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Question for you - I have to decline an application that wanted to rent my place.
Bottom line - the one picked has excellent credit (they sent a current credit with their application).
Number 2 - not as good credit.
So my question is - I want to write an email just telling them that the unit has been rented and thanks and all that. I want to keep it very short. I don't need more explanation, right? I have a feeling Number 2 won't go quietly.
Thanks.
If you decline due to (poor) credit score you are required to send them a letter (in the mail). If you're just declining because you had multiple applicants and you chose someone with BETTER credit or income (not saying that the one is bad), then I would just call him and say that another party was chosen, thank you for your interest, and best wishes. Be careful about what you put in writing (email or otherwise).
Unless there is a state law for it there is nothing at the federal level except when the denial is due to credit reasons. If it is because credit reasons and you admit to it you also have to inform them of where they can get a copy of the report for free.
I always send a denial letter but never a phone call, too many pissed off people and I don't care to listen to the stories everyone has anymore. I screen all applicants as first come first serve and tell everyone there is an application ahead of them even if they are the first person. I don't take an application fee but I do have tenants pay for their own credit/criminal checks through SmartMove or other services, I just started using SmartMove and it is okay. When I take an application I just say I will get back to you in a few days if the application ahead of you falls through and at that time is when they will pay the credit/background check fee. If I deny before I run credit/background checks I shred the application and move on because there hasn't been any money lost to the tenant just time, I actually can only remember once where a person called me to follow up. The rental market here is pretty tight so I always get a ton of applications right away and I assume most people renting here understand that.
^Agree with the bolded part. This is what I do as well just to save face and avoid any problems down the road, We do a first come/first served basis as well hence I always tell everyone inquiring or interested, whether they are the first applicant or not, that we do already have an application or 2 in no matter whether the person inquiring may end up being the best applicant in the world or if they are someone who would never qualify. It simply avoids many problems or hassle down the road that may arise. And we don't charge application fees either or credit/background fees for that matter so it is not as if we are doing this with any kind of intent to harvest application fees simply to make any kind of profit off of them.
^Agree with the bolded part. This is what I do as well just to save face and avoid any problems down the road, We do a first come/first served basis as well hence I always tell everyone inquiring or interested, whether they are the first applicant or not, that we do already have an application or 2 in no matter whether the person inquiring may end up being the best applicant in the world or if they are someone who would never qualify. It simply avoids many problems or hassle down the road that may arise. And we don't charge application fees either or credit/background fees for that matter so it is not as if we are doing this with any kind of intent to harvest application fees simply to make any kind of profit off of them.
In CA, if you charge for a credit check, and they ask for a copy, you are required to give them one. This only happens, normally, if you deny them. So, then there's more contact with a denied applicant. So, we also stopped charging for the credit checks. If you don't charge for it, you don't have to give them a copy. It was just easier, and we ordered the checks online through a local service, so they only cost us around $12 anyway.
I use smartmove.
Lots of times I simply screen by asking questions over the phone. Most of the time it rarely goes past what's your credit, background and income. I don't need a application filled out or to show the property. Most can't meet one or more of the 3x rent, xxx credit score or criminal record conditions. I will hear a person out about why xyz is on there but it won't change my mind. I'm sorry you had these issues in life. You will find since to rent from. It just won't be me.
I used to show, take time meet everyone just to get incomplete applications, crazy hard luck stories, offers of cash payments or higher than asking price just to rent to them, and basically wasting my time. Now I do a lot more phone screening. I have denied simply on one or more of the three conditions. If they wish to go on with the application I will do it go through and deny it after they pay.
The tenant I sign a lease with I either pay or simply refund the credit/background fees.
Automatic denial
Murder, rape, child molester, drug dealer
Another thing. If you fill out a app make sure it's legible. I'm not going to try and translate chicken scratch
^Agree with the bolded part. This is what I do as well just to save face and avoid any problems down the road, We do a first come/first served basis as well hence I always tell everyone inquiring or interested, whether they are the first applicant or not, that we do already have an application or 2 in no matter whether the person inquiring may end up being the best applicant in the world or if they are someone who would never qualify. It simply avoids many problems or hassle down the road that may arise. And we don't charge application fees either or credit/background fees for that matter so it is not as if we are doing this with any kind of intent to harvest application fees simply to make any kind of profit off of them.
