appfolio consumer relations team (customer webinar)

1 2015 © AppFolio, Inc. Confidential.

AppFolio Consumer Relations


Presentation Details

Team: Dianne Krahenbuhl, Caitlin Jasper, Isabelle Meyer Stapf, Todd Smith

Duration: ~1 Hour

Recording: Webinar is Recorded, You will Receive Link

Follow-Up: Email will be Sent within 48 Hours


Agenda• Introduction – AppFolio Consumer Relations

• The Role of Consumer Relations in the Leasing Flow

• Let’s Look at a Screening Report

• How to File a Dispute / Investigation

• Best Practices – Communication & Compliance

• Questions


Ask Questions….Please :-)

Send Your Questions in the

“Questions” Pane of the GoToWebinar Panel on the Right

Side of the Desktop


FAQ’s

Is this being recorded, can I access this information later?

• Yes, it is being recorded and you will receive a follow up email with link to recording and presentation within a two days

• You can also access information in the help file


Understanding Consumer Relations


AppFolio Consumer Relations

Why are We Here, What do We Do?

• CRA = Consumer Reporting Agency

• FCRA = Fair Credit Reporting Act:• Disclose screening reports to consumers upon request with consent

• Investigate disputed information

• Correct or delete inaccurate information

• Provide general guidance and help on information reported

AppFolio Consumer Relations is here to help the consumer (applicants) and our property manager customers (you) with these situations.


Consumer Relations in the Leasing Flow

Consumer Wants Copy

Consumer Dispute

Property Manager Has Questions On Report


Why do Consumers Contact AppFolio?AppFolio is the provider of the information in the screening report


Consumer Relations: Common Reasons to Contact• Request a copy of a screening report

• Dispute information related to:

• Credit• Rental History• Criminal • Eviction

• General inquiries:

• Permissible Purpose (i.e. signed rental application)• Clarify where information is on the credit report• Understand why a credit score was not found


Consumer Relations: Notes

• AppFolio will respond to a consumer request within 5 days

• Most requests are resolved within 7 to 10 days – we are required to have a resolution within 30 days

• Statute of limitations exists for information provided in reports


Please contact us anytime at:

[email protected]

(866) 359-3630

www.appfolio.com/consumer


Screening Report Overview


Screening Report Overview• Completely built into

your AppFolio account

• Instant results

• No phoning, faxing, waiting

• Designed to be easy to read

• Retained as part of tenant record


Screening Report Overview, Cont.• Two main sections:

• Summary section at top with high level overview of results

• Details section down the page with in-depth details separated into sub-sections


Screening Report: Areas of Possible Dispute• Consumer may want

to dispute or inquire about the following sections, which is why they call Consumer Relations:

1. Credit Summary

2. Rental Payment Summary

3. Eviction History

4. Criminal History

1

2

3

4


Screening Report: Applicant Information• IMPORTANT: The information on the tenant Rental Application and supporting

documents (personal ID, etc.) need to match what is in the Applicant Information section of the screening report to ensure an accurate match


Screening Report: Credit Section• Summary & details

sections

• FICO score – reading and interpretation

• How to view trade lines

• AppFolio report also highlights negative trade line items in Summary section

• A note on updating this section after a dispute


Screening Report: Rental History• Pulls data from Experian

RentBureau database – helpful to inform rental decision

• Provides insight into applicants’ past rental payment history

• Does not negatively impact credit, but can help if rent paid on time

• help.appfolio.com – RentBureau Webinar

• [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]


Screening Report: Eviction History• Based on addresses

and names

• Consider reasons for duplicate listings


Screening Report: Criminal History• Based on name,

DOB, address, aliases (no SSN)

• Each court may independently decide what to report and how


Best Practices


Best Practice: File Disputes Quickly


[email protected]

(866) 359-3630

We will ask for:

1. Copy of ID

2. Signed explanation of

request

3. Full name

4. Current address

5. DOB

6. SSN

7. Phone Number

8. Email address

Note: No PII over unsecured email


Best Practice: Communicate• The best way to avoid

conflicts and confusion is with communication

• Be sure to understand your responsibilities regarding FCRA

• Follow up verbal communications with written summary for confirmation of understanding

• Engage AppFolio to assist


Best Practice: Stay In Compliance • Requirements for “Due

Diligence”

• Requirements for getting “credentialed” for credit data

• Screening guidelines – “re-screening,” employees, etc.

• Getting a signed rental application: permissible purpose

• Requirements for keeping documents on file: 6 years

• Checking ID: data matches on application?


FAQ’s


FAQ’s

Where does AppFolio obtain information for screening reports?

• AppFolio obtains credit information from the credit bureau Experian. Criminal and eviction data is pulled from hundreds of national, state and county courts across the United States.


FAQ’s

Is is a hard or soft inquiry on a credit file?

• It is a hard inquiry


FAQ’s

How are the criminal records matched?

• They are matched using a combination of the following items:

• First name, last name, DOB (if provided by the courts), any aliases used and areas where the applicant has resided.

• Criminal records are not matched using a SSN.


FAQ’s

What if criminal and/or eviction information is omitted from the report?

• Every court jurisdiction in the United States can independently decide if they are going to electronically report criminal/eviction data to a bulk data base, from where we can buy the information.

• The courts can also independently decide how much of the data they will report.

• If a criminal or eviction record is omitted from the report there is a good reason for it. We can file an investigation with the court data providers to determine why the information was omitted from the report.


FAQ’sHow can an applicant obtain a copy of their resident screening report from AppFolio?

• To receive a copy of their screening report, please have them contact AppFolio's Consumer Relations at 866 359-3630 or [email protected].

• We’ll mail a copy of their screening report via regular US Postal mail and they can expect to receive it within 10 business days of their request.

mailto:[email protected]


FAQ’s

What if the information that appears on a screening report is incorrect?

• AppFolio is dedicated to providing accurate, up-to-date credit and background information. If you believe information on the screening report is incorrect, we encourage you to take the necessary steps to file an investigation with our Consumer relations team.


Summary


Summary• Introduction – AppFolio Consumer Relations

• The Role of Consumer Relations in the Leasing Flow

• Let’s Look at a Screening Report

• How to File a Dispute

• Best Practices – Communication & Compliance

• Questions


Action Checklist

Action Who When

Review Your Current Consumer Relations Practices You Today ☐

Identify Any Areas for Changes / Improvements You Tomorrow ☐

Contact Us with Any Questions, Anytime! You Thursday ☐


Questions

Please contact us anytime at:


[email protected]

(866) 359-3630

Thank you – we look forward to hearing from you!


AppFolio’s 3rd Annual Conference

www.AppFolio.com/conference

http://www.AppFolio.com/conference


It’s a Great Time to be In Property Management

We Look Forward to Working With You to Achieve Success


Thank You

appfolio consumer relations team (customer webinar)

Technology

notes appfolio

consumer request

role of consumer relations

consumer applicants

screening report overview

leasing flow consumer

inaccurate information

consumer reporting agency