The survey includes a lie detector scale.
Unlikely virtues. When a person is trying to give what they think are the “right” answers, they will claim virtues that are only true of a small percentage of people. Examples include “I never feel sad,” or “I have never littered.” A person is flagged for claiming too many unlikely virtues.
You decide! Do you want a short survey covering just the essentials, or a longer survey that is more comprehensive? Three versions are available:
Measures the 9 most important behaviors not covered by credit checks.
Also includes rent payment and housekeeping behaviors. Measures everything in the 8 minute version, plus:
Measures all 22 behaviors that landlords care about. Includes everything in the 8 and 13 minute versions, plus:
No. It was specifically designed and validated for residential tenancy situations.
It would take a couple years of research.
The first 3 reports are on us to help you get started. After that, you can either:
Yes. We have a RESTful API that makes it easy for companies to integrate the Honest Renter Survey into their own websites and services. Typical clients of the API include larger property management firms, tenant screening companies, and property management software companies.
It’s probably a good idea to screen both people. If one person moves out, you might get stuck with the other.
When you have a personality conflict with someone, you don’t have to rent to them. In fact, personality should help comply with laws because it helps avoid discrimination on the basis of protected grounds.
It’s a matter of personal preference. Some customers use it as a pre-screen, only meeting with the candidates who are worth their time. Others would rather meet with the candidate first before deciding whether to invest in additional screening on that person.
We recommend a multiple hurdle approach. Put the cheapest and most effective screening tools up front. Credit checks can then be reserved for people who pass the personality test.
This multiple hurdle approach allows the best of both worlds: more thorough screening at reduced cost. Decisions are more thorough because acceptance is based on both personality and credit information. Despite the more thorough screening, net costs should go down because you avoid unnecessary (and expensive) credit checks on many candidates.
We validated it with 300 current tenants in 2 North American cities. Participants completed the Honest Renter Survey then anonymously reported their behaviors.
The following results compare people who scored high to people who scored low (i.e., top vs. bottom quartile on the relevant scale). High scorers were:
Of course, validation involves building a case. That case will only get stronger as we continue to add validation evidence over time.
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