And I forgot to mention that I screen heavily via the initial email contact from any interested party. I send a copy of the application which has all of the pre-qualifications listed and tell them to email me back if they meet all of the qualifications and then, and only then, will I arrange a showing. That weeds out a good 80% or better and drastically cuts down on showings. They don't have to have the application filled out when they arrive at a showing (same as Electrician4You does). If they are still interested after the showing they can then email the application back to me.
So after all is said and done, I end up with a very small fraction of applications compared to how many people initially contacted me. And from there I go the first come/first served route and I only continue to run credit/background and reference checks if the first person doesn't qualify and down the line. So at most I run maybe 1 - 3 average per rental after all the screening I do. Works great for us and it saves us a lot of time and expense.
And I forgot to mention that I screen heavily via the initial email contact from any interested party. I send a copy of the application which has all of the pre-qualifications listed and tell them to email me back if they meet all of the qualifications and then, and only then, will I arrange a showing. That weeds out a good 80% or better and drastically cuts down on showings. They don't have to have the application filled out when they arrive at a showing (same as Electrician4You does). If they are still interested after the showing they can then email the application back to me.
So after all is said and done, I end up with a very small fraction of applications compared to how many people initially contacted me. And from there I go the first come/first served route and I only continue to run credit/background and reference checks if the first person doesn't qualify and down the line. So at most I run maybe 1 - 3 average per rental after all the screening I do. Works great for us and it saves us a lot of time and expense.
I cut my applications by about 75% simply by phone and email screening. I was spending entirely too much time showing prospective tenants who just would never qualify so I simply changed my whole renting application structure about 8 years ago. And I'm still tweaking it a bit here and there. I think you and I have a very similar process.
I cut my applications by about 75% simply by phone and email screening. I was spending entirely too much time showing prospective tenants who just would never qualify so I simply changed my whole renting application structure about 8 years ago. And I'm still tweaking it a bit here and there. I think you and I have a very similar process.
Yes, I noticed that and I, as well, still challenge myself to tweak it more and more but I think I am about as far as I can go now LOL. The last tweak I did was to start scheduling all showings back to back instead of whenever the people wanted a showing. I update my rental ad daily showing 3 days with a block of times for available showings and so far it has worked out real well. VERY infrequently do I run into an isolated case where I have to make a special trip for a single showing that is not within the day/times advertised in the ad.
And you are absolutely correct that it gets (and got) REAL old making so many wasted trips back and forth for showings that were going nowhere. So it was definitely worth all of the tweaking.
I use smartmove.
Lots of times I simply screen by asking questions over the phone. Most of the time it rarely goes past what's your credit, background and income. I don't need a application filled out or to show the property. Most can't meet one or more of the 3x rent, xxx credit score or criminal record conditions. I will hear a person out about why xyz is on there but it won't change my mind. I'm sorry you had these issues in life. You will find since to rent from. It just won't be me.
I used to show, take time meet everyone just to get incomplete applications, crazy hard luck stories, offers of cash payments or higher than asking price just to rent to them, and basically wasting my time. Now I do a lot more phone screening. I have denied simply on one or more of the three conditions. If they wish to go on with the application I will do it go through and deny it after they pay.
The tenant I sign a lease with I either pay or simply refund the credit/background fees.
Automatic denial
Murder, rape, child molester, drug dealer
Another thing. If you fill out a app make sure it's legible. I'm not going to try and translate chicken scratch
You can kiss the denial for a "criminal record" goodbye (unless you're renting a room in the home you occupy). The Obama administration has decided that this, too, has a disparate impact on blacks.
Honestly, When I've been denied I've never been given a reason. I've never even been given a phone call. Both times it happened I was there with a lot of other people viewing the unit. I didn't take it personally. I assumed it was someone with more income and/or better credit. Nothing more, nothing less.
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The last tweak I did was to start scheduling all showings back to back instead of whenever the people wanted a showing. I update my rental ad daily showing 3 days with a block of times for available showings and so far it has worked out real well. VERY infrequently do I run into an isolated case where I have to make a special trip for a single showing that is not within the day/times advertised in the ad. 
