Pre-screening rental applicants is a quick and effective way to gather essential information before investing in a full credit report. It helps landlords save time by identifying promising candidates early in the process. With SingleKey’s free pre-screening tool, you can collect basic details from prospective tenants using a customizable form—all before diving into a full tenant screening.
Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to use the SingleKey Pre-Screening tool:
Step 1: Log In to Your Account
Start by logging into your SingleKey account. Once logged in, click on the “Pre-Screen” option located at the top of your dashboard to begin.
Step 2: Customize Your Pre-Screening Form
Click on “Preview Form” under the section titled “Narrow down your list of inquiries.” This will open a customizable form where you can toggle fields on or off based on the information you'd like to request.
Options include:
Household income range
Source of income
Employment status
Pet ownership
Move-in date preferences
...and more.
Tailor the form to reflect your specific rental criteria.
Step 3: Invite the Tenant
Once your form is customized, click the “Get Started” button to invite a prospective tenant to complete it.
In the pop-up window:
Select your rental unit from the dropdown menu, or add a new property.
Enter up to five email addresses for potential renters.
Alternatively, copy the unique link to share the form directly via text or other platforms.
Click “Send” to issue the invite, or choose “Preview Form” if you want to double-check the questions before sending.
Step 4: Track and Manage Invitations
Tenants will receive an email within minutes inviting them to complete your pre-screening form.
From your SingleKey dashboard, you’ll be able to:
Monitor which applicants have or haven’t completed the form
Send reminders to those who haven’t responded
Use filters to search applicants by name, address, email, sent date, or rental unit
Step 5: Shortlist Top Candidates
As tenants complete their forms, you can view their basic info and sort applicants by factors like credit score and income.
Use this information to identify your top candidates and decide who you’d like to move forward with by ordering a full tenant screening report.
