When Priya applied for a rental through Rentredi, her application showed “Under Review” for nine days. She assumed she was being considered, stopped looking at other homes, and turned down a second viewing. On day ten, the status changed to “Declined”, and Priya learned that her application had actually been incomplete the whole time: a missing document had held it in review, and nobody had told her.
Priya’s frustration came from a status she did not understand. Rentredi application statuses are a simple tracking system, but only if both sides know what each status means, what action it requires, and how long it should last. This article explains every common status, what it means for tenants and landlords, and what to do when an application stalls.
A status is a message. When nobody reads it correctly, it becomes a misunderstanding.
What Is an Application Status?
An application status is a label showing where an application sits in the landlord’s process, from submission to decision. It answers the tenant’s constant question, “what is happening with my application”, without a phone call or an email.
For landlords, statuses organise the pipeline: which applications are new, which need documents, which are being screened, and which are decided.
Statuses matter because renting moves fast. A tenant waiting on one home is often holding off on others, and a landlord with ten applications needs to know which ones are real prospects and which are stuck. A clear status system keeps both sides informed, reduces support messages, and prevents the exact situation Priya faced: a tenant who believed silence meant progress.
Submitted: What Does It Mean?
Submitted means the tenant has completed the application form and sent it, and the application is now in the landlord’s queue. For the tenant, this status means: your part is done for now, and the next step belongs to the landlord. For the landlord, it means: a new application has arrived and needs an initial review.
Landlords should review submitted applications within one business day, even if only to move them to the next status.
A submitted application that sits untouched for a week is a tenant lost to a faster landlord, because qualified tenants apply to several homes at once. Tenants who see “Submitted” for more than two business days should send a polite portal message asking whether anything further is needed, because a short nudge often moves an application that a busy landlord has simply not opened.
Under Review: The Status That Confuses Everyone
Under Review means the landlord or their team is actively assessing the application: checking documents, running screening, contacting references, or comparing applicants. It does not mean approval is likely, and it does not mean rejection is coming. It means the application is in progress, and the tenant should wait without assuming an outcome.
The problem with Under Review is that it can hide a stall. An application waiting on a missing document, an unanswered reference, or a screening delay all show the same label, and tenants cannot tell waiting from stuck. Good landlords solve this by messaging the tenant when a specific item is needed, rather than leaving the status to speak for itself. Tenants in Under Review for more than three business days should ask what remains outstanding, because the answer is often a single document they can provide in minutes.
Pending Documents: What the Tenant Must Do
Pending Documents means the application cannot proceed until the tenant provides something: a pay stub, an ID, a reference contact, or a completed form section. This is the most actionable status in the system, because the next step belongs entirely to the tenant, and the application will not move until it is taken.
Tenants who see this status should open the application, read exactly what is requested, and upload it the same day. Landlords should state precisely what is missing, not just “documents needed”, because vague requests produce wrong uploads and further delay. Priya’s application sat in review for nine days because a missing document was never named to her; had the status shown Pending Documents with the item listed, she would have uploaded it on day one and received a decision days earlier.
Approved: What Happens Next?
Approved means the landlord has accepted the application, and the tenancy moves to lease signing. For the tenant, this is the moment to stop applying elsewhere, confirm the move in date, and prepare the deposit and first rent payment. For the landlord, it means sending the lease, collecting signatures, and marking the unit as let so other applicants are informed.
Approval is not yet a tenancy. Until the lease is signed and the deposit is paid, either side can still withdraw, and landlords should move quickly from approval to lease to avoid losing an approved tenant to another home. Tenants should also act quickly: confirm acceptance in writing, ask for the lease draft, and read it before signing. An approved application that lingers for a week without a lease is an approved tenant shopping elsewhere.
Declined: What It Means and What Rights Apply
Declined means the landlord has decided not to proceed with this application. It is a final status for that application, although the tenant may apply for other properties. Landlords should communicate the decision promptly, because a tenant waiting on a declined application is a tenant not applying elsewhere, and every day of delay costs the tenant options.
Where the decline was based on a screening report, the landlord generally must provide an adverse action notice explaining the applicant’s right to a copy of the report and to dispute errors. Tenants who are declined should ask whether the decision was report based, and should request the report, because errors are common and correctable. A decline is not a judgement on the tenant’s worth. It is a decision on one application against specific criteria, and tenants who understand the reason can fix the issue before the next application.
