Hi all, I purchased my first duplex back in June and I inhered two tenets. One of them is great the other one, the old owners’ stepson must not of paid his rent very often and so now he’s had to leave. I wanted to get your feedback on a note I was sending back to perspective tenants after they contacted me from an ad I put on Craigslist. I’ve had over 10 responses to the ad but only one filled out the form so wondering if something is wrong with it or the note. I will appreciate any advice

Here is the note:

Thank you for inquiring about the property on South Street in Champlain New York. I wanted to give you some more information about the property and also to give you a chance to ask any questions you might have. As I said in the ad the property is a two bedroom one bath unfurnished duplex. You will also be able to use one of the 2 car garage spaces. The available apartment is on the upstairs level. Water and sewer are included in the rent but electric and heat are not. The deposit is $600 and that plus the $600 first month’s rent ($1200 total) is due before moving in. To move forward if you could please fill out this short Pre-Approval by going to this site:
https://goo.gl/forms/fsXwbKKxvp4BBoX42
I will contact you about times to visit the apartment when I receive the pre-approval. If you wish to just drive by to look at it before then, the address is:

Below are some basic requirements for any with moving into the rental:
Prospective tenant‘s income will be verified and “take home” income must be three times the rent.
Prospective tenants must have good references and may not have any evictions on their record.
Prospective tenants must pass a minimum credit requirement.
Prospective tenants must pass a background check.
We have a no smoking policy.
Prospective tenants may have one small dog or cat under 30 pounds.
We have a maximum of two occupants per bedroom for a total of four people in the two bedroom apartment.
All tenant paid utilities must be transferred into Prospective Tenant’s name.
A lease must be executed and signed by all parties.

@Richard Ballard I think you’ve built a solid screening process. This is an opportunity for a perspective tenant to show you they are serious about your property.
I have a similar process which requires the applicant to contact me at a scheduled time for a phone screen.
Stay with your process and you’ll find the right tenant for the long term! Good luck

Looks good but here is my 2 cents

Tenant must meet the basic requirements :-

“take home” income must be three times the rent.
good references 

No evictions 

Required minimum 600+ credit 
background check.
no smoking 🚭 in the building 
one small dog or cat under 30 pounds.
maximum of two occupants per bedroom 
tenant pays all the utilities 

Agreed, that is a lengthy notice. I like the list idea, quicker and easier to understand.

Thanks for the input, I agree this seemed a bit long, I’ll look at a rewording to shorten it. Thanks for the input!

When I used to use craigslist I would get a lot of professional renters with a lot of issues that could not meet my screening qualifications and they are very similar to yours.
I switched to Facebook to list my units and I have had tremendous success.
It may be the type of applicant coming from craigslist may not be able to meet your requirements and are going away quietly.