On this page you define which requirements applicants must meet at each stage of your rental process. Locari automatically evaluates incoming applications against your active criteria and only contacts you for borderline cases.
What Locari does automatically: Check applicant data and documents against your active criteria, calculate the fulfilment status, start a clarification request for borderline cases, mark applicants with an unmet requirement for manual review. What you decide: Which criteria to activate, what threshold and tolerance applies, and whether a borderline case is accepted or rejected.
Common Tasks
- Add or edit a criterion
- Set the phase: pre-selection or document verification
- 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.
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: Pre-selection
- 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 assigns each criterion to one of two evaluation phases:
| Phase | When | Typical criteria |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-selection | Immediately on application, before a viewing invitation | Name, income, employment, pets, smoker status |
| Document verification | After applicant submits documents | Pay slips, ID, credit report, self-disclosure form |
What the AI does here: In pre-selection, Locari evaluates the applicant's self-reported data. In document verification, 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 the number of monthly salaries to evidence (default: 3). A single document can cover several months (e.g. a bank statement).
- Applies to the configured household roles (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 is flagged for your manual review; you decide.
- Request guarantor — Locari automatically requests a guarantor. Once a guarantor with sufficient income is confirmed, the criterion is marked as fulfilled.
Locari never rejects on its own. An unmet requirement always leads to manual review by you (GDPR Art. 22) — you make the final decision.
Criteria Catalog
Personal Details
| Criterion | Phase | Configurable |
|---|---|---|
| First name provided | Pre-selection | Mandatory (active by default) |
| Last name provided | Pre-selection | Mandatory (active by default) |
| Valid phone number | Pre-selection | Mandatory / Optional |
Income
| Criterion | Phase | Configurable |
|---|---|---|
| Income ≥ 1.5× rent | Pre-selection | Tolerance, response to non-fulfillment |
| Income ≥ 2× rent | Pre-selection | Tolerance, response to non-fulfillment |
| Income ≥ 3× rent | Pre-selection | Tolerance, response to non-fulfillment |
| Income proof required | Document verification | Number of monthly salaries (default 3) |
Only one of the three income-multiple criteria can be active at the same time.
Employment
| Criterion | Phase | Configurable |
|---|---|---|
| Has employment | Pre-selection | Mandatory / Optional |
| No probationary period | Pre-selection | Mandatory / Optional |
Documents
| Criterion | Phase | Configurable |
|---|---|---|
| ID document required | Document verification | Mandatory / Optional — applies to the configured roles |
| Credit report required | Document verification | Mandatory / Optional |
| Self-disclosure form required | Document verification | Template uploadable |
| Signed guarantor form | Document verification | Only when guarantor present |
Legal note (DSK 2024): According to German data protection authority guidelines, the credit report and ID document 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 fixed document verification phase.
Other
| Criterion | Phase | Configurable |
|---|---|---|
| No pets | Pre-selection | Mandatory / Optional |
| Non-smoker | Pre-selection | Mandatory / Optional — requires consent |
| Household size | Pre-selection | Value, Mandatory / Optional |
| Household type | Pre-selection | Value, Mandatory / Optional |
How the fulfilment status is calculated: Locari checks each active criterion with a fixed comparison against the threshold you set, and marks the status as fulfilled, not fulfilled, or pending. The result appears as a percentage on the applicant detail page: fulfilled criteria ÷ total × 100. There is no weighted point ranking — the same data always yields the same result. If fulfillment is unclear — for example income stated without proof — the criterion stays pending. As soon as the document is available, Locari updates the status automatically. What you do: You set whether a criterion is mandatory or optional, and 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.