works at the hospital, she avoided the topic. She then asked how to pay the deposit and first month’s rent. I requested she use Zelle, as specified in our terms, but she insisted on using a money order instead. I declined and offered to accompany her to her state credit union to initiate payment, but she asked for more time to think.

Within a few hours, we signed a lease with another qualified family who had been on our waiting list.

This is the first time in my 11 years as a landlord and realtor that I’ve encountered a situation like this. I called the HR department of the healthcare organization to report my concerns and ask for verification, but they refused to confirm or deny the applicant’s employment. Instead, they referred me to a generic 800-number, which led to no actual human support.

I am concerned that such policies may inadvertently allow individuals to create convincing but fraudulent rental applications without proper checks. This experience highlights the challenges landlords face in tenant screening, particularly when institutional employers are unwilling to participate in basic verification.