Do you have a question about Screening? The FAQs listed below answer your most commonly answered questions. Don’t see your question listed below? Email our Customer Support team at help@getaptly.com with your question. Be sure to include screenshots/screen recordings to expedite your request.
Screening Management Setup
What are Applicant Caps?
If your team decides to enable an application cap for each property, the applicant cap only applies to completed applications. This means that if there is a cap of five applications, any incomplete applications (those lacking information or payment) will not count. Only complete individual and household applications where all required information and fees are collected will fill one of the applicant cap spots.
Additionally, denied or canceled applications will not count toward the application cap for a listed property. For example, if three completed applications are run through screening and one is denied afterward due to credit, the new cap will change from two open spots to three.
Can we change the order of the sections? For example, can we move the Application Criteria to be completed before the emergency contact?
Not today. The current order maximizes completion and safeguards against fraudulent applicants.
Can we have multiple places to initial on the Application Criteria section of the Application?
No. The application itself has two locations to sign:
- Step 3 of the application process is intended for company-specific terms (for example, if the app fee is non-refundable, minimum requirements for accepting, etc). You will need to add these terms.(See: How to Manage Charge Disputes with Application Terms)
- The last step covers Aptly terms for background screening.
Can we create a scoring model using the custom questionnaire answers?
You can add custom scoring conditions, but they are separate from the questions asked on the application. When an applicant responds to a custom question in the application it does not automatically update the Applicant Quality Score. Custom questions are calculated manually. See: Using Applicant Quality Scoring
Can we do promo codes to waive an application fee?
Yes. You can create coupon codes in Screening Management settings. Codes can expire after a specified time or never expire. Coupon codes waive the entire fee. (See: How to Create a Coupon Code)
Can I provide property-specific disclosures (flooding, radon, lead, etc.) early in the application process?
Yes! You can share these disclosures with applicants at the start of the process by using Communication Templates and custom fields.
How to Set It Up:
- Add disclosures to the property card:
- Create custom fields on each property card for the required disclosures, such as flooding, radon, or lead information.
- Use merge fields in a Communication Template:
- Insert these custom fields into a Communication Template using merge fields.
- This allows you to automatically pull in property-specific disclosures when the template is sent to the applicant.
By setting it up this way, applicants will see the disclosures early in the process, without requiring extra manual steps.
Can we change when the application fee is collected?
Yes, now you can opt to collect the fee at the time of application submission. To change these settings go to Screening Management > Organization Settings > Billing Options. Under Payment Timing, select Charge after Applicant Submits Application. The Stripe payment screen will appear as the last step.
How can I update the Application Terms?
Application terms are added in Screening Management > Board Settings > Edit Collection. Scroll down until you locate the templates. You can edit the template from this screen, select a new one, or create a new template.
Where can I update the Application Requirements on the Listing Widget?
It depends on your settings. More commonly, a static Application Requirements text box is used, however, if you have specific requirements per property, you can use a Card Field. If its the static text box, you’ll go to Screening Management > Board Settings > Edit Collection > Scroll down to Application Requirements.
Applications
Non-US Addresses & Screening
To run credit, criminal, and/ or eviction reports, the resident must have a valid United States address. If the potential resident does not have a legal previous United States address, then screening cannot be completed.
How long does it take for a Credit Freeze to Lift?
Credit Freezes will need to be lifted before you will be able to successfully call the Credit Report. Once a Credit Freeze is removed or lifted, please allow at least one full hour before requesting the Credit Results. If you experience an issue past that full hour, please reach out to help@getaptly.com with details including the name of the applicant, the application URL, and when the Credit freeze was reported lifted by the applicant as well as your request.
My Applicants are having a technical issue. How are they supported?
Aptly Screening provides in-application chat support to your applicants to assist with any technical or base questions. Our team actively monitors the queue and will work with the applicants. Should the issue be better suited for your Property Management team (such as specific property questions), we will direct the applicant to you for further assistance.
Can we submit applications for applicants who are unable to do it themselves?
There is an option to create a manual application in Aptly. You can request ID Verification and Bank Connect from them manually from the Applicant Table (See: How to Run ID Verification and Bank Connect on a Manual Application). Alternatively, the PMC can create a co-applicant on the app and invite them. In this case, the PMC could fill out most of the info on behalf of the applicant, but the applicant would still need to create an account, review the data, and sign. This flow would allow the applicant to do ID & Bank Connect.
Can we require the applicant to scroll the full length of the Application Criteria and/or the Agree/Submit?
Not today.
My applicant does not have a Social Security Number. Can we screen them?
No. We can only process credit reports for applicants with a Social Security Number.
Why can’t I see all of my applications on the Applicants board?
One place to check is your Locations Filter for the Applicants board. If you find that some applications are missing from your Applicants board view, you’ll want to ensure that your visibility includes all locations.
- From the Applicants board, click Advanced Settings.
- Click Location Filters.
- Toggle ON Units and Buildings, and select Show Applications from All Locations.
- Click Save.
You should now be able to see all applications submitted from all locations. This does not affect what your applicants see - only what you and your team are able to view.
An applicant just cancelled their application, but they want to un-cancel. How can I reopen it?
When an applicant cancels their application, it will move to the Application Status: Canceled (if you can’t find it, view Archived applications). To allow the applicant to resume the application, you’ll need to close (if not already archived) and reopen the application. They will be able to access the application in their portal.
Post Screening
What does “Description Not Provided by Source” mean in the Criminal results?
Occasionally, criminal background checks will return with results that do not disclose what the offers or charge was. These will show like this due to being incorrectly added by the courts.
There are two options to determine this information:
- Ask the applicant themselves about the charges.
- Ask Aptly to send a research request; we will work with the provider to do so
Why do the Criminal Results say “Details are pending, please check back later?”
There is a backup check for data needed by the provider. We automatically check every 12 hours to see if the results are in.
The credit screening for an applicant isn’t updating — the blue icon is still showing.
The blue screening icon indicates that a screening report has not been run or that the report hasn’t been returned yet.
To troubleshoot:
- Hover over the blue icon to view more details.
- Click the icon to open the related screening.
- If there’s an error icon, hover over it to see the specific issue.
- The most common error is “SSN & Name do not return results.”
Next Steps
- Verify applicant information
- Confirm that the name and Social Security Number provided by the applicant are correct.
- If the information is correct and the issue persists, you may need to rerun the screening or reach out to support for further assistance.
Reports
How do you provide a credit report with a customer who requests a Portable Tenant Screening Report (PTSR)?
You can share a Consumer Credit Report with an applicant by downloading and emailing it to them, or sharing a link to the report. (See Article: How to Share a Consumer Credit Report)
Why does a credit report show an error saying it’s suppressed or frozen?
This error occurs when the applicant’s credit is frozen or suppressed with their credit bureau.
How to Resolve
- Applicant action:
- The applicant must contact their credit bureau to unfreeze their account. (See: Help Article from USA.gov)
- Once the freeze is lifted, it may take up to 24 hours for the update to process.
- Property Management Company (PMC) action:
- After 24 hours, run the credit report again.
- Important: You will be charged for the new report, but the applicant will not be charged again.