Frequently asked questions
Getting Started
5 questions
How does the free trial work?
Sign up and get 5 free screenings with full access to the Screen tier features. No credit card required. Your trial never expires — use all 5 screenings at your own pace. When you're ready for more, choose the plan that fits your portfolio size.
How long does it take to set up my account?
You can be screening tenants within minutes. Sign up, add your first property with your screening criteria, and share the application link with prospective tenants. There's no complex onboarding or setup — just sign up and go.
Do I need to install any software?
No. TenantFort is a fully web-based platform that works in any modern browser on desktop, tablet, or phone. Your applicants can also apply from any device — no app downloads required.
Can I import my existing properties?
Yes. You can add properties manually through the dashboard, or contact our support team for bulk import assistance if you have a large portfolio. Each property can have its own screening criteria configured independently.
How do applicants submit their applications?
Each property gets a unique application link you can share via email, text, or your listing. Applicants fill out a guided multi-step form covering personal info, employment, rental history, and document uploads — all from their phone or computer.
Screening & AI
7 questions
What's included in a screening?
Each screening includes AI-powered document fraud analysis, credit report, criminal background check, eviction history search, sex offender registry check, automated employer and landlord verifications, a weighted scoring assessment based on your criteria, and a professional PDF report summarizing everything.
How does the AI fraud detection work?
Our AI analyzes uploaded documents — pay stubs, bank statements, tax returns, and IDs — looking for font inconsistencies, mathematical errors, metadata anomalies, pixel-level manipulation, and patterns matching known fraud templates. It catches things that human reviewers routinely miss.
What types of documents can applicants upload?
Applicants can upload pay stubs, W-2s, tax returns, bank statements, government-issued photo IDs, proof of income letters, and other supporting documents. The AI processes PDFs, images (JPG, PNG), and common document formats.
How accurate is the AI scoring?
The AI applies your screening criteria with 100% consistency — no human bias, no shortcuts, no "gut feelings." Every applicant is evaluated against the same criteria you define. The scoring engine provides plain-language explanations for every factor, so you always understand why an applicant scored the way they did.
Can I customize the screening criteria?
Absolutely. Each property can have its own screening criteria, including minimum credit score, income-to-rent ratio, rental history requirements, and more. You set the weights for each factor, and the AI applies them consistently to every applicant.
How long does a screening take?
Most screenings complete within minutes. Document fraud analysis happens in real time as documents are uploaded. Background checks typically return within a few minutes. The entire process — from application submission to scored report — usually takes under 10 minutes.
What happens if the AI flags a document as potentially fraudulent?
Flagged documents are highlighted in the screening report with specific fraud indicators explained (e.g., "font mismatch detected in employer name" or "mathematical inconsistency in year-to-date totals"). You decide how to proceed — request replacement documents, ask for additional verification, or factor the flags into your decision.
Compliance & Fair Housing
5 questions
How does TenantFort help with Fair Housing compliance?
TenantFort enforces your screening criteria identically for every applicant — eliminating inconsistent treatment. Every decision is logged with the exact criteria applied, creating a complete audit trail. You can generate compliance reports comparing how any two applicants were evaluated.
Does TenantFort generate adverse action notices?
Yes. When you deny an applicant or approve them with conditions, TenantFort automatically generates FCRA-compliant adverse action notices. These include the specific reasons for the decision, the applicant's rights, and dispute instructions — all required by federal law.
What is an adverse action notice and when do I need one?
An adverse action notice is a letter required by the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) whenever you deny a rental application or take other adverse action based on information in a consumer report. TenantFort generates these automatically with the correct legal language, reason codes, and applicant rights disclosures.
Can TenantFort help if I'm audited for Fair Housing?
Yes. TenantFort maintains a complete audit trail showing exactly what criteria were applied to every applicant and how each was scored. You can pull compliance reports at any time proving consistent treatment across all applicants for a given property.
