Want to know what your applicants see as they move through the application process? Walk through the process from start to finish as an applicant would see it.
The Applicant View
The video below will walk you through what an application looks like from the Applicant side, including ID and Bank verification.
Application Steps for Applicants
Expand each step of the application for additional information.
1a. Creating an Account
Before Applicants start entering their information, they’ll create an account.
1b. Personal Info
The Applicant will provide their legal name, valid phone number, and email address. Completing this section officially begins the application. The Applicant will be added to the Applicants board under Applications in Progress.
Select an Application Type
To begin the application, the applicant will select their role:
- An applicant will be anyone over the age of 18 who plans to reside in the listed property
- A guarantor is a person who agrees to take financial responsibility for an applicant’s lease. If the tenant doesn’t pay their rent or fees, the guarantor is obligated to cover those costs.
2. Lease Information
- What is the Desired Move-In Date?
- Did they tour the rental?
- If yes, the applicant will provide the tour date.
3. Application Terms
Application Terms are added to your Board Collection Settings. Applicants will read the terms and sign.
4. Identity Verification
During the application process, applicants will complete an instant ID verification step. This helps confirm that the person applying is who they say they are before moving forward.
Here’s what applicants will do:
- Upload a photo of their government-issued ID
- Record a short video selfie to match against their ID
Once submitted, the system instantly checks the ID against the selfie. If successful, you’ll see that the applicant’s identity has been verified, giving you confidence they have provided valid identification.
- Accepted current and valid Government Identification:
- Driver’s License
- State ID
- Passport
- Passport Card
- Permanent Resident Card
- Employment Authorization Card
- Please note that the following will not be accepted:
- An expired ID
- Non-US ID (driver's license, ID Card)
- Non-government-issued US ID (school ID, bank card, company badge, etc.)
- Social Security card
- Temporary paper Driver’s License or State ID
- Any photocopies, electronic replicas, or screenshots
5. Housing History
- Applicants will enter their current address and select their housing type (renting, owning, or staying with family/friends).
- If your screening settings require a certain number of years of housing history, the system will also prompt applicants to provide previous addresses.
- Applicants will then answer your standard application questions. These are set up in your Board Collection Settings. Preferred answers are No.
- If you’ve enabled the Section 8 flow in Screening Management, applicants will provide that information here as well.
6. Background Check Consent
Applicants are asked to confirm their legal name. They will add their birth date and Social Security Number twice in this section. Clicking next will add their consent to the Background Check.
7. Application Fee
Applicants will review the application fee terms and price. Clicking Next will bring them to the Stripe payment screen.
8. Household Info
In this section, applicants can:
- Invite other adult household members to complete their portion of the application
- Add any minor household members
- Include a guarantor if needed
When added, adults and guarantors automatically receive an email invitation with a link to complete their part of the household application. This ensures that all residents of the property are within the same household application.
9. Pets
If you’re using Aptly without integrations:
Applicants will enter their pet details directly in the application, including:
- Type of pet (Dog, Cat, Other)
- Name, breed, and weight
- Whether the animal is an assistance animal (ESA or service animal)
👉 If the applicant identifies an assistance animal, the system will require them to provide supporting documentation.
If you’re using the PetScreening.com integration:
- Applicants will see your pet policy and confirm they understand they must complete a PetScreening profile.
- From there, applicants will either:
- Complete their profile within the application (embedded flow)
- Or receive an email link to finish on PetScreening.com
Once complete, PetScreening automatically passes the information back to the Applicants Board.
For setup or policy adjustments, reach out to your Customer Success Manager.
10. Vehicles
We will collect the type of vehicle and all pertinent information that your team may need for any Lease documentation (Make, Model, color, License Plate info, if the car is oversized or corporate).
11. Income Verification
If your team has Bank Verification enabled (or required), applicants will be prompted to connect their bank account during this step.
- Applicants search for their banking institution and enter their credentials. This provides your team with a snapshot of their deposits, debits, and overall financial activity.
- Once connected, applicants continue to the next step of the application.
- If an applicant chooses to skip this step, they’ll be asked whether it was due to a technical issue or a personal preference, and then they’ll move forward in the application.
- Applicants will also be able to add documents after they connect their bank. You can require document uploads along with bank verification.
12. Employment History
In this section, applicants provide details about their income sources, which may include:
- Employment
- Contract / Self-Employment
- Additional Income (e.g., child support, pensions)
For each source, applicants enter:
- Monthly income
- Start date
- Whether it’s a current or future position
- Supervisor contact information (if applicable)
After entering their income, applicants will be prompted to upload documentation:
- Employment → Pay stubs
- Self-Employed → Tax documentation
- Bank statements may also be required depending on your Screening settings and whether the applicant has already connected their bank account.
13. Agree & Submit
The final step will be for the applicant to sign and agree to the background check terms (applicants can print the terms). If you have screening set to auto-run, completing this final step will initiate the screens.