Screening & Applications Specialist

At Cortland, we operate with a forward-thinking approach that challenges conventional norms and actively seeks insights beyond traditional industry boundaries. As a recognized leader in the multifamily sector, our focus on performance, innovation, and disciplined execution continues to drive strong growth and market leadership. We are committed to building a best-in-class organization by empowering top talent with the resources, autonomy, and support needed to deliver results and advance their careers in a high-performance environment.

Role Overview

As a Screening and Application Specialist, you work to help establish consistency in the leasing process from start to finish while providing exceptional service for applicants and associates. You act as the main point of contact for our applicants from the time they submit their application until move-in.

The Lease Liaison

• Oversee and administrate all prospective applications
• Serve as the main contact during the application and approval process
• Generate accurate leases and execute before move-in date
• Work with a variety of applicants to prepare lease documents for signature and approval
• Follow established processes and guidelines in daily activities to do what is right for the applicant, community, and investor

The Documentarian

• Collect, review, and verify all supporting documentation needed for approval for all lease signers, including proof of income, rental history, photo ID, employment history, and further investigation of credit/criminal as needed
• Ensure proper documentation is loaded into OneSite
• Drive conversations and collections on all pre-move-in items, working to ensure that there are proper insurance coverages, bonds, utility updates, and lease signer agreements
• Send any adverse action letters to denied applications

The Reports Guru

• Engage with communities to provide daily reports
• Maintain reporting for Lease Specialist flow
• Close-out Final Account Statements
• Input and maintain lease data
• Maintain funnel and CRM for tracking important dates and tasks

Qualifications

• Strong 2+ years of experience in a role that requires organization, scheduling, and working collaboratively with others; experience working in the multifamily, real estate, or a customer-focused industry preferred
• Bachelor's degree or relevant business degree
• Knowledge of application and lease procedures as well as rental criteria, applicant consent to investigations, applicant processing standards, and company privacy policies
• Stellar written and verbal communication skills plus cultural adeptness are a must, maintaining comfort influencing leaders and effectively tailoring communications across all levels of our organization
• Proactive, service-centered, and team-building attitude
• Exceptional time management, administrative, and organizational skills with an ability to thrive in a rapid-paced and quickly changing environment
• Strong work ethic and respect for sensitive, confidential information
• Bilingual is a plus

Flexibility to work weekends and/or extended hours as needed

About Cortland

Founded in 2005, Cortland is an international, vertically integrated multifamily real estate investment, development, and management firm with a resident-centric approach to living experiences. Recognized as one of the top 10 multifamily owners and operators in the US, Cortland combines in-house design, construction, and operations to deliver value and innovation across its portfolio.

Join us as we reimagine apartment living and drive outsized returns through purpose, performance, and people.

Cortland is an equal opportunity employer, and we're proud to support and celebrate diversity in the workplace. We are committed to equal consideration for all qualified applicants regardless of race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, disability, protected veteran status, genetic information or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. If you have a disability and need an accommodation or assistance with the application process and/or using our website, please email View email address on workus.org

Cortland is a drug-free workplace.

Cortland participates in e-verify to verify the employment status of all persons hired to work in the United States.

California Applicant Privacy Notice

We collect personal information from all job applicants, including identifiers (e.g., name, contact details), professional or employment information (e.g., résumé, work history, qualifications), and education information. This information is used for recruiting, evaluating your candidacy, conducting interviews, and managing the application process.

California residents may request access to or deletion of their personal information by contacting us at ***email_hidden***

GDPR Statement

When you apply to a job on this site, the personal data contained in your application will be collected by Cortland ("Controller"), which is located at 3424 Peachtree RD NE Suite 300 Atlanta, GA and can be contacted by emailing ***email_hidden*** because Controller wishes to evaluate your candidacy for employment at Controller. Your personal data was either obtained from publicly available sources (e.g. LinkedIn) or provided to Controller by someone who referred you for potential employment. Controller's data protection officer is Greg Shultz, who can be contacted at View email address on workus.org. Your personal data will be processed for the purposes of managing Controller's recruitment related activities, which include setting up and conducting interviews and tests for applicants, evaluating and assessing the results thereto, and as is otherwise needed in the recruitment and hiring processes. Such processing is legally permissible under Art. 6(1)(f) of Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (General Data Protection Regulation) as necessary for the purposes of the legitimate interests pursued by the Controller, which are the solicitation, evaluation, and selection of applicants for employment.

Your personal data has been shared with Greenhouse Software, Inc., a cloud services provider located in the United States of America and engaged by Controller to help manage its recruitment and hiring process on Controller's behalf. Accordingly, if you are located outside of the United States, your personal data has been transferred to the United States. Because the European Union Commission has determined that United States data privacy laws do not ensure an adequate level of protection for personal data collected from EU data subjects, the transfer was subject to appropriate additional safeguards under [either the standard contractual clauses or the Privacy Shield]. You can obtain a copy of the standard contractual clauses by contacting us at ***email_hidden***

Your personal data will be retained by Controller as long as Controller determines it is necessary to evaluate your application for employment. Under the GDPR, you have the right to request access to your personal data, to request that your personal data be rectified or erased, and to request that processing of your personal data be restricted. You also have to right to data portability. In addition, you may lodge a complaint with an EU supervisory authority.