Waitlisted and On Hold: The In Between Statuses
Waitlisted means the application is acceptable but the unit went to another applicant, and the tenant will be contacted if the first choice falls through. Tenants who are waitlisted should keep looking, because a waitlist is a maybe, not a plan, and landlords should be honest about the tenant’s position rather than implying a likely vacancy.
On Hold means the landlord has paused the process, often because the unit’s availability changed, a decision maker is away, or the landlord is waiting on information from another party. Tenants on hold should ask how long the hold will last and whether they should keep the application active. Landlords should use On Hold sparingly and with a message explaining the reason, because an unexplained hold feels identical to being ignored, and tenants who feel ignored leave.
A Numbered Example: Priya’s Application, Done Right
Priya applies for a unit at 1,400 dollars a month, and her application is missing one pay stub. Compare the actual timeline with a timeline where statuses are used properly.
1. Day one, Priya submits her application, and the status shows Submitted. 2. Day one, the landlord reviews it and moves it to Pending Documents, naming the missing pay stub in a message. 3. Day one, Priya uploads the pay stub, and the status moves to Under Review. 4. Day three, screening completes, the landlord approves, and the status shows Approved with the lease sent the same day. 5. Total time from submission to approval is three days, against ten days on the actual timeline, and Priya never stops looking at other homes unnecessarily.
The difference is not effort. It is communication attached to each status change. Three days against ten, one clear message against nine days of silence, and a tenant who signs a lease instead of one who loses a week. Statuses work when landlords pair them with messages, and they fail when landlords assume the label alone is enough.
State Variation
Application status practices sit inside state rental law, and the rules that matter most concern fees, timing, and adverse action. Some states cap application fees and require landlords to disclose what the fee covers, which means a landlord cannot collect fees for applications that are never reviewed. California and New York both regulate application fees and require certain disclosures, and landlords in those states should ensure their status workflow matches their fee obligations.
Adverse action rules also vary, but the federal baseline generally requires notice when a decline is based on a consumer report, and several states add their own notice or timing requirements. Landlords should ensure a Declined status is always paired with the required notice where applicable, because a status change alone is not a notice. Tenants should know their state’s fee and notice rules before applying, because those rules determine what a landlord owes them at each stage of the process.
Cost of Doing Nothing
Landlords who never manage statuses pay in lost tenants and wasted time.
An application left at Submitted for a week loses the tenant to a faster landlord, and the landlord must then advertise again, screen again, and wait again, at a cost of at least one more week of vacancy. An application stuck in Under Review without a message produces support calls and emails that consume the landlord’s time anyway, defeating the purpose of the system.
Tenants also pay: a tenant misled by an unclear status, like Priya, loses a week of searching and may lose a second home as well. Managing statuses with messages takes minutes per application. Ignoring them costs weeks per vacancy.
Common Questions About Rental Application Statuses
How long should each status last? Submitted should last no more than one business day before review. Under Review should last two to five business days for most applications, depending on screening and references.
Pending Documents should last only as long as the tenant needs to upload, and landlords should follow up after two days of inaction.
Approved should move to lease signing within a few days. Any status lasting longer than these ranges deserves a message from one side or the other.
Can a tenant check status without messaging the landlord? Yes, the portal shows the current status at any time, and tenants should check it before messaging, because the status often answers the question. A tenant who sees Pending Documents knows what to do without asking.
A tenant who sees Under Review for five days knows a polite follow up is reasonable. The portal gives tenants visibility, and visibility reduces the need for chasing on both sides.
Bottom Line
Rental application statuses work when both sides understand them: Submitted means received and awaiting review, Under Review means assessment in progress, and Pending Documents means the tenant must act. Approved means lease signing starts, Declined means the decision is final for that application, and Waitlisted or On Hold mean the tenant should keep looking while waiting.
Landlords should pair every status change with a clear message and keep each stage within a few days. Tenants should act the same day on Pending Documents and follow up politely when a stage runs long. Landlords who want the wider picture should read the guide to tenant rights and responsibilities so their application process respects both sides, and anyone facing a decline should know how to respond to an eviction notice in time if a dispute escalates. Applicants who want to understand formal process timelines should also read the eviction process step by step guide.
A status is only useful when it tells the truth promptly. Make it do that, and the pipeline runs itself.
