Property management · Leasing questions (US)
Leasing call questions: what to ask, and what never to ask
A good leasing call asks every prospect the same few questions, in the same words, and nothing else. Here are the questions in order, why each one matters and how the call ends, then the questions Fair Housing law means you never ask, with what to say instead.
Last updated October 25, 2026
The questions, in order
Eight steps, about two minutes. Each one either moves the caller toward a tour or tells your team something they need.
| Ask | Why it matters | If the answer is… |
|---|---|---|
| “Which property or unit are you calling about?” | Answers come from the right listing. Across a portfolio, one street can have several. | Not sure: it describes the units available now. |
| “How many bedrooms do you need?” | Matches the caller to units that fit, without asking who they live with. | Nothing that size is free: their details go to leasing for the next one. |
| “When would you like to move in?” | Separates this month’s renters from next season’s. | Months away: a lead email now, a tour closer to the date. |
| “Do you have any pets?” | Your pet policy follows, in the same words for everyone. | An assistance animal: noted word for word for your staff. No pet fee is quoted. |
| Your requirement, stated: “We ask for a household income of three times the rent.” | Stated, not asked, so every caller hears the same standard and decides for themselves. | Questions about it: a callback from leasing. |
| “Would you like to see it? I have Saturday at 11:00 or 2:30.” | Real open times, so the call ends with a booking. | No time works: a callback to find one. |
| “Can I get your name, number and email?” | So leasing can confirm the tour, follow up and send the application link. | They’d rather not: their questions are answered, with no lead. |
| “Is there anything you’d like the leasing team to know?” | Catches what a person must handle, such as a request for an accommodation. | Anything at all: it goes in the email, word for word. |
An example order. Change the words to suit your properties, then keep them the same for every caller.
Copy the questions into your agent
These go in step 3, Questions to ask, in this order: your agent asks them in the order you list them. Tick Confirm on name, phone and email, and they’re read back.
Your income requirement and pet policy go in step 9, Business rules, so they’re stated the same way on every call. How each call ends is on the AI leasing agent page.
Leasing questions for step 3
Which property or unit are you calling about? How many bedrooms do you need? When would you like to move in? Do you have any pets? Would you like to book a tour? Can I get your full name? What’s the best number to reach you? What’s your email address? Is there anything you’d like the leasing team to know?
What never to ask or say, and what to say instead
The Fair Housing Act makes it unlawful to make any statement that indicates a preference, limitation or discrimination based on a protected class. On a leasing call, that means questions about who the caller is, and comments about who lives nearby.
| Never ask or say | Why | Say instead |
|---|---|---|
| “Do you have kids?” or “How many children?” | Familial status is protected by the Fair Housing Act. | “How many bedrooms do you need?”, then your occupancy limits, the same way to everyone. |
| “Are you married?” | Not in the federal Act, but many states and cities protect marital status. | Nothing. Your application asks who will be on the lease. |
| “Where are you from?”, or anything about an accent | National origin is protected. | Nothing. |
| “There’s a great church around the corner.” | Religion is protected, and pointing people toward or away from an area is steering. | Facts about the property only. |
| “Do you have a disability?” or “What’s the animal for?” | Disability is protected. What may be asked, and when, is for your staff to judge. | “I’ll pass that to our leasing manager.” |
| “It’s perfect for young professionals” or “great for families” | A preference for one kind of household can be a discriminatory statement. | Describe the home: “two bedrooms, a playground on site, five minutes’ walk to the bus.” |
| An opinion when asked “Is it a safe area?” | Opinions about an area and who lives there can steer. | Point to official sources, such as the police department’s crime map. |
| “Where does your income come from?” | Many states and cities protect source of income, including housing vouchers. | State your income requirement the same way to everyone. |
Sources: the Fair Housing Act, 42 U.S.C. §3604, including §3604(c) on statements, and HUD’s rule on discriminatory statements, which covers spoken ones (24 CFR 100.75); on assistance animals, HUD’s rule on reasonable accommodations (24 CFR 100.204) and its enforcement memo of May 22, 2026 (HUD). General information, not legal advice. Rules differ by state, province and city, so check yours.
Assistance animals: the call to hand to a person
It’s the leasing question most often settled wrongly on the phone.
The Fair Housing Act requires reasonable accommodations in rules and policies for people with disabilities. HUD’s own rule gives the example of a blind applicant with a seeing eye dog in a building with a no-pets policy (24 CFR 100.204). How far that reaches for other animals is changing. HUD rescinded its 2020 notice on assistance animals on September 17, 2025. Its enforcement memo of May 22, 2026 says it will pursue a refused pet-policy waiver only for an animal individually trained to do work for the person’s disability, not for an untrained emotional support animal (HUD, May 22, 2026). People can still go to court, and state and local laws can give more protection.
Each request is a judgment for your staff, with the request in front of them. So your virtual receptionist does three things: it notes the request word for word, it doesn’t quote a pet fee, and it passes the request to the person you choose.
What it says on the call
“Thank you for telling me. Requests about assistance animals go to our leasing manager, who’ll go over it with you, separately from our pet policy. I’ve noted it for them.”
A call that invites steering
Two questions in a row ask for an opinion about the people nearby. The virtual receptionist answers with facts about the property and goes back to the questions.
- AI receptionistThanks for calling Cedar Point Apartments. I’m an AI assistant. This call is recorded and transcribed so we can handle your request. How can I help you today?
- CallerI’m looking at the two-bedroom on Oak Street. Is it a good area for kids?
- AI receptionistI can’t give opinions about the area, but I can tell you about the property. There’s a fenced playground behind the building and laundry on every floor. The school district’s website shows which schools serve the address. How many bedrooms do you need?
- CallerTwo. And is it quiet? I don’t want to be next to a lot of students.
- AI receptionistI can’t describe the people who live here. Our quiet hours are 10 p.m. to 8 a.m., every day. The two-bedroom is available December 1. When would you like to move in?
- CallerDecember works.
- AI receptionistWould you like to see it? I have Thursday at 5:30 p.m. or Saturday at 10:00 a.m.
Build it yourself
Put the questions in your agent
Three steps of the 365vox portal hold everything on this page: the questions, the rules for answering, and what it never says.
You set all of this yourself in the 365vox portal, on the Customize screen. Everything saves as you type; then you submit, test the agent with a real call and activate it.
Customize · your agent
- Step 3, Questions to askThe nine questions above, in order. Tick Confirm on name, phone and email.
- Step 9, Business rules
We ask for a household income of three times the rent.
Your pet policy, occupancy limits and tour times. And:For questions about schools or safety, point callers to the school district’s and the police department’s websites.
- Step 10, Things your agent will never doAdd
Never ask whether a caller has children, a disability or a religion
andNever describe who lives in the building or the area.
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Keep exploring
Leasing call questions FAQs
What questions should you ask on a leasing call?
Can you ask how many people will live in the unit?
Can you ask a prospect about their income?
Can a no-pets building refuse an emotional support animal?
Can a leasing agent call a building family-friendly?
What should you say when a prospect asks if the area is safe?
How do you make sure every caller is asked the same questions?
Is there a version for Canada?
The same questions, in the same words, on every leasing call.
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