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SoftScreen is Available for EVERY Realtor®, at EVERY Brokerage Firm and for EVERY Single Rental Property in the United States!
SoftScreen lets ANY Tenant order and receive their own Reports, and at the same time, provide complete and total access to their Rental Screening Reports with ANY Listing Agent, and ANY Property Owner for ANY Property available for rent or lease.
Think of it as receiving an email that's also been cc'd to others!
It's the very same information, secure and reliable, sent to multiple recipients at the same time!
Anytime a Tenant orders and provides their reports with you, we let you know with email notification.
Just log in to view the complete set of Reports - Credit with Score, National Criminal and National Eviction, along with their super thorough Rental Application.
SoftScreen also provides Tenants with the freedom to share their Reports over and over again, with other recipients, as many times as needed, up to 150 shares in a 30-day time frame AT NO ADDITIONAL COST. A great feature if you are the Tenant's agent in a competitive market and your client needs to apply for more than one address!
For Professional Real Estate Agents, the prospect of conducting a rental transaction can be daunting. Much of the concern stems from issues that swirl around the proper distribution and handling of the Tenant's consumer reports. Credit, criminal, even eviction reports.
These are all excellent questions to ask. Unfortunately, there are often too few answers. And mistakes, if made, can be very problematic, to say the least. But don't worry, SoftScreen will make everything totally simple and safe! We handle it all, seamlessly providing legal compliance, and making sure EVERYONE is covered and EVERYTHING is done the correct way.
Tenants always know who they are sharing their reports with, and agents no longer have to worry about any of the heavy lifting typically associated with rental transactions!
Someone representing the property, either the Listing Agent or the Property Owner, starts by entering the Rental Property's address... Simple! (With SoftScreen, even a Tenant's agent can enter the address!)
(If you're not the Listing Agent, No Problem... keep reading! We've got you covered)
...and while you're there, you have the option to add the Property Owner to the Report Distribution Chain for the safe, legally compliant sharing of Reports directly with your Listing Client.
Doing this allows the Property Owner to view the Tenant's Reports.
That's it!
Now sit back, relax, and screen tenants like a boss!
So, what happens when a particular rental property address is not yet listed within SoftScreen, and you have a Tenant client who wants to provide their reports?
Simply enter the address as a Showing Agent, using the "Create a Listing" in your Agent Dashboard. It's easy to do! This creates a "Provisional Property". SoftScreen will then automatically invite the Listing Agent, a Property Manager, or even the Property Owner to "claim" the address as their listing. Once claimed, SoftScreen lets you know! And, SoftScreen will also let your Tenant know too! We'll email your Tenant client so they know the address is now available for screening!
That's it! We told you this was going to be easy!
WHY A PROVISIONAL PROPERTY?
A Tenant's Showing Agent can't create someone else's listing! That would be too easy, right? This is because a Tenant's Showing Agent does not legally represent the property or the Property Owner. Only the Property Owner or their fiduciary i.e. Listing Agent/Property Manager may create the listing.
Full disclosure; By law, the Tenant must be informed, up-front, about who will be viewing their consumer data. Tenants must be given the opportunity to know and agree with who gets to see their private information! You simply include the Property Owner's email when creating your listing to achieve this. SoftScreen invites the Property Owner to the Rental Screening process. Once they accept the invitation, copies of the Tenant's reports will now go to you AND them. The Tenant is made aware of this before providing Reports. We handle the safe and legal distribution of Reports to all disclosed parties!
Yup. You sure can. You can add a Property Owner to the Report Distribution Chain at any time. But Property Owners will only be able to receive Reports for Tenants which are provided AFTER they're having been invited.
Tenants are only made aware of the Property Owner receiving reports ONCE they have been added to the property. This means you need to invite the Property Owner! That's why it is always best to add the Property Owner right from the start when you are first entering the property's address.
We can do that too! SoftScreen gives you the option of having reports go only to the Property Owner. You can enter the property's address on behalf of your client OR you can ask them to set up the property themselves.
Sometimes a Listing Clients bring their "A" Game!
Once in awhile the Property Owner may actually enter the rental property's address before you get the chance. That's great if they do! And then they will most likely invite you, their Listing Agent, to join the report distribution chain.
When receiving an email invitation, simply click the link in the email. This will give you an opportunity to create your SoftScreen Agent account. Unless you already have an account. If you do... great! In that case, you can simply log in right from the link in the email invite! Once logged in, accept their invitation. Now, whenever reports are provided by a Tenant, both you AND your client the Property Owner will be able to view them.
