Expediting Your Apps – Part 2
This is a continuation of our list from last month of tips for making sure your applications are completed as fast as possible. While this list is not a guarantee of expediency, it will save you, your applicant, and your screening company plenty of wasted time. Check these tips and the tips from last month to speed up the processing of your application.
1. Employment: Something that many landlords never consider is who we receive information from when verifying information. Because we look for hire dates and hours, the applicant’s supervisor is generally not the person with that information. Making sure your applicant provides us with the phone number for HR, payroll, or the owner eliminates wasted time fighting their way through automated menus, receptionists, and sales teams to get to the HR department.
2. Proper notice: When they’ve chosen to move on, some applicants are hesitant to give notice to their current landlord without having secured a place at a new residence. While this works for many places, some landlords refuse to give a reference on current tenants without notice. Notice is also important for previous landlords, believe it or not. Making sure your applicants have gotten in contact with their previous landlords serves two purposes. First, it requires the applicant to contact their landlord which means that if they no longer have valid contact information, this gives them the chance to find a valid phone number. Second, asking applicants to contact old landlords means that the landlord knows to expect a call and is more likely to respond to us faster. This step was saved for last because contacting landlords is the most time-consuming part of screening. When we can get a reference on the first try, it gets your applications out the door faster.
DISCLAIMER: READ CAREFULLY: The information provided in this article is not considered legal advice and is given only for information purposes. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF YOUR LEGAL COUNSEL.