Zillow: Allow App or Not?

[Stacey Weber]

My husband and I are pretty new to this. We have a 6-Plex apartment building and recently bought a house to fix up and rent out. I rented out one of the apartments on Zillow several months ago with no problems, but it was my first time and I’m trying to learn from previous experiences and others the best way to do it. I listed the house on Zillow a couple days ago. I decided initially to not allow people to apply without invitation, but have had several people request to apply sight-unseen. Is this normal? I have declined to send the invite thus far because I figured I would never rent to someone I’ve never met, but is this a bad strategy? Should I allow them to apply then request to meet if I like their application? I just hate having people pay the money to apply and run their credit if I know I won’t choose them. Thanks in advance for any advice/suggestions!