How to Be a Strong Rental Applicant (Especially When Competition Is High)
We see a lot of qualified applicants lose out on units they were genuinely a good fit for — not because they weren't good tenants, but because they were bad at the actual process of applying. In a competitive rental market, being organized and prepared matters almost as much as your income or credit history.
Here's what actually helps.
Come Prepared Before You Start Looking
Have your documents ready before you find the unit you want, not after. That means:
A valid photo ID
Recent pay stubs or proof of income (or bank statements if you're self-employed)
Contact information for previous landlords
Any documentation for pets, if applicable
Scrambling to track these down after you've already toured a unit costs you time you don't have in a competitive market — and the applicant who submits a complete application first is often the one who gets the unit.
Fill Out the Entire Application, Completely, the First Time
A half-finished application does two things, both bad: it delays your own processing time, and it signals disorganization to whoever's reviewing it. Leave a section blank or vague, and you're either creating extra back-and-forth or getting passed over for a completed application that arrived at the same time as yours.
Understand What's Actually Being Screened
A lot of applicants assume credit score is the whole story. It's not. Most landlords are looking at:
Income relative to rent — typically some multiple of the monthly rent, verified with real documentation
Verifiable rental history — not just an address, but a landlord who will confirm you paid on time and left the unit in good condition
Whether a previous landlord would rent to you again — this single question tells a landlord more than almost anything else on the application
Knowing this in advance means you can make sure your application actually demonstrates these things clearly, instead of assuming a good credit score will carry the whole application.
Give Real, Reachable References
A former landlord's contact info that goes straight to voicemail, indefinitely, stalls your application and creates doubt. Give references who will actually pick up or call back promptly — and give your references a heads-up that they might get a call, so they're not caught off guard and slow to respond.
Move Fast
In a competitive market, timing matters as much as qualifications. An applicant who tours and applies the same day is often ahead of a technically stronger applicant who took three days to decide. If you've found a unit you want, treat the application like a time-sensitive task, not something to get to this weekend.
Be Upfront, Not Strategic
If you have a pet, a roommate, or anything else that might affect the lease, disclose it during the application process rather than hoping it goes unnoticed later. Landlords generally respond well to upfront honesty — plenty of things that seem like they might be dealbreakers actually aren't, as long as they're disclosed properly and handled through the right process. What does raise a red flag is finding out about something after the fact that should have been mentioned upfront.
Remember: The Application Is a Preview
How you handle the application process is, in a real sense, a preview of what you'll be like as a tenant. An applicant who's organized, responsive, and easy to communicate with during the process reads as exactly that kind of tenant. An applicant who's disorganized, slow to respond, or vague on details raises the same questions about what living with them as a tenant might look like.
None of this is about gaming the system. It's about presenting yourself accurately, completely, and quickly — which, in a competitive rental market, is often the actual difference between getting the unit and losing it to someone else who was simply better prepared.
Looking for your next rental?
Blair Allen Property Management manages rentals across South Dakota, Montana, and Arizona. If you're actively applying and have questions about our process, we're happy to help.
Chris Twiggs President, Blair Allen Property Management 📞 605-545-1218 ✉️ chris@blairallen.com