RENTAL APPLICATION PROCESS
Please read this rental application process and the screening policy below.
If you have any questions, please send us an email or call the office at 510-649-7852.
Notices:
Process:
- DO NOT apply until you have viewed the apartment, either in-person or through a virtual tour with our leasing agent.
If you submit an application without having seen the unit, your application will not be processed and your fees will be refunded.
- Each prospective resident, age 18+, must submit an application and provide official photo ID.
- Your application will only be processed once all prospective roommates have submitted their completed applications, including all supporting documents, and the processing fees have been paid by all applicants.
Selection:
- Once all prospective roommate have submitted completed applications, we will review the applications and screen all applicants. We will select the best qualified tenants who meet our credit requirements and have good references. Please allow 1-3 business days for processing.
- Any applicants who were qualified by us but who were not ultimately selected for the unit they applied for may apply for another available apartment within the following 3 months without paying any additional processing fees.
- Each adult applicant (over the age of 18, married or unmarried) who plans to live in the unit must submit a separate rental application, pay the necessary application fees, provide all requested supporting documentation and meet our screening requirements. Applicants who do not provide requested information or documentation at the time of submission and fail to submit the requested information within three days of their original application date may be denied for the rental. An application is not deemed submitted until all required information is provided.
- Any material misrepresentation or omission made by an applicant during the screening process will result in immediate denial for their apartment or will constitute a material breach of any future rental agreement.
- We offer equal housing opportunities in accordance with local, state and federal housing laws. Applications submitted will neither be approved nor denied based on race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, physical disability, mental condition, marital status or familial status, or source of income. We comply with the Fair Chance Ordinance.
Photo Identification
Valid government issued photo identification must be provided. Acceptable identification includes a current driver’s license, passport, and/or state issued photo identification. A photocopy will be retained for our records. Foreign applicants must provide a copy of their entry visa (I-20, H-1, etc.) and current passport.
Tenancy
At least four years of residency history must be provided. If the applicant has not lived in a rental property or owned their personal residence over the past four years, either prior history can be provided, a qualified cosigner or corporate guarantor may be provided, or four years of verifiable and positive tenancy references from their prospective roommates, may be used as a substitute. Any negative references by landlords will result in the applicant being denied.
Occasionally, owners and managers will not provide references due to change in ownership, loss of records or company policy. If at least one previous (not present) reference for a term of a minimum of one year is deemed positive, then applicant may be approved.
Absolutely, no evictions may show up on the Unlawful Detainer Inquiry.
Income & Employment
Current employment must be verified. Applicants are encouraged to provide a recent pay stub with year-to-date totals or a phone number for a supervisor who can verify income.
Self-employed applicants must provide their Schedule C or top two pages of their 1040 tax return for the previous year.
Current students or students who have just graduated from either an undergraduate or graduate institution and have an offer letter for future employment.
The total gross income of all applicants must equal at least three times the monthly rent.
Foreign students must show their letter of acceptance and may use their I-20 entry visa as proof of income if the period of the visa exceeds the term of the lease. Alternatively, they can show liquidity in a U.S. bank showing a balance of at least 36 months’ rent.
Bank Statements
Checking account statements for one year
Savings account statements for one year
Credit
A credit report will be run through at least one major credit bureau. All collection accounts and public records must be either paid off or a reasonable written explanation must be provided. A credit score of at least 720 will satisfy the credit requirements. A credit score of 700 is acceptable in the case of a negative report relating to medical expenses or applicants with a report that lacks any credit history but has no negative factors. An applicant must have a maximum rent and monthly debt ratio of 50%.
Cosigners
We may request that an applicant have a co-signer in the case that the applicant is a student and does not have income or does not have a credit history. It is not a remedy for poor credit. We only allow cosigners for enrolled students.
Cosigners must provide a completed Cosigner Credit Application
To qualify, the Cosigner must have a credit score of 750 or above and be a resident of the state of California.
The Cosigner’s income must be at least three times their home mortgage payment/rent plus the resident’s rent they are cosigning for or liquidity must be three times the annual mortgage/rent and apartment rent payments.
A combination of income and liquidity is also acceptable.
Cosigners must have no recent (last five years) bankruptcies.
In the event that a cosigner does not own property in the state of California, they can still qualify by instead demonstrating that they meet monthly income guidelines of three times the amount of their personal rent plus the resident’s rent and by having liquidity in the United States in amount of three times their annual mortgage or rent payments and the annual rent payments of the person(s) they are cosigning for. Additionally, an Unlawful Detainer Search will be run on the Cosigner to confirm that there are no evictions on record.
In the event a cosigner is required for qualification, the cosigner must indicate, in writing, which resident(s) they are cosigning for. When the cosigner is not cosigning for all the residents applying for an apartment, the residents with no cosigner must either provide their own cosigner or demonstrate that they meet the minimum income/liquidity requirements for their portion (Total rent divided by the number of applicants) of the rent.