As explained earlier, Showing Agents can start the process on behalf of their client, The Tenant, by inviting BOTH the Listing Agent to claim their listing's address within SoftScreen and to the Tenant to provide reports once the Listing Agent has claimed the address. When receiving an email invitation, simply click the link in the email. This will give you an opportunity to create your SoftScreen Agent account. Unless you already have an account. If you do... great! In that case, you can simply log in right from the link in the email invite! Once logged in, accept their invitation and the address is automatically entered for you!
Find someone you think will be a great Tenant? Now you can send them an email invitation to provide their reports. Safely and efficiently! Simply use the "Invite Tenants to provide reports" button in your SoftScreen dashboard!
Showing Agents can also invite a Tenant. If the property is already listed within SoftScreen, just locate the property by its address and invite the Tenant to provide Reports.
If the property is not yet listed within SoftSCreen, inviting the Tenant can be done at the same time you also invite the Listing Agent, Property Manager or Property Owner (for Non-MLS rentals) to "claim" the address. Once this is done, the Tenant is automatically notified.
Just log in to your SoftScreen dashboard and click on your "View available reports" button. Reports for every Tenant who has applied for every one of your rental property listings will be visible. Everything in one organized place.
You're Welcome!
What happens if a Tenant isn't suitable based on something in their consumer reports? The FCRA requires a letter of adverse action be sent to the applicant. We've got this! With a simple click of the mouse, SoftScreen handles this for you! We will notify the Tenant with the appropriate letter that meets your obligation under the FCRA.
SoftScreen delivers a much sought after solution to the challenges faced when taking part in rental transactions that require a Tenant's consumer report(s).
SoftScreen's goal is to seamlessly provide legal compliance on behalf of all involved.
By delivering a report(s) only to those who have a legally permissible purpose for receiving them, SoftScreen protects the Tenant by making certain their consumer data is shared appropriately, and limited to only those with a legally permissible use for receiving it.
In this way, all parties are protected; The real estate professional, the Property Owner and most importantly, the Tenant, who's confidential consumer data is at the heart of it all.
With this in mind, please consider the following:
In accordance with the Fair Credit Reporting Act and its Amendments, the federal law(s) that governs the accuracy, completeness, privacy, and distribution of consumer data, a Tenant’s Consumer Report, be it Credit, Criminal and/or Eviction, may ONLY be used in accordance with a Permissible Purpose.
For Real Estate Professionals, the Permissible Purpose for using the Tenant’s consumer report(s) is Tenant Screening, also referred to as Rental Screening.
The ONLY recipient of the report(s) SoftScreen provides can and should be the LISTING AGENT, Property Manager and/or the Property Owner along with the Tenant.
The LISTING AGENT, Property Manager and/or the Property Owner are the End User Recipients, the one(s) who will use the report(s) for the legally permissible purpose and intended use - a decision on the tenancy.
A Tenant’s Showing Agent CANNOT utilize the report(s) to make a decision on tenancy, thus, in accordance with the FCRA, has no valid need or right to receive the report(s) from SoftScreen
As such, a Tenant’s Showing Agent SHOULD NOT be the recipient of the report(s)
A Tenant’s Showing Agent CANNOT receive the report(s) directly from SoftScreen
A Tenant's Showing Agent CANNOT receive the report(s) directly from SoftScreen and then re-distribute the report(s) to any other recipient.
For a Tenant's Showing Agent, receiving the report(s) directly from SoftScreen, (i.e. falsely posing as the End User Listing Agent) and then dispensing the report(s) to another recipient, (cooperating agent or broker, landlord or any other) the Showing Agent would, by virtue of their actions, be falsely acting as, and holding themselves out as, the End User AND as a Consumer Reporting Agency. In the eyes of federal law, this is considered obtaining consumer information under false pretenses.
NOTICE: THE FCRA PROVIDES THAT ANY PERSON WHO KNOWINGLY AND WILLFULLY OBTAINS INFORMATION ON A CONSUMER FROM A CONSUMER REPORTING AGENCY UNDER FALSE PRETENSES SHALL BE FINED UNDER TITLE 18 OF THE UNITED STATES CODE OR IMPRISONED NOT MORE THAN TWO YEARS, OR BOTH.