What a score hides
A screening score compresses many facts into one number. That's convenient, and it costs both sides something.
- The renter can't act on it. "Below threshold" doesn't say whether the issue is income, credit, the move-in date or the number of people. They can't tell whether a cheaper home, a guarantor or a later date would change the answer.
- The owner can't check it. A number doesn't show which of the owner's own rules a renter met and which they missed, so it's hard to know whether it reflects the criteria they published.
- Nobody can explain it. When a decision rests on a number nobody can unpack, it's hard to show it was applied the same way to every applicant.
What a reason looks like
A reason names the requirement, the renter's value and the result, one criterion at a time:
| Requirement | Renter | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Income at least 3× rent ($5,850/mo) | $5,333/mo, reported | Not met: gap $517/month |
| Two bedrooms for up to four people | Household of two | Met |
| Available by December 1 | Moving by December 15 | Met |
| Cats allowed | One cat | Met |
Now the renter knows exactly what stands between them and this home, and that a home about $175 a month cheaper would clear the income rule. The owner sees which rule is doing the filtering.
Reasons have rules of their own
Explaining results only helps if the criteria are fair and the explanation is honest. At PropFit that means:
- Published criteria from a catalog. Owners choose structured criteria, such as an income multiple, a minimum credit score or a pet policy. No free-text "ideal tenant" field, and no protected characteristic is collected or used.
- Estimated isn't verified. A result based on what a renter reported is labelled that way and never looks like a verified one.
- Unknown isn't a fail. If a renter doesn't know their credit band, a credit rule shows as unknown, with what's needed to settle it.
- Nobody gets ranked. Renters are never ranked for owners. Homes are sorted for a renter, by the priorities the renter chose.
- The owner decides. A match is an estimated qualification match, not an approval. PropFit never approves or declines anyone.
The law already leans this way
Under the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act, when a landlord turns down an applicant based in whole or in part on a consumer report, the applicant must be told: who supplied the report, that they can get a free copy, and that they can dispute anything inaccurate in it (15 U.S.C. § 1681m). A decision built from named criteria is far easier to explain, and to get right, than one built on an opaque number.
No dead ends
The best thing about a reason is what it makes possible next. A renter who misses one home by $517 a month can be shown homes they do fit. An owner whose home didn't suit a renter can see whether another of their homes does. A score can only say no; a reason can say "not this one, but that one".
This article explains general rules of thumb and how PropFit works. It isn't financial or legal advice.