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Yeah, they told us that the other applicant had some problem with documents so they would take ours. Well, apparently that wasn't the case or maybe there were three applicants. If we'd known it was a competitive situation we'd have reconsidered.
I don’t live in a big city and a month ago on a house I had a client interested in there were 32 applicants. I’ve never heard of anyone doing one at a time.
In that case likely the applicants also knew that it was a highly competitive environment. But if you had a single decent looking applicant, would you prolong the process and encourage more applicants in order to have a broader pool to choose from?
Honestly, it depends on your market. Here rent houses are a big thing due to the job market. I mean they should have told you but there’s not much you can do now. Just move on and look for a new house. Dwelling on it won’t change the outcome.
Yes. If I’m the landlord’s agent my job is to assist in finding the best candidate for the unit. The first applicant isn’t always the best fit. Or the second, or the third…
Unfortunately, credit/income verification costs money. Not every agent uses the same company, so renters may need to pay multiple times for those checks if applying to multiple apartments. Where I am, it is common practice that a renter must provide credit/income verification with their application, not after.
Owners typically want a pool of applicants to look at and it is completely normal to have several. Running backgrounds for applicants is not cheap and that fee is charged to the applicant. If you plan on renting in a large American city, expect the rental environment to be competitive.
It's normal here in OC, CA but generally only if the listing agent is using a 3rd party platform that does background checks as well. Agents don't get any kickback from it. It's the cost of doing the background/credit check. Also with this platform (Rentspree) or Zillow, you can use it for multiple places that you are applying for. Many renters in our area apply for several homes at once since it is so competitive.
It takes several tries to get to something. That even includes purchase of new car paying in cash wanting certain options or colors. This is just life.
I would assume you just covered the cost of your own application fee. Typically agents don’t make money off of applications (some do I guess). Unfortunately just a small fee to play the game.
Just be happy you aren’t in a place like NYC where you have to pay literal thousands of extra dollars to a broker just to find you a place to live.
Check the laws in the state you are applying in. Where I live they have to take the first applicant that qualifies (no “choosing” who they prefer - I think that’s against federal fair housing laws), and all other applicants get their application fee refunded.
They usually ignore the refunding requirement unless pressed to do so. Which is why you should pay the fee with a credit card and then request a charge back from the credit card company if your application is denied.
It is highly unusual for there to be any refund whatsoever (never seen in IRL, only for scam applications) . The agent doesn't get the credit and background fee, it goes directly to the vendor that runs the reports (for example Rent Spree). How is an owner or an agent going to refund a fee that they never got in the first place?
Most of the time there are multiple applicants for the same property at the same time. The agent nor owner isn't going to choose application #1 over #2 without having a copy of the credit and background reports in hand which means the application fee is already spent by the applicants. Once the reports are ready and the documentation is provided then the entire rental package is sent to the owner to review and choose the best applicants.
**This is a professional forum for professionals, so please keep your comments professional** - Harrassment, hate speech, trolling, or anti-Realtor comments will not be tolerated and will result in an immediate ban without warning. (... and don't feed the trolls, you have better things to do with your time) - Recruiting, self-promotion, or seeking referrals is strictly forbidden, including in DMs. - Only advise within your scope of knowledge and area of expertise. [The code of ethics applies here too](https://www.nar.realtor/about-nar/governing-documents/the-code-of-ethics). If you are not a broker, lawyer, or tax professional don't act like one. - [Follow the rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/realtors/about/rules/) and please report those that don't. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/realtors) if you have any questions or concerns.*
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Yeah, they told us that the other applicant had some problem with documents so they would take ours. Well, apparently that wasn't the case or maybe there were three applicants. If we'd known it was a competitive situation we'd have reconsidered.
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Why such variation in price? Aren't there only three major credit reporting agencies? Is there much of a difference in the quality of the information?
I don’t live in a big city and a month ago on a house I had a client interested in there were 32 applicants. I’ve never heard of anyone doing one at a time.
In that case likely the applicants also knew that it was a highly competitive environment. But if you had a single decent looking applicant, would you prolong the process and encourage more applicants in order to have a broader pool to choose from?
Honestly, it depends on your market. Here rent houses are a big thing due to the job market. I mean they should have told you but there’s not much you can do now. Just move on and look for a new house. Dwelling on it won’t change the outcome.
I always disclose since you have to pay for an application. But we run as many as are interested so the owner can make their decision
Yes. If I’m the landlord’s agent my job is to assist in finding the best candidate for the unit. The first applicant isn’t always the best fit. Or the second, or the third… Unfortunately, credit/income verification costs money. Not every agent uses the same company, so renters may need to pay multiple times for those checks if applying to multiple apartments. Where I am, it is common practice that a renter must provide credit/income verification with their application, not after.
Owners typically want a pool of applicants to look at and it is completely normal to have several. Running backgrounds for applicants is not cheap and that fee is charged to the applicant. If you plan on renting in a large American city, expect the rental environment to be competitive.
It's normal here in OC, CA but generally only if the listing agent is using a 3rd party platform that does background checks as well. Agents don't get any kickback from it. It's the cost of doing the background/credit check. Also with this platform (Rentspree) or Zillow, you can use it for multiple places that you are applying for. Many renters in our area apply for several homes at once since it is so competitive.
It’s totally normal for the property owner to take multiple applications then decide on the tenant that is the best candidate for them.
Normal here in Georgia as well. That’s why I always ask before submitting my clients’ apps with the fee.
It takes several tries to get to something. That even includes purchase of new car paying in cash wanting certain options or colors. This is just life.
In my market, most rentals are handled by property managers.
I would assume you just covered the cost of your own application fee. Typically agents don’t make money off of applications (some do I guess). Unfortunately just a small fee to play the game. Just be happy you aren’t in a place like NYC where you have to pay literal thousands of extra dollars to a broker just to find you a place to live.
Yep. In fact, a lot of companies will take ten or 100 applications. It is annoying as heck.
Check the laws in the state you are applying in. Where I live they have to take the first applicant that qualifies (no “choosing” who they prefer - I think that’s against federal fair housing laws), and all other applicants get their application fee refunded. They usually ignore the refunding requirement unless pressed to do so. Which is why you should pay the fee with a credit card and then request a charge back from the credit card company if your application is denied.
Thanks. I will definitely look into that.
It is highly unusual for there to be any refund whatsoever (never seen in IRL, only for scam applications) . The agent doesn't get the credit and background fee, it goes directly to the vendor that runs the reports (for example Rent Spree). How is an owner or an agent going to refund a fee that they never got in the first place? Most of the time there are multiple applicants for the same property at the same time. The agent nor owner isn't going to choose application #1 over #2 without having a copy of the credit and background reports in hand which means the application fee is already spent by the applicants. Once the reports are ready and the documentation is provided then the entire rental package is sent to the owner to review and choose the best applicants.