Why Landlord Response Rates Are So Low (And How to Improve Them)

Overview

One of the most common frustrations in tenant screening is getting previous landlords to respond. Traditional landlord reference checks often produce low response rates, long delays, and gaps in critical rental history data.

This guide explains why landlord response rates are so low, the operational challenges this creates for multifamily operators, and what can be done to significantly improve the Verification of Rent (VOR) process.

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Why Most Landlords Don’t Respond to Reference Checks

Landlords and property managers are not required to respond to rental history requests, and many have no incentive to do so. Several practical barriers contribute to extremely low response rates across the industry.

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Landlords Are Busy and See No Benefit

Most landlords prioritize:

• Showing units
• Collecting rent
• Resolving maintenance issues
• Managing turnovers
• Handling resident communications

Responding to reference checks for someone else’s applicant often feels like a low-priority task with no clear benefit.

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Contact Information Is Often Incorrect

A major reason VOR attempts fail is due to inaccurate or outdated contact information, such as:

• Wrong phone numbers
• Old email addresses
• Disconnected lines
• Generic inboxes that are not checked frequently

Incorrect information leads to multiple failed attempts, delays, and stalled approvals.

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Many Requests Get Filtered or Flagged as Spam

Email and SMS systems today aggressively filter unknown senders. This means:

• Reference requests may land in spam
• SMS messages may be blocked by carriers
• Phone calls may be flagged as “Potential Spam”
• Landlords may ignore unfamiliar numbers

Even legitimate outreach often goes unseen.

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Unverified Landlords Don’t Respond

If the person listed on the application is not actually:

• The property owner
• The authorized manager
• Or connected to the unit

They are unlikely to respond at all.

Fake landlords, misleading contacts, and friends posing as landlords often avoid responding to avoid exposing inconsistencies.

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Landlords Are Contacted Using Only One Channel

Traditional VOR collection methods often rely on a single communication channel, such as:

• One email sent
• One voicemail left
• A single phone call attempt

This dramatically limits the chances of reaching a real landlord.

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How Low Response Rates Hurt Multifamily Operations

Low VOR completion rates create real operational and financial consequences:

• Applicants may be approved without rental history
• Leasing teams lose momentum
• Approvals take longer
• High-risk applicants may slip through
• Fraud goes undetected
• Evictions and bad debt increase
• NOI declines

Reliable rental history is essential to accurate screening.

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How to Improve Landlord Response Rates

A structured, multi-channel approach dramatically improves completion rates. Operators should consider the following strategies.

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Validate Landlord Identity Before Outreach

Ensuring the landlord is legitimate improves:

• Delivery rates
• Accuracy
• Response likelihood
• Fraud detection

Validation includes checking ownership records, business registrations, and verifying contact information.

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Use Multiple Communication Channels

Relying on only one channel leads to missed connections.

A stronger approach includes:

• Email
• SMS/text
• Automated phone calls
• Voicemail drops
• Follow-up reminders
• Human verification agents

Multi-channel contact significantly increases engagement.

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Send Professionally Designed Messages

Clear, concise, and professional communication helps landlords understand:

• Who is contacting them
• What they’re being asked
• Why their response matters
• How to respond quickly

Consistency and clarity increase cooperation.

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Make It Easy to Respond

Landlords are more likely to respond when:

• The form is simple
• The questions are structured
• The process takes less than two minutes
• They can respond from any device

Reducing friction leads to higher completion rates.

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Offer Tenant-Portal Verification

When landlords cannot be reached, allowing applicants to verify rental history through their existing resident portal provides:

• Faster responses
• Verified ledgers
• Fraud-resistant data
• Reduced dependency on third parties

This method can dramatically increase overall VOR completion.

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How Renter, Inc. Improves Landlord Response Rates

Renter, Inc. increases completion rates through:

• Verified landlord identity
• Email, text, and phone outreach
• Multiple attempts per day
• Clear, structured questions
• Human-supported follow-up
• Tenant-portal verification when available
• Fraud detection built into the process

This results in a 75–80%+ VOR completion rate, enabling more accurate approvals and better resident outcomes.

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Key Takeaways

• Traditional VOR processes have low response rates
• Incorrect contact information and lack of incentives are major barriers
• Multi-channel outreach significantly improves completion
• Strong VOR processes reduce evictions, bad debt, and NOI loss
• Renter, Inc. provides the structure needed for reliable VOR results