Ask Applicants' References Key Questions

Depending on your location and the demand for affordable apartments, you may be experiencing increased traffic from prospective residents through your leasing office doors. If you, as a site owner or manager, screen applicants yourself, one of the most important steps you take is to contact applicants' current and prior rental references.

References' evaluations are valuable in helping you decide whether to rent a tax credit unit to an applicant. But rental references are often reluctant to fill out forms, so you might find it easier to call them to get the information you need. To get an informative reference over the telephone, you need to ask the right questions and keep a record of the answers.

Click here for a rental reference questionnaire that you can use both as a script for your questions and as a record of the answers you get. If you reject the applicant, be sure to hold onto it as this record could help prove that an applicant's rejection was based on adverse information and not illegal discrimination.