General Tenant Criteria

Forest Gate Properties, LLC  is an equal housing company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, marital status, source of income, familial status, handicap or disability. We do discriminate, however on the basis of how one pays the rent, obeys laws, handles professional relationships, treats neighbors and takes care of property. We will perform an investigative consumer report through which we attempt to obtain written, oral or other communication concerning your credit worthiness, character, general reputation, personal characteristics, mode of living as well as verification of income and verification other information you provide on your application. If you feel you meet our criteria, we encourage you to apply.

We have tried to list the criteria by which we evaluate rental applications. Carefully read through it, but keep in mind that the criteria is a guideline and that we do evaluate each application on a case by case basis and reserve the right to make exceptions if, in using our best judgement, we feel the applicant will be a tenant who will pay rent on time, take exceptional care of the property, will not disturb the neighbors and who will abide by all laws and the terms of the rental agreement. Please feel free to provide alternative measures by which we can evaluate your application or add additional comments by email if you feel further explanation of an item on the application will benefit you. WE MUST BE ABLE TO OBTAIN ENOUGH POSITIVE INFORMATION TO BE CONVINCED YOU WILL BE THE TYPE OF TENANT DESCRIBED ABOVE.

Completely fill out each part of the application . We will not consider an incomplete application.

FIRST:

  1. We must be able to verify all pertinent information. If, after a good faith effort, we are unable to do so, we will move on to the next applicant. It is up to you to provide us with the information we need. We cannot make a decision without the requested information and we will not search for it.
  2. We need a completed application, credit and background check on each person to occupy the premises who is 18 years of age or older.
  3. Two forms of ID are required, one must have a picture. We will take a photocopy for the file.
  4. Providing ANY false information shall be grounds for rejection or subsequent termination of tenancy.
  5. Within 24-hours of approval, you must either sign a rental agreement and pay the first month’s rent and security deposit or sign an agreement to hold the property and pay the security deposit. We can only hold a property for approximately seven days. Prorated rents shall apply to the second month.
  6. Initial rental payment and security deposit may not be in the form of a personal check.

 

CRITERIA:

  1. CREDIT: We require a minimum credit score of 650. Except under certain circumstances, we obtain a consumer credit report on each applicant. Negative credit alone may not disqualify you, however, unpaid utility bills, unpaid liens, judgments or collection accounts may cause your application to be denied or we will require double deposit. If you owe a landlord money, you will be denied. You may provide us with an explanation for any negative credit that may show up. We are looking for applicants that routinely and regularly pays their bills.
  2. INCOME: Total income must be at least 3 times the rental amount. Income may include food stamps, child support or any other legal source of income. We must be able to verify your stated income. If the source is other than employment such as retirement income, public assistance or self-employment, you must provide proof in the form of award letters, income tax returns, or bank statements. We evaluate your income for stability and reliability.
  3. DEBT: If you have excessive debt, 66% or more of your income including rent, you may be denied.
  4. OCCUPANCY: Guidelines are two persons per bedroom. Exceptions may be made based on size & configuration of the unit. Children under the age of two are not considered in the count. We do not rent to more than two family groups per unit regardless of family size.
  5. RESIDENT HISTORY: You must tell us where you have lived for the last FIVE CONSECUTIVE YEARS with no gaps in the date ranges even if you have not rented. Rental history of at least 3 years must be verifiable from independent, unrelated sources. Landlord references are very important. The way you paid your rent and took care of the property provides the best indication of how you will deal with future rentals. If we cannot speak with your previous landlords, we may not be able to complete the application. Negative information received from a landlord will result in denial of the application. Renting from friends or family will not be considered. If you do not have the required rental history, you may be required to pay double deposit or you may be denied, depending on other information obtained. We may visit your current residence if possible. If your unit is excessively messy and uncared for, we will deny the application.
  6. EVICTIONS: We normally do not rent to anyone who has been evicted, however we may consider your tenancy if the eviction was over five years ago and was for nonpayment of rent, you currently have sufficient income, you have had perfect rental history since the eviction, you do not owe a landlord money, there has not been more than one eviction, there is no negative information received from the evicting landlord except for nonpayment and you are willing to pay double deposit.
  7. COURT/CRIMINAL RECORDS: We will check criminal and other court records. Please report any & all violations including felonies, misdemeanors, DUI, traffic, etc. You will be denied if we find current or past use of illegal drugs, conviction for sale and/or manufacture of illegal drugs. You will be denied if you have been convicted of felony or misdemeanor crimes against people and property. You will be denied if we find excessive convictions of any kind, including traffic violations. This shows irresponsibility and disregard for the law. We are looking for responsible tenants who will be good neighbors. Failure to disclose requested information will result in automatic denial. We may consider the following exception: If you were convicted of a criminal offense that took place more than ten (10) years ago and you now have perfect credit and rental history, you may be approved. (This is only if the conviction was a one-time offense, was not of a physical or violent nature or drug related. Multiple offenders will be denied no matter what the credit and rental history shows).
  8. OTHER SOURCES: Other information we may uncover that leads us to believe your tenancy would be a threat to neighbors, other tenants or the property will result in denial.
  9. BEHAVIOR: Demeanor or manners during the application and interview process will be considered. If you or persons with you are rude or in any way display behavior that causes us to believe you won’t get along with the neighbors or take care of the property, you may be denied.
  10. REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION: We attempt to provide reasonable accommodation in rules, policies, practices and services. If you feel you need reasonable accommodation, please ask.
  11. EXCEPTIONS: If we do make an exception to our criteria, we will ask for increased security deposit. We do not accept co-signers.
  12. PETS: In properties allowing pets, you will be required to pay additional fee of $200.00 per pet. Pets are defined as any animal capable of doing property damage or personal injury. We reserve the right to restrict size, breed & number of animals if pets are accepted.
  13. SMOKING: Our properties are all non-smoking, we may charge an additional deposit if you smoke or you may be denied.