New Tenant Selection

[Armando Villalpando]

I invited about a dozen pre-screened potential tenants to view a rental home that I put on the market this week. After their visit there are a couple of strong candidates who meet the requirements I set for the property. Ready to move-in on date noted, secure employment (checked on LinkedIn), no pets, asked for no major renovations to the space etc. I’d like your thoughts on whether I should send the application, background and credit check, only to the strong candidates or should I send that info to all of them?  I told everyone that I’d refund the application fee if they were not selected. but that they’d have to cover the cost of the other reports. Always appreciate this groups thoughts and guidance. 

[Jimmy Lieu]

Quote from @Armando Villalpando:

I invited about a dozen pre-screened potential tenants to view a rental home that I put on the market this week. After their visit there are a couple of strong candidates who meet the requirements I set for the property. Ready to move-in on date noted, secure employment (checked on LinkedIn), no pets, asked for no major renovations to the space etc. I’d like your thoughts on whether I should send the application, background and credit check, only to the strong candidates or should I send that info to all of them?  I told everyone that I’d refund the application fee if they were not selected. but that they’d have to cover the cost of the other reports. Always appreciate this groups thoughts and guidance. 

Hey Armando, welcome to BP—sounds like you’re doing a solid job pre-screening and keeping things organized. In situations like this, I’d usually only send the full application, background, and credit check to the candidates you’re seriously considering rather than everyone who toured. It keeps things cleaner, avoids unnecessary pulls on people’s credit, and helps you focus on the most qualified options without creating extra noise. If you already told everyone upfront how the process works and that fees may apply, you’re in a good spot, but I’d still lean toward narrowing it down before sending anything formal. In practice, most experienced landlords pre-screen hard upfront, then only move 2–4 strong applicants into the full screening stage so you’re not overprocessing or dealing with refund/admin issues later. The key is consistency—just make sure whoever you move forward with is based on the same criteria so you stay fair and protected. Happy to connect and answer any questions you have!