Does the AI make the accept/deny decision for me?
No. TenantFort scores applicants and provides recommendations based on your criteria, but the final decision is always yours. The AI gives you better information faster — it doesn't replace your judgment. This keeps you in control while ensuring every applicant gets a fair, consistent evaluation.
Billing & Plans
6 questions
What plans are available?
We offer three tiers: Screen ($99-249/mo) for AI-powered screening, Manage ($349-599/mo) which adds property management features like rent collection and maintenance tracking, and Enterprise ($799+/mo) with API access, integrations, and dedicated support. Pricing scales with your portfolio size.
Can I upgrade or downgrade anytime?
Yes. Upgrade instantly and get prorated access to the higher tier's features. Downgrade at the end of your billing period. No long-term contracts — you can change or cancel your plan at any time.
What happens if I exceed my included screenings?
You'll be billed per additional screening at your tier's overage rate: $35/screening on Screen, $30/screening on Manage, and $25/screening on Enterprise. You'll always know your usage — the dashboard shows your screening count and remaining balance.
Do applicants pay for screenings?
That's configurable. You can absorb the screening cost as a business expense, or pass the fee to applicants as an application fee — depending on your market and local regulations. Many landlords pass the cost through as a standard application fee.
Is there a long-term contract?
No. All plans are month-to-month with no commitments. You can cancel anytime and retain access through the end of your billing period. We also offer annual billing with a discount for customers who prefer it.
What payment methods do you accept?
We accept all major credit and debit cards through our secure payment processor, Stripe. Enterprise customers can also pay via invoice with net-30 terms.
Property Management
5 questions
What property management features are included in the Manage tier?
The Manage tier adds lease management (create, track, and manage leases with status workflows), automated rent collection with late fee tracking, maintenance request management with priority levels and vendor assignment, a vendor directory for your contractors, and a tenant portal where tenants can pay rent and submit maintenance requests.
How does rent collection work?
TenantFort generates monthly rent records for each active lease, tracks payments, automatically calculates late fees based on your lease terms, and flags overdue payments. You can record payments as they come in and see a complete payment history for every lease.
Can tenants submit maintenance requests online?
Yes. Through the tenant portal (Manage tier), tenants can submit maintenance requests with descriptions and photos, select priority levels and categories, and track the status of their requests. You can assign requests to vendors and update statuses as work progresses.
Does TenantFort handle lease agreements?
TenantFort provides lease management with draft, active, expired, and terminated status workflows. You can create leases, associate them with tenants and properties, and track lease terms. E-signature integration for digital lease signing is on our roadmap.
Can I manage multiple properties?
Yes. TenantFort is designed for multi-property portfolios. Each property has its own screening criteria, leases, tenants, and maintenance history. The Enterprise tier adds cross-property analytics and a portfolio-level dashboard.
Security & Privacy
5 questions
How is my data protected?
All data is encrypted at rest using AES-256 and in transit using TLS 1.2+. We use row-level security for tenant data isolation, ensuring you can only access your own data. Role-based access controls and full audit logging provide additional layers of protection.
Who can see my applicant data?
Only you and authorized users in your organization. TenantFort uses row-level security so each organization's data is completely isolated. We never share, sell, or use your applicant data for any purpose other than providing our screening service.
Is TenantFort SOC 2 compliant?
SOC 2 compliance is on our near-term roadmap. We already follow SOC 2 principles in our architecture — encryption at rest and in transit, access controls, audit logging, and secure development practices. We'll announce our certification when complete.
How long is applicant data retained?
We retain screening data in accordance with FCRA requirements and applicable state laws. You can request data deletion for any applicant at any time through the dashboard. When an account is closed, all associated data is securely purged after the legally required retention period.
Can I control who in my organization has access?
Yes. Role-based access controls let you define who can view applications, run screenings, manage properties, and access billing. The Enterprise tier adds custom roles and permissions for more granular control, including SSO integration.