LANDLORDS

How HomeScreen Is Different

With HomeScreen,  you will receive:

• a summary of the applicant's Equifax credit report
• a national criminal background check including sex offender registry and terror watch lists
• a national eviction search including Alaska and Hawaii
• employment and income verification
• rental verification for the past five years, including skip tracing undisclosed addresses

After receiving the initial credit and background report, we personally contact and verify all applicants' current employment status, income and residential history for the past five years.

We will recommend the application if:

• no applicants have any violent felonies in the past ten years
• no applicants have an eviction or negative landlord report in the past five years
• the gross household monthly income is at least 3x the rent

We understand that instances arise when you will not want to go with our recommendation for an applicant, which is why we do not accept or deny applicants ourselves. We work to send you as much verified, objective information as possible so you can make an informed decision before signing a lease.

Freqently Asked Questions

How to I sign up?

Register your properties here!

What is the cost of registering?

HomeScreen is completely free for landlords and property managers. We are a product of Tower Grove Neighborhoods CDC, a non-profit dedicated to promoting and improving the quality of life in the Tower Grove Neighborhoods. We hope all landlords will use HomeScreen to help us further our mission and provide secure, reliable rental property to long-term, well qualified tenants.

I just signed up, now what?

HomeScreen staff will reach out to you within 24 business hours with instructions on how to log into the landlord portal. You can start sending potential tenants to apply anytime after you have received the log-in instructions. Make sure your tenants know the "user name" you selected when registering. They will need to reply to the question "Who referred you to HomeScreen?" using that "user name."

How will I be notified when a potential tenant applies?

You will receive an automated email when a potential tenant starts an application for one of your properties. You will also receive an automated e-mail when the potential tenant has completed their portion of the application. If you do not get that second e-mail, you can log-in to HomeScreen to see which parts are incomplete.

What does a potential tenant need to apply?

Each person living on the property who is 18 or older will need to submit an application with a copy of his/her ID, proof of income and application fee. Each applicant will also need to know your name or the name of your company when submitting an application so that we can link the applications back to you. 

I got an e-mail that says "Background Report is Complete," but I have not received the HomeScreen Recommendation. When and where can I find the HomeScreen Recommendation?

The Background Report refers just to the Equifax credit report, national criminal background, and eviction search. You can log in to HomeScreen to view a summary of this information the same day the potential tenant submits his application by opening the attachment titled "Applicant's Name - in progress." Please allow us 2-5 business days to reach out to the applicant's references and make a recommendation.

I am logged in to my HomeScreen account. I clicked on "View Report," but got an error message.  How can I view my potential tenant's background report?

Open the attachment titled "Applicant's Name - in progress" just below the "View Report" button. The most up to date information can be found here.

What information will I receive with the tenant report?

You will have immediate access to the applicant’s application, including their contact information and uploaded documents. We will  obtain an Equifax credit report and will run a national criminal background and national eviction search. We will then verify all of the applicant’s rental references for the past five years and their income. We will make a recommendation based on this information

What are the requirements for recommending an applicant?

We will recommend the application if the prospective tenants have no violent felonies in the past ten years, have no evictions or negative landlord reports in the past five years and if the household gross monthly income is at least three times the rent.

You don’t have any qualifications regarding the applicant’s credit?

HomeScreen does not have a minimum requirement for credit. We will share the applicant’s credit score, any open collections, any bankruptcy filings and any monthly payments on your credit report with you, but this information will not affect our recommendation.

How long does it take to receive a full recommendation report?

The credit, criminal and eviction searches will be completed the same business day the applicant applies. Verifying the references typically takes 2-5 business days. We will send you a full recommendation report on the fifth business day after the application is submitted, if not sooner.

Will you contact the applicant if they are not recommended?

Yes, we can send a denial letter on your behalf when an applicant does not meet our requirements. We will not do this automatically, however. You will need to contact info@myhomescreen.org if you would like a denial letter sent.

What if the applicant is recommended by HomeScreen, but I do not want to rent to him/her?

In this case, we ask you to contact the applicant directly and explain why you have decided not to rent to him/her.

My properties are outside of the Tower Grove Area, can I still register?

Absolutely, we have no geographic limitations for screening. We welcome landlords from Saint Louis City, Saint Louis County, Illinois and beyond!