Application Criteria

Houston County Property Management LLC does business in accordance with the Federal, State and Local Fair Housing laws and welcome Persons of all Race, Color, Disability, Religious Creed, Ancestry, Sex, Familial Status, Sexual Preference, Gender Identity, Age and National Origin. We process applications and score is on the criteria described in this policy. We select the best qualified applicant based on the highest scoring application. We do not accept comprehensive reusable applicant screening reports. We do accept multiple applications at the same time and approve the applications based on the scores, desired possession date, and most completed application. We do encourage applicants to contact us before applying in case they do not want to be in a multiple application situation. Application fees are non-refundable and paid directly to our 3rd party vendor. Completed applications are held for 60-days and can be applied to other properties.

Each application requires that we verify credit history, leasing history, income, and criminal reports. Factors such as your move in date, pets and your behavior and cooperation with our staff may also be considered in the application decision.

IN ORDER TO PROCESS YOUR APPLICATION, WE NEED YOU TO PROVIDE US THE FOLLOWING ITEMS:

1. Completed application- We must have a separate completed application for anyone 18+ years old that will be living at the property. Please make sure to complete all fields as we only process fully completed applications.
2. A copy of a state and/or federal issued photo ID. e.g. driver’s license, passport, military ID
3. Proof of income for all applicants- Applicants must provide verification of legal income sufficient to meet the rent to income ratio. Examples of verification include, but are not limited to, last two paycheck stubs, payroll report from employer for at least the two most recent pay periods, current proof of government income (such as Social Security, disability, etc.), proof of retirement income, liquid assets (e.g. savings/bank account, stocks), proof of spousal and/or child support, or any other legal verifiable income. Verification of more than two pay periods may be required if the income is not consistent. If the applicant is hired but has not received a pay stub yet, a written letter of hire from employer detailing wage/salary, position and start date is required.
4. Self-employed applicants must provide a copy of the previous year’s tax return in in Q1 or Q2 of the year. In Q3 and Q4, applicant must also provide documentation of the current year’s financial performance in addition to last year’s tax return. Gross income is calculated as total income before taxes less child/spousal support, debt service, payroll garnishments for loans, taxes, child/spousal support, etc. Tax free income is divided by .85 to account for the difference in taxed and non-taxed income such as social security, disability or state support.
5. $65.00 non-refundable screening fee per application. PLEASE NOTE, SINCE WE INCUR COSTS TO PROCESS AND SCREEN EACH APPLICATION, APPLICATION FEES ARE NON-REFUNDABLE.

APPLICATION POLICIES

• You must be willing to start the lease within 10 days of applying if the property is vacant at the time of application. If property is not available until a future date, you must be willing to start a lease within 10 days of the availability date. Please check with our team if this is a concern.
• A complete application package includes all four items listed above. Only fully completed application packages will be processed. An incomplete application package will not be considered. Please attach all documents to your online application.
• Our application process generally takes three to five business days from the day you provide us a complete application and all required documents. If there are multiple applicants, it can sometimes take longer, but our goal is to get you a decision within three business days. We make no guarantee as to the time it will take to process your application. The time required varies based on the responsiveness of your landlords and employers and other business demands.
• We must verify your rental references, please make sure to provide working phone numbers for your current and previous landlords. When possible, it is a good idea to let them know we will be calling in advance. If you cannot provide contact information for your former landlords, we cannot consider that history and your application score may be affected.
• There are times when a company would like to rent a property in the company name. In those instances, we will require an individual to also be on the lease as a responsible party, either as an occupant lease holder or co-signer. This may be a principal of the company or the employee who is living at the property. The person who is responsible for the lease must qualify by our conventional scoring criteria. For occupant/non-leaseholders we require a criminal background check as part of the application.
• Be honest and truthful in your application and answer all questions. Any falsification of facts or withholding of information requested on the application is cause for denial. If the falsification of facts is revealed after a lease has been signed, this is a reasonable cause for eviction.
• Please note, if your application is approved, Houston County Property Management LLC needs a minimum of 3-5 business days to prepare the property prior to your move in.
• Pets- Please check the advertisement on our website to confirm if pets will be considered, and what the number, type and weight restrictions are. Your application may be subordinated to other applications, if other applicants do not have pets. No pets will be considered without a pet application. PetScreening.com fees apply. You MUST submit current vaccination records, photos and your tenant insurance policy number in order to have your animal considered. The information you submit to Petscreening.com will provide a score of 1 through 5 Paws. Animals meeting a minimum score of 3 out of 5, with all documents uploaded and meeting the weight and type restrictions will be approved.

The Houston County Property Management Resident Benefits Package (RBP) delivers savings and convenient, professional services that make taking care of your home second nature. By applying, Applicant agrees to be enrolled and to pay the applicable cost of $55 per month, payable with rent.

Your RBP may include, subject to property mechanicals or other limitations:

• Changing filters, a known tenant responsibility, is now as easy as opening the front door. For our properties with HVAC, we’ve made every effort to ensure your obligation to change the filter(s) is as easy as possible by having them delivered to your door approximately every 90/days, or as required by your system. This service helps you save up to $250 per year, improves your indoor air quality, and reduces the hassles and liability of repairs.
• A resident rewards program that helps you earn rewards for just enrolling and paying your rent on time; enjoy saving on everyday expenses for a premier rental experience.
• Credit building to help boost your credit score with timely rent payments.
• 24/7 online maintenance reporting aimed at making reporting those pesky maintenance issues easy and timely.
• Home buying assistance for when the time is right to buy your “forever” home.
• Easy access to your account, documents, and communication resources through our convenient online portal.
• We know you’re busy, so choose from a variety of ways to make your rental payments online.
• Vetted vendor network: we find the technicians, and you can feel comfortable knowing they are reputable, licensed, and insured.
• Periodic preventive maintenance walkthrough to ensure your experience is comfortable and that your home is kept in tip-top condition.

