The Screening Processes

INTRODUCTION:

Screening

As part of the rental application, we use a third-party service to conduct a comprehensive screening, which typically includes:

Applicant Details:

Credit Check – A report from Experian showing your credit score and payment history.

Credit Score Factors and Credit/Collection History

Rent Repayment History

Landlord - Tenant History

Criminal/Public Records History

Sexual Offender Registry

Watchlist

Bankruptcies and Liens

CREDIT SCORE: FICO

FICO: Reviewing FICO Score Process LOOM

Must be 650+
620-649 and everything else looks great, will accept with a double deposit

What are you looking for in the FICO report? 650+ FICO, any monies owed (YELLOW BOXES) to past landlords, apartments or mortgage payments. 1 per 12 month period OK

CREDIT SCORE NOT DISPLAYED

Sometimes when after clicking screen applicants and when screen results are viewed, you may get the screen without the FICO score.

REASONS FOR NOT HAVING THE SCORE AND WAY FORWARD

E-Mail Template for the applicant

Subject: {Property Address}—Follow up on your Rental Application.

Hi {Applicant's Name},

I hope you're doing well. I wanted to follow up with you regarding your rental application for {Property Address}. During the screening process, the report returned a status of "No record found with Experian," which requires a manual review before we can proceed further.

There are a few common reasons this can occur:

No established credit history (no open trade-lines in the last 24 months)
A credit freeze may be placed on your credit file
There might be a data mismatch between your application and what Experian has on file to move forward, we kindly request that you:
- Confirm whether you’ve established credit or currently have a credit freeze in place
- Verify that your application details (name, address, date of birth, and SSN) match exactly what appears on your official documents

Once this information is confirmed, we can proceed with the re-screening.

Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions or need assistance with this process.

Best regards,

Whom to contact when this situation arises:

If an applicant’s screening result comes back as “N/A,” they do not need to contact Experian. Instead, they should reach out directly to AppFolio, as they are the provider of the screening report.

Here’s what you need to do:

Download and attach a copy of the applicant’s AppFolio screening report to your email.
Instruct the applicant to contact AppFolio using the details below:
- Email: screening.consumer.relations@appfolio.com
- Toll-Free Phone: (866) 359-3630
Send the applicant the templated email below.

Templated Email to Applicant:

Subject: Follow-Up on Your Screening Report

Hi [Applicant's Name],

Thank you for submitting your application.

We’ve received your screening report; however, the result is currently showing as “N/A.” To get clarification and help resolve the issue, you’ll need to contact AppFolio directly, as they provide the screening services used in our application process.

Here’s their contact information:

Email: screening.consumer.relations@appfolio.com

Phone (toll-free): (866) 359-3630

For reference, I’ve attached a copy of your screening report. Please follow up with AppFolio directly, and let us know once you’ve connected with them so we can proceed accordingly.

Best regards,

Updating & rescreening an applicant in AF if they entered the incorrect first name during the screening process:

RESCREENING:

The general ledger shows only one charge and payment for this applicant's screening.

RENEWAL LEASE ADJUSTMENT SCREENING:

Before processing renewal lease adjustment application screening please ensure the $250 lease adjustment fee has been paid. This can be found on the tenants AppFolio page by clicking on the ledger hyperlink. Below is an example for reference: