Finding Better Tenants Using Property Management Software

Finding reliable, long-term tenants is one of the most important parts of running a successful rental business. It’s also one of the most challenging. Between marketing vacancies, reviewing applications, and screening renters, the process can quickly become time-consuming and overwhelming.. 

Property management software can help you find better tenants. With the right tools in place, landlords can streamline tenant applications, run thorough screenings, and market listings more effectively all from one centralized platform.

Instead of juggling spreadsheets, emails, and paperwork, property management software helps landlords find better tenants faster and with more confidence. Below, we’ll break down how using property management software can improve tenant quality and simplify the leasing process from start to finish.

Create an Online Rental Application 

Property management software makes it easier to create consistent, compliant, and effective online rental applications. . Using a standardized digital application ensures that every applicant is asked the same questions and evaluated using the same criteria, which is essential for remaining in compliance with the Fair Housing Act.

Consistency in the application process helps reduce risk by preventing unequal treatment or subjective decision-making. Asking the same questions of every applicant and applying the same screening standards creates a fair, defensible process that protects both landlords and applicants.

An effective rental application can provide important information about a prospective tenant that you could not uncover otherwise. Digital applications allow landlords to collect details such as current and prior residence history, employment information, income verification, and personal references in one centralized system. Depending on local laws and property policies, applications may also include questions about pets, vehicles, or additional occupants, helping landlords assess fit more accurately.

When combined with tenant screening tools including credit checks, criminal background reports, and identity verification, rental applications become even more powerful. Reviewing application responses alongside screening results helps landlords identify inconsistencies, verify financial responsibility, and make informed decisions based on documented data rather than assumptions.

Collecting applications is only the first step. Following up on the information provided by contacting previous landlords or employers and documenting responses can reveal valuable insight into an applicant’s rental history and reliability. Acting on application data is one of the most effective ways to identify high-quality tenants and reduce future turnover.

Should an Application Include a Social Security Number (SSN) or Driver’s License? 

It’s common for landlords to ask applicants for a Social Security number or driver’s license as a form of identity verification. But in 2026, this practice comes with legal and security risks. Laws governing consumer data protection, identity theft, and personal information storage are becoming stricter at both the state and federal levels. If you’re not fully prepared to securely store, encrypt, and properly dispose of sensitive personal data, collecting it may expose you to unnecessary liability.

Instead of requesting an SSN directly on a rental application, many landlords now rely on third-party screening services that allow applicants to submit sensitive information securely on their own. These services can verify identity and generate credit or background reports without the landlord ever seeing or storing raw SSN data, significantly reducing risk.

Additionally, running credit and background checks without a hard pull protects applicant credit scores. Soft credit checks, which many tenant screening services perform with consent, do not impact credit scores, unlike hard inquiries that can cause a small drop.

This approach also benefits applicants. Submitting information through a screening provider helps protect personal data and avoids unnecessary exposure. In many cases, screening tools rely on soft credit inquiries, which do not negatively impact an applicant’s credit score the way hard inquiries can.

Should You Charge Tenants for Applying? 

Charging an application fee is still a common and reasonable practice. While some landlords worry that application fees may discourage potential tenants, in practice the impact is usually minimal. A modest fee can help offset screening costs and discourage unserious applicants, saving landlords time and effort during the leasing process. Application fees also signal that the process is structured and intentional. Applicants who are willing to complete the application and pay the fee are generally more invested, which can lead to higher-quality applicant pools.

However, application fees are heavily regulated in many states. Some states cap how much landlords can charge, require that fees reflect actual screening costs, or prohibit landlords from profiting from application fees altogether. Other jurisdictions require landlords to provide receipts or refund unused portions of the fee. Before charging an application fee, landlords should review state and local laws or consult a qualified attorney to ensure compliance. Staying informed about these rules helps avoid penalties and ensures your application process remains fair and legally sound.

Active Screening 

Once you’ve designed an effective application process in conjunction with property management software, the platform should make it easy to screen tenants, saving you valuable time. 

It’s important to recognize that tenant screening is not one-size-fits-all. Different properties, locations, and risk tolerances call for different levels of screening. Understanding what each screening component provides helps landlords choose the right balance between cost, thoroughness, and compliance. At a minimum, most landlords rely on credit reports to evaluate an applicant’s payment history, outstanding debt, and overall financial responsibility. Credit screening helps determine whether an applicant is likely to pay rent consistently and on time.

Criminal Report 

Criminal reports can vary quite a lot and understanding these differences is key. This variance is mainly due to different laws that govern how courts record criminal activity. For example, all criminal records are filed under the name and date of birth of the offender; however, some counties include their address while others do not. This additional piece of information can be crucial to correctly identify records – after all, it is possible for two people to share a name and date of birth. 

Different types of criminal reports will attempt to counteract these inconsistencies in different ways. Some property management apps (e.g., Innago), use an SSN as a means of producing a more accurate report—verifying identity, uncovering aliases, and locating past addresses.  

The information pulled in a report is also dictated by its source. There are three sources of information: individual county court records, state databases, and national databases. 

For landlords, a national criminal search is usually all you need to pull. Going county by county is almost always an unnecessary and costly process. If you’re in an especially crime-filled area or live at the intersection of three or four counties, you may want to expand your search, but you’ll probably learn all you need to know from a national database. 

Eviction Report 

Eviction reports are also not standardized and are often filed specifically under the evictee’s name. Again, SSN verification can go a long way toward increasing the accuracy of the data returned. Also of note, while eviction records used to be included in credit reports, that is no longer the case. A July 2017 law made this activity illegal. If you’re looking for eviction records, don’t rely on a credit check; you’ll need to request that information as an additional report. 

It’s also important for landlords to understand that eviction history is no longer included in consumer credit reports. While eviction filings once appeared alongside credit data, they are now excluded due to changes in reporting standards and legal scrutiny around tenant screening practices. As a result, a credit check alone will not reveal prior evictions. If eviction history is relevant to your screening criteria, it must be requested as a separate eviction or housing court report through a tenant screening service that sources public court records. Even then, landlords should use eviction data carefully and avoid blanket denial policies. Federal fair housing guidance recommends considering factors such as how long ago the eviction occurred, the circumstances involved, and whether the issue has since been resolved.

Credit Report 

Unlike criminal reports, credit reports are fairly standard. Whether there’s a middleman delivering the data or not, a credit report will nearly always come from one of three sources: Equifax, Experian, or TransUnion. These are the three primary credit reporting agencies (CRAs) in the US. Because of their ubiquity, the information contained in any credit report you obtain should always include the following: 

• Basic Information: Applicant identification information (i.e. name, address, phone number, age, etc.) including address history and any aliases 

• Fraud Indicators: Notifications of an SSN mismatch 

• Tradeline Summary: History of payments on active credit accounts (e.g., credit cards, auto loans, etc.) 

• Inquiries: Organizations that have viewed the applicant’s credit history within the last two years 

• Credit/Resident Score: A numerical expression of the applicant’s credit worthiness (this can be specialized for renter’s as a “Resident Score”) 

Because this information is relatively standardized between the big three CRAs, learning to effectively interpret and understand an applicant’s credit report is fairly easy. 

Active screening isn’t complicated with property management software. Most platforms have a simple linking process that your website manager can set up with ease. And most also have instant reporting, so that you quickly get a full background on your applicants. It essentially comes down to setting up the process and then letting the platform do the heavy lifting from there! 

Important Note: Beyond a consistent application and screening process, you also need clearly stated policies when it comes to accepting or rejecting applicants to protect yourself against liability. It’s important to keep in mind that you need to be compliant with the Fair Housing Act and applicable state regulations throughout this process. If you are unsure about regulations or policies, consult with a lawyer. 

Marketing 

Marketing complements active screening. When you know your ideal applicant’s background and character, there are things you can do on the front-end to appeal to them. 

Many platforms now support listing syndication, allowing you to create one rental listing and automatically distribute it to multiple major listing sites at once. This helps increase exposure and attract more prospective renters without hours of manual effort. Syndication significantly expands your reach to renters searching on high-traffic sites like those connected through syndication networks. When syndication is combined with a strong listing, you maximize visibility and appeal. A compelling rental listing should include clear details about the rent amount, availability, pets/amenities, and application instructions, and feature high-quality photos to stand out in search results.

Beyond syndication, being strategic about where and how you post is key. Sites like Apartments.com, Realtor.com, Zillow/Trulia/HotPads, CraigsList, and Rent.com remain among the most visited rental listing platforms, and posting (or syndicating) to these can help draw a broader pool of qualified tenants. Using property management software for marketing also lets landlords manage listings more efficiently. Once a listing is published via syndication tools, updates to details, photos, or pricing can automatically roll out across all platforms — saving time while keeping information consistent. Listing syndication also consolidates feed management so you can monitor performance and adjust strategies without juggling multiple accounts.

By combining listing syndication with strong visuals, accurate descriptions, and multi-platform exposure, landlords can increase visibility, attract more qualified applicants, and ultimately find better tenants in a competitive rental market.

Conclusion 

Property management software helps landlords find better tenants by bringing applications, screening, and marketing into one streamlined process. When listings are clear, applications are consistent, and screening is thorough, landlords can make informed, compliant decisions with less time and guesswork. By leveraging tenant screening features and marketing tools within your platform, you can attract tenants that will make your life easier and better. 

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