On this page you define which requirements applicants must meet at each stage of your rental process. Locari automatically evaluates incoming applications against your criteria, calculates a score, and only contacts you for borderline cases.
What Locari does automatically: Check applicant data and documents against your active criteria, calculate a score, start a clarification request for borderline cases, mark applicants who fail mandatory criteria for manual review. What you decide: Which criteria to activate, what weight and tolerance applies, and whether a borderline case is accepted or rejected.
Common Tasks
- Add or edit a criterion
- Set the phase: initial review or document review
- Configure income multiple and tolerance
- Configure the response to non-fulfillment
- View the full criteria catalog
- Track criteria changes
For an overview of all applications switch to the Applicant List — bulk reject, filter by phase and status, sort by score.
How To
Setting Up Criteria
- Open the listing → tab Criteria.
- Click + Add Criterion and choose an entry from the catalog.
- Configure phase, mandatory flag, and value where applicable — for example:
- Criterion: Monthly income (3× base rent)
- Phase: Initial review
- Mandatory: Yes — if not fulfilled: request guarantor
- Save — the criterion applies to all new applications immediately.
Example for the Bauer family: Base rent 1,200 €, income criterion 3× = 3,600 € net. The Bauer family reports 3,800 € — criterion fulfilled .
Understanding Phases
Locari evaluates criteria in two phases:
| Phase | When | Typical criteria |
|---|---|---|
| Initial review | Immediately on application | Name, income, employment, pets, smoker status |
| Document review | After applicant submits documents | Pay slips, ID, SCHUFA (German credit report), self-disclosure form |
What the AI does here: In the initial review, Locari evaluates the applicant's self-reported data. In the document review, the AI reads submitted files, extracts values (income, employment duration), and compares them with self-reported figures. What you do: You decide which criterion belongs to which phase. If documents contradict self-reported data, Locari flags the applicant for manual review.
Income and Income Proof
Configure income multiple:
- Choose the Monthly income criterion (1.5×, 2×, or 3× base rent).
- Set a tolerance — default: ±10 %. Example: with a 3,600 € requirement and 10 % tolerance, 3,240 € is sufficient.
- Choose response when not fulfilled: Manual review or Request guarantor.
Income proof criterion:
- Activate the Income proof required criterion.
- Set number of months required (default: 3, maximum: 6 months). Documents older than 4 months are not accepted.
- Automatically applies to all adults in the household (primary tenant, partner, guarantor).
Response to Non-Fulfillment
For income criteria you can choose what happens when an applicant does not meet the requirement:
- Manual review — Applicant stays active; you decide.
- Request guarantor — Locari automatically requests a guarantor. Once a guarantor with sufficient income is confirmed, the criterion is marked as fulfilled.
- Block — Applicant cannot advance to the next phase.
Criteria Catalog
Personal Details
| Criterion | Phase | Configurable |
|---|---|---|
| First name provided | Initial review | Mandatory (active by default) |
| Last name provided | Initial review | Mandatory (active by default) |
| Valid phone number | Initial review | Mandatory / Optional |
Income
| Criterion | Phase | Configurable |
|---|---|---|
| Income ≥ 1.5× rent | Initial review | Tolerance, response to non-fulfillment |
| Income ≥ 2× rent | Initial review | Tolerance, response to non-fulfillment |
| Income ≥ 3× rent | Initial review | Tolerance, response to non-fulfillment |
| Income proof | Document review | Number of months (3–6) |
Only one of the three income-multiple criteria can be active at the same time.
Employment
| Criterion | Phase | Configurable |
|---|---|---|
| No probationary period | Initial review | Mandatory / Optional |
Documents
| Criterion | Phase | Configurable |
|---|---|---|
| ID document required | Document review | Mandatory / Optional — applies to all adults |
| SCHUFA (credit report) required | Document review | Mandatory / Optional |
| Self-disclosure form required | Document review | Template uploadable |
| Signed guarantor form | Document review | Only when guarantor present |
Legal note (DSK 2024): According to German data protection authority guidelines, SCHUFA and ID documents may only be requested at an advanced stage — when the selection has been narrowed down to a few serious candidates. Locari therefore assigns these criteria to the document review phase. Do not activate SCHUFA or ID document as initial-review mandatory criteria.
Other
| Criterion | Phase | Configurable |
|---|---|---|
| No pets | Initial review | Mandatory / Optional |
| Non-smoker | Initial review | Mandatory / Optional — requires consent |
| Positive creditworthiness | Initial review | Mandatory / Optional |
How the score is calculated: Locari adds points for each fulfilled criterion according to its weight. Mandatory criteria count more than optional ones. The result appears as a score (e.g. 78/100) on the applicant detail page. If fulfillment is unclear — for example income stated without proof — the criterion stays pending and temporarily lowers the score. As soon as the document is available, Locari updates the score automatically. What you do: You set whether a criterion is mandatory or optional. The weighting formula is fixed — you decide for each borderline case whether the deviation is acceptable.
Audit and History
The History tab documents every criteria change: who added, edited, or removed which criterion, with timestamp and team member name.
Important: Changes to criteria only apply to newly incoming applications. Already-evaluated applications are not automatically recalculated. On the applicant detail page, click Re-process to re-evaluate a single application against the current criteria.
Retention: Criteria changes remain permanently visible in the history and cannot be deleted — they serve as evidence in the event of discrimination complaints.
Permissions and Multi-select
- Visible to: all team members of the owner account.
- Add, edit, or remove criteria: administrators only — changes affect all future applications.
- Manage criteria across multiple listings: go to the Listing overview — you can copy criteria templates to new listings.