How do I rank rental applicants fairly (for agencies)?

Rank rental applicants fairly by scoring only what actually matters for renting: how well their income covers the rent, whether their dossier is complete, how well they fit the listing (household size, pets, smoking, permit), and verifiable trust (a clean Betreibungsauszug and references). Never rank on nationality, religion, family status, age, gender, disability or sexual orientation · that is illegal discrimination. Keep a person in charge of the final decision and a record of every choice. This is exactly what aptari does · list once and get an applicant inbox ranked by Match Score, which scores those four areas, leaves protected characteristics out completely, and shows the reasons behind every number.

Fair ranking keeps you on the right side of the law and gets you the best tenant. The two goals line up when you score the right things.

Criteria you SHOULD rank on

1. Income coverage Gross income against the rent · the Swiss 3× rule. Objective and documented.

2. Dossier completeness Did they provide ID, salary proof, Betreibungsauszug and references? Completeness is a good sign of reliability.

3. Listing fit Household size against apartment size, pets against the pet policy, smoking against the smoking policy, residence permit. All relevant to the listing.

4. Verifiable trust A clean Betreibungsauszug and references you can check. Concrete and verifiable.

Criteria you must NEVER rank on

Ranking on these is illegal discrimination: - Nationality (beyond the legal right to rent) - Race or ethnic origin - Religion - Family status, marital status, pregnancy - Age, gender, sexual orientation - Disability (except where accessibility genuinely matters) - Political views

Watch out for hidden stand-ins: a postcode, a name or a first language can quietly stand in for a protected characteristic. A fair system leaves these out too.

The process that holds up

Objective criteria only, written down before you see applicants
A person makes the final decision, never the software on its own
A record of the inputs and the reason for every decision
A clear explanation available to any applicant who asks

How aptari's Match Score does this

aptari is the revolution for listing apartments: you list once and get an applicant inbox ranked by Match Score. The score is a clear set of rules, not a model trained on old, biased decisions. It looks at the four areas above and nothing else. Protected characteristics are never part of it, there are no hidden stand-ins, and every score comes with the reasons behind it. You stay the decision-maker · the score is simply a fair, explainable shortlist.

See discrimination in tenant selection and what you're allowed to ask tenants.