NOTE: The total monthly cost of the Resident Benefits Package is all-inclusive, and no discounts will be given if any element of the package is unavailable due to a lack of HVAC or another limitation at a specific property.

Credit scoring system:

• Credit
• 0= 700+FICO score
• 1= 625-699 FICO score
• 2= 590-624 FICO score
• 3= ≤589 FICO score / No Credit
• *Open (non-discharged) bankruptcy is cause for automatic denial of the rental application.*

RENT/INCOME RATIO (THIS IS A HOUSEHOLD MEASUREMENT, ALL APPLICANTS’ INCOME IS COMBINED FOR SCORING)

• 1= Verifiable rent to income ratio is 20% and less OR assets in bank accounts and investment accounts total six times the total rent for the lease term.
• 2= Verifiable rent to income ratio is 27% and 21% OR assets in bank accounts and investment accounts total four and a half times the total rent for the lease term.
• 4= Verifiable rent to income ratio is 32%-28%
• 6= Verifiable rent to income ratio is 33%+
• **All rent to income ratios are rounded to the nearest whole percent. If applicant is starting a new job, paystubs are not necessary but a letter of hire detailing wage, start date and position will serve as the documentation.

LANDLORD HISTORY

• 1= No eviction record, no more than 1 late rent record in 3 years, or last 3 years of address history is in a home owned by applicant
• 2= With 2 late rent records in 3 years or no leasing history (with non-family or friend landlords)

• 3= With 3 or more late rent records

  **Your application is automatically denied if you have an eviction record in the past 10 years, Negative Landlord Reference regarding property damage or outstanding balance due, Outstanding Landlord Collection or Judgement, or Mortgage is past due

  CRIMINAL HISTORY

  Criminal history is given an individual assessment and is either considered qualified or unqualified based on those facts separate from the scoring of financial matters. In order to fully consider your criminal history, please provide any information you feel is necessary to understand the context of your convictions. Examples of information you may want to provide for consideration include the circumstances surrounding the criminal conduct, your age at the time of the conduct and evidence of rehabilitation. As we evaluate an applicant’s criminal history, special attention is paid to violent and sexual offenses. We base our decisions related to criminal history on our business concern for the safety of other residents and our staff. Only convictions are considered, arrests without conviction are not considered when evaluating an application. Convictions for the manufacture and distribution of illegal drugs (no matter how long since the conviction) will result in application denial.

• ≤ 5 = approved with a one-month security deposit
• 6-7= high risk, if no more than one category is scored at the highest possible score then a co-signer or two times the deposit amount may be required to be approved. Co-signers live in the United States AND must score ≤1 on credit AND 1 on landlord history AND have verifiable gross income at least four times the rent after subtracting debt service and the amount of rent. Whether a higher deposit or co-signer (or both) is required is at the discretion of Houston County Property Management LLC.
• 8 or higher = Declined

If you are applying with multiple people, we average the scores of each individual to get a score for the whole application. If your application score is not a whole number, it will be rounded to the next whole number.

When choosing an applicant, we also look at the move-in date. Please make sure to list the earliest date you are willing to start your lease.

If we have multiple applicants who score the same, we then look at the move-in date, then the highest FICO score, to select the best applicant.

My Application was Approved
What's next?

WHEN YOUR APPLICATION IS APPROVED

PAYMENT OF RESERVATION FEE:

Once your application is approved, you will be notified by our staff and will be required to pay your reservation fee within 24 hours. A reservation fee equal to 25% of one-month's rent is required to take the property off the market. This will be applied to your security deposit or first month's rent at lease signing. This fee is used to hold the property for you until you move in. Once your reservation fee and signed reservation fee form are received at our office, the property will be removed from the rental market. In the event you decide to not move into the property, for any reason, this fee is non-refundable.

RESIDENT IS RESPONSIBLE FOR SETTING UP UTILITY SERVICES:

Once your application has been approved and your possession date is scheduled, you are responsible for contacting the utility companies to start service in your name on the date your tenancy begins.

MOVE IN PROCEDURES:

Once you have paid your reservation fee and signed the reservation fee form, our team will email you details on when to expect your Lease Package from Rent-Sign. We sign our rental agreements through an E-Signature process. We will need email addresses for each new resident, and all documents will be signed via E-Signature.

All move-in funds must be paid a minimum of 3-business days before possession. They must be paid into your portal.Any delay of payment will result in a delay of key exchange.

We conduct Lock Box Move-in's. We sign all documents using Rent-Sign and once all funds have been received to our office, we will email you the lock box code on your date of possession. We will keep the lock box on the house and at move out, you will place a house key in the same box. Our residents find this to be less stressful than meeting up to exchange money and keys. Please note personal checks will NOT be accepted as move in funds. Move in funds must be paid via ACH or Cashier’s check.

We find the move out process to be perhaps the most stressful part of a move for the residents, and the opportunity for disputing damages and cleaning at the time of move out is high, when you depend on just a move in check list. The importance of the photos protects your security deposit deductions from pre-existing condition charges, it protects the investor's property so there is clear and convincing evidence of its original condition and it protects our reputation. It is a win win for all involved. However, it is time consuming.

We also utilize technology designed to streamline the lease signing process. Part of the leasing fees we charge help offset our costs in the subscription fees for our web based products.

Following is a breakdown of our leasing fees, this does not include the application fee or security deposit:

• $99.00 Lease Fee
• $150.00 Re-key Fee
• We also assess a $45.00 pet acceptance and lease preparation fee per pet.

It is our goal to give all of our residents every opportunity to maximize their security deposit refund and we believe the move in process plays a crucial role.