What should you tell an applicant after you receive a rental application?
Confirm that the application arrived, say what you will check, give a date by which they will hear from you, and tell them what to do if something is missing. Do not promise approval or hold the unit unless you have agreed in writing. A clear message in the first day keeps applicants from applying elsewhere out of uncertainty.
Why a quick acknowledgment matters
An applicant has paid a fee, shared personal details and now waits. Silence feels like rejection, and people who feel ignored apply to other places. A short message the day the application arrives tells them it was received and what happens next, and it costs you a minute.
It is also a written record that you told every applicant the same things, which matters if anyone later asks why one person was treated differently.
What the message should say
- That you received the application, and for which unit.
- What you will check, in general terms: for example, income, references and a credit and background report with their consent.
- The date by which they will hear from you, even if it is a range.
- Anything missing, such as a pay stub or a signed consent, and how to send it.
- That the unit remains available to others until you have signed a lease or accepted a holding deposit.
That last line is important. If you do not tell applicants the unit is still on the market, some will assume it is held for them and stop looking. Honest clarity protects you from disputes later.
A sample message
Example a made-up acknowledgment. "Hi Priya, thank you for applying for 214 Maple Street, Unit B. I received your application today. I will review income and references and, with your consent, run the credit and background report. You will hear from me by Friday. One thing is missing: your most recent pay stub. You can reply to this email with a photo or PDF. The unit stays available to other applicants until a lease is signed or a holding deposit is accepted."
Adjust the dates to your process. If your screening takes longer than you expect, send a short update before the date passes rather than waiting until after.
Protect what they send
Applications hold Social Security numbers, IDs and bank details. Tell applicants not to send these in a plain text message, and give a safer route, such as a secure upload or your application form. Details on storing them are in how to store an SSN on a rental application safely.
When you run a consumer report, federal law requires certain steps if you act on it. The rules and the notices are summarized in the FTC guidance for landlords.
What to leave out
- Promises such as "you are all set" before screening is done.
- Guesses about the outcome, which you may have to reverse.
- Questions about family, religion, national origin, disability or other protected topics. They are not needed to decide an application, and asking creates risk.
- Comments on how they will "fit in" with a building or neighborhood.
Apply the same written criteria and the same message to every applicant. The written criteria post explains how to set them down before applications arrive.
If the decision will take longer
Sometimes a landlord reference does not call back or a report is slow. Send a one-line update before the promised date passes: what you are waiting on and the new date. Applicants forgive a delay far more easily than an unexplained silence.
How DoorKeeping handles it
Each unit can have an application link, and DoorKeeping lists applications by status, so you can see which are in. Ask your own Claude or ChatGPT to draft the acknowledgment from your template, then send it yourself from your own email and keep a copy.
Sources
- FTC, Using Consumer Reports: What Landlords Need to Know, read Oct 30, 2026
- Fair Credit Reporting Act, 15 U.S.C. 1681m, Requirements on users of consumer reports (Cornell LII), read Oct 30, 2026
- Fair Housing Act, 42 U.S.C. 3604 (Cornell LII), read Oct 30, 2026
Questions
- How soon should I reply to a rental application?
- The same day or the next, with a short confirmation and a date by which the applicant will hear from you.
- Should I tell applicants the unit is held for them?
- Only if you have agreed to hold it, ideally in writing with a holding deposit. Otherwise say it stays available to others.
- Can I tell an applicant they are approved before screening ends?
- No. Wait until your checks are done. Promising approval early can force you to reverse yourself.
- What if I need more time to decide?
- Send a short update before the date you gave, saying what you are waiting on and the new date.