ApplyConnect FAQ:
General
ApplyConnect is the easiest and most secure way for landlords and renters to share a consumer credit, housing court records and criminal report for the purposes of screening a rental applicant.
ApplyConnect was designed with simplicity in mind. To see video tutorials on how to use all of ApplyConnect’s helpful features, CLICK HERE!
By clicking here and filling out the brief registration form followed by verifying your identity with Experian. The whole process is free, and should only take a few minutes to complete.
ApplyConnect is free to setup! You don't even need to register a credit card on file in order to create your personal account.
In order to be given instant access to consumer credit reports ApplyConnect must first verify your identity for security reasons. This process is done through a completely secure connection, and the information is cross referenced with your personal account information on file with Experian ®.
No. While information appearing on your credit report will be used to assist in verifying your identity this process does not register as an inquiry on your credit profile.
Reports are free for landlords! As is common during the rental process the applicant (renter) is responsible for fees incurred in order to rent a property. Once a report has been requested it becomes the applicant's responsibility to purchase their Apply One report for $29.95 or their Apply Three report for $39.95 before allowing the landlord to view it.
Yes, however for each report that is shared there will be an additional cost to the applicant of $28.50. Each uniquely shared report will also retain a record showing who the landlord is, and what property is being applied for.
Reports process in a matter of seconds! Once the applicant has paid for the report, the renter views their report online and it is shared instantly with the landlord or agent. An email is automatically sent to the landlord/agent that the report is ready. The landlord/agent will be able to view it from their dashboard.
No. Your account will only require you to verify your identity using questions obtained from your credit profile every 90 days or up to one year if you are a frequent ApplyConnect user.
ApplyConnect requires a SSN in order to authenticate their identity and access their credit report.
You will likely need to temporarily remove the freeze from your credit profile with Experian for a minimum of 7 days in order to successfully verify your identity. Visit https://www.experian.com/ncaconline/removefreeze to request a temporary removal. Please note that you will need to have the Security Freeze PIN that Experian initially had sent to you in order to complete the request.
Please contact ApplyConnect by submitting a request using the contact form here, or by calling 800.288.4757 option 7 to delete your account.
About the Background Screening Report
An Experian® credit report includes a 24 month graph of payment history, positive and negative tradelines, public records including bankruptcies and tax liens, and accounts that have been written off to collection companies.
VantageScore® is a credit score that was developed by the three national credit reporting companies (CRCs) — Experian, TransUnion and Equifax. The score ranges from 300-850 with a higher score representing less risk to the landlord.
The nationwide housing court records history searches a database of 36+ million records including both judgments and filings. The report shows if an applicant has a history of not paying rent, violating a lease, disrupting the community, or anything else that would require a landlord to take legal action to remove them from the premises.
The nationwide criminal search uses the applicant's name and date of birth to search through national databases, court and police records, and the sex offender registry to see if they possess a history of criminal activity.
Criminal records are based on name and date of birth (not SSN) and someone with the same personal identifiers with a criminal past may appear. To dispute the inaccuracy, click here.
While numerous measures are taken to ensure report accuracy there may occasionally be information that is incorrect. In this case, please click the "Dispute Inaccuracies" tab within the Renter's dashboard or here and follow the listed steps in order for a consumer relations specialist to assist you.
Online Rental Application
This free feature is available to landlords and real estate agents by either 1) going to “My Account” and activating it for all future invitations or 2) going to New Applicant and activate it for a particular renter. The standard application contains all the pertinent questions including the legal disclosures and e-signature.
From your Dashboard, click VIEW REPORT next to the applicant’s name. Click the green “Rental Application” button. For a printable version, click “Export Application to PDF”
You can easily communicate through ApplyConnect to the renter that a decision is pending. From your Dashboard, click the yellow envelope. Select the template: Pending Rental Application. Auto generated text has been provided. Then click Send.
If you don't see any references to the app then it's possible you were referred by a partner that already offers this solution. If you were referred to ApplyConnect by a software provider or association then please contact them for guidance about this solution.
Common Problems
If you have been waiting to receive the ApplyConnect email invitation, or a confirmation that the renter's report is ready to view you should begin by checking your spam folder. The email will be coming from
no-reply@applyconnect.com.
no-reply@applyconnect.com.
ApplyConnect requires a user to be authenticated to verify your identity for security purposes. If your account was locked, you will need to wait 24 hours before trying again. To ensure a successful authentication, be close to your financial records for reference. If there is little to no information about you at Experian, then the ApplyConnect product is not available to you.
You are still logged in as a landlord/agent. Simply log out of ApplyConnect and open the unique property link which will take you to a Welcome screen that your potential renters will see.
It is usually due to one of these reasons.
- The renter changed their mind not wanting to have a credit & background report done, has something negative in their past they want to conceal, or they are no longer interested in the property.
- The invitation got caught in their spam filter. Ask that they allow an email from applyconnect.com into their inbox.
- The renter has either a thin or no credit profile which prevents them from being authenticated. ApplyConnect continues to fine tune the out of wallet questions with Experian.
- The renter choose to purchase their report directly from the website bypassing your invitation. Customer support can assist you with this.
You are likely using your browser’s built-in print command – which prints only the visible parts of the screen. The ApplyConnect report is displayed within a frame of the screen, and has its own “Print Report” link, found at the top of the report. This allows you to print the report in its entirety with a single click.