We are using tenant tracker for screening but still have far too many evictions.

We are using tenant tracker for screening and calling the previous landlords. Still we have far too many evictions.
So the question is, what tools do you use that make you a better screener?

I have never used tenant tracker. I would raise my acceptance criteria for credit score and be sure you’re verifying three times the monthly rent income.

Nancy Chandler, we require 3.25 times the rent and verify everything due to all the fraudulent applications...

We use checkpoint id

Tammy Cole Marks, we do to but just found out it will approve fake IDs. So we check IDs with a black light now.

Melissa Ann Hickson how did it approve a fake id? what component was missed?

Christi Anderson, we are not sure! An officer that was investigating a fraud team buying cars came in and I mentioned it and he said well scan this ID and it scanned and verified and he laughed at me and said it is a fake ID ????. He was kind of a jerk so I didn’t get into it with him but did call Checkpoint ID and they are reaching out to him.

What is your income & credit requirement? Maybe it needs to be increased?

Tina Wood income 3 x rent. Score of 675.
It is a class c property in the south for context.

Wow a 675 credit score and still a lot of evictions. If I had to use a 675 score I'd be denying everyone! Class C property

Tony Asbille that is standard. Do you offer any type of eviction forgiveness? Or even ask for a security deposit up front?

Our properties are on a ratio rather than a score. They have to have a 75% positive credit ratio if not we require a half month rent as a refundable security deposit. They also can't owe another property. It's reduced evictions & those that do end up defaulting are making in house payments so we are recovering more bad debt. Sorry probably more info than you needed!! Good luck I've managed C properties it's a lot of work ????????

Tina Wood yes would never rent without a deposit. It’s low at $300. Maybe need to raise it. Hummm

Tony Asbille sometimes if they have something to lose such as a deposit they work harder to pay their rent. If they default you have something against the debt.

We do not charge a deposit at all. We charge a non refundable move in fee!

Gina Shingleton Wakefield a deposit is like insurance if not to keep them stimulated to pay so they don't lose it, then to have some security that you will recover some bad debt if they get evicted

Honestly, I think it's mostly just people being shady and truly not managing their money right. We have people that make like 5x the rent or higher and still get evicted. A lot of people don't have savings anymore so if something happens they're stuck. We had bad weather one month early in the month, which caused us to have like 4 evictions because they're paycheck to paycheck.m and they couldn't work during the bad weather.
And even credit can only tell you so much.
One property that I check out sometines has lower rent and pretty nice apartments, they do 2.5x the rent, but after taxes. They rarely have vacancy when I call. Of course if you aren't in a position to change the criteria, that's not your fault. Neither am I lol. Hope you get better residents!

Setting expectation hard at the lease signing. Going over the process for paying rent, what to do if they fall behind, communication with the office. Drill into them that bad rental history is basically like bad credit, easy to mess up, hard to make it better and it follows you.

I find that not allowing notarized letters of employment and letters from "unknown" companies helps drastically. I also look through to make sure screening didn't miss apartment communities that they owe money to and make them pay past due utility bills

Looking for red flags on the application. actually looking at the credit screening BEYOND the word approved

New Realpage Screening with AI....great results and predictions on behavior...lots of results and stats to back it up...

Could your eviction criteria be too rigid?

Natalie Cariola yes that is certainly possible. We are not forgiving on late rents. Due on the 1st. Can Pay the rent in full with late fees up until the 25th of the month, at which time we file for evection. Our area you can only file an evection on a person once a year. Not much room for leniency otherwise you could end up with someone stuck in there. We have two properties in the area which are a little newer and we have zero issues. Or two older properties are another story.

Depends on the property and the Company Criteria. Class C properties are not going to qualify the same way as Class A properties and sometimes occupancy gets in the way. Always best to stay clear of previous evictions with a balance due. Felony criteria is becoming a Fair Housing issue so be aware of the laws in your area. It’s not always easy to qualify questionable applicants.

Re evaluate your rental criteria?? Make it more strict. Higher credit score needed, no past evictions, cross reference previous addresses listed on credit report with application and call any complexes not listed on the application but are listed on the credit report. We didn’t allow ANY felonies. In Oregon (not sure if it’s federal), you’re not supposed to flat deny felonies. Maybe have a time limit, like it happened so many years ago, or type of crime. Person to person vs. theft. However my corporate office always said its “company policy” “we’re not discriminating if we deny felonies universally “. I argue disparate impact but I guess it’s a fight they’re willing to have if it ever comes up.

Rachel Lynette Payton we are in the north east Texas, Central Arkansas region. Our credit score policy now is pretty strict for the area. I’m afraid to increase it as I think occupancy would fall. We never accept a tenant with prior evictions. I do think, I’m going to have to verify my managers are actually calling all of the references etc. Thanks for the ideas.

Verify all previous addresses listed on the credit report. contact HR or corporate when checking income. Check the year to date amount on the check and divide that by the number of months on the job to ensure they make enough Consistently and that they have been there as long as they state. Also require multiple check stubs and tax returns. Ensure that they are on the same job for one year or previous job for a minimum of one year and current job a minimum of six months.

I read an article somewhere that 25% of landlord references are fake. There are even services that allow people to fake their landlord references. You call the landlord, they answer all your questions well, and even pass some trick questions that only landlord would know.
But in reality you just got scammed, because you just talked to a fake reference service member that was hired by the applicant to be a fake landlord. The only way to prevent fake landlord references is to have the landlord verify their true identity and that they own the property. If they are property manager or it’s an apartment complex, then you have to verify that you call the phone number that’s listed on their website to verify you’re talking to a reputable property manager.

We do all of this to prevent fake references, it’s extra work for us, but it’s worth it. I heard some people say good things about using RenterInc when requesting landlord references about applicants because they verify the identity and property ownership of landlords who provide the references through their system. It might be something to look into, our corporate take way too long to evaluate new tools, so we have to do this ourselves for now.

Two automatic rejections:
1. Caller at end of month wanting an apartment on 1st of month. Usually evicted or asked to leave currant apartment.
2. Caller whose 1st question is "What specials are you offering?" I want a tenant who asks about the apartment, neighbors, quality of apartment life, etc..
P.S. I eliminated move-in specials my 1st month as manager.