Resident Selection Criteria

The Elms Resident Selection Criteria

Equal Housing – The Elms Apartments is committed to compliance with all federal, state and local fair housing laws. It is our policy to offer apartments for rental to the general public without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status, handicap or any other state or locally protected classifications. In order to help you in making your decision, we have listed below the criteria for qualifying as a resident in our community.

The Elms Apartments uses verifiable information provided by an applicant and a background check agency to determine whether an applicant qualifies and what conditions may apply. These are our current leasing and screening criteria; nothing contained in these requirements shall constitute a guarantee or representation that all residents and occupants currently residing at the community have met these requirements. There may be residents and occupants that have resided at the community prior to these requirements being in effect. In addition, our ability to verify whether these requirements have been met is dependent on information provided by the applicant.

Application & Notification:
• An application must be completed for each occupant 18 years of age or older or deemed an adult under law.
• A non-refundable application fee must be paid by each Applicant before an application will be processed.
• Notifications of acceptance or denial will be made by email to the email address provided on your Application. Denials will include information regarding the credit and background check provider.

Occupancy– The person(s) applying must live in the unit or else they will be considered as a Guarantor. The maximum number of occupants permitted to dwell in an apartment shall not exceed two per bedroom plus a newborn who is less than 12 months old. If you exceed our maximum occupants per bedroom because the newborn is older than 12 months at the end of the lease term, you must at that time qualify for a transfer to a unit with more bedrooms if available or vacate the premises with proper notice.

Age– Lease holder(s) must be 18 years or older, unless head of household, Military under the age of 18 years, or a minor that has been emancipated. All occupants 18 years or older are required to complete an application, even if living with parent or guardian.

Income and Employment History– Gross monthly income of all lease holder(s) must equal three (3) times the monthly rental amount. All income must be verifiable. An allowance from parents, scholarships or study subsidies, or unemployment subsidies are not considered income.

The combined household income must be a minimum of three (3) times the monthly rent.
Employed applicants will be asked to produce pay stubs for the past three (3) consecutive months.
Additional legal sources of verifiable income may be accepted. Examples include social security, child support, disability, retirement, savings bank statements, and any other legal, verifiable income. Applicant must provide twelve (12) consecutive months of bank statements if an additional source of income cannot be confirmed from its source.
Applicants starting a new job must provide an Offer Letter on employer letterhead confirming start date and compensation terms and signed by a Human Resources manager. An employment letter must be verifiable.
In instances where sufficient income requirements cannot be met, The Elms Apartments may elect to accept a Guarantor.
Some income results may require further verification.

Employment– Applicant must 1) be employed with current employer for at least six months; 2) have current job and at least six months employment with previous employer in same industry; or 3) be receiving retirement benefits, or any other verifiable and consistent income.

Self-Employment– Must provide the previous two (2) year’s personal income tax return and the previous twelve (12) months personal bank statements as evidence of sufficient income. Persons whose jobs are commission only or base salary plus commission, tips, or bonuses are considered self-employed.

Rental History– Previous rental history will be reviewed. Negative rental history will be grounds for disapproval. Negative rental history is determined by:

Failure to pay rent timely and without demand.
Evictions filed within the previous five years.
Damages in amounts exceeding $500.00.
Repeated disturbances, not related to circumstances protected under Victims of Abuse Women’s Act.
Prior management references describing reports of drug dealing or manufacturing, gambling, prostitution, or other illegal business or personal activities on the premises.
Unregistered pets or guests staying longer than allowed by the lease.
Applicant may be denied for an outstanding debt or judgment to any prior rental or mortgage company.

Credit History– A credit report will be completed on all Applicants to verify creditworthiness. Verified credit history will be entered into an application scoring model to determine rental eligibility. Credit Scores below 550 or no credit history will result in the requirement of an additional deposit, Guarantor, or denial. Open bankruptcies will result in an automatic denial of your application. Some credit results may require further verification.

Criminal, Sex Offense, and Terrorist Database Check: We will check criminal databases for all occupants over age 18. We do not rent to any person convicted of violent crimes against persons or property; prostitution; domestic violence; involving the possession of weapons; or the manufacture or distribution of illegal substances. All are grounds for denial of an application. Criminal offenses will be evaluated based on type of offense, how long ago you were convicted, your age at the time of offense, evidence of rehabilitation, and any other information you would like us to consider. Please provide details in writing along with any other supporting documentation you would like us to consider.

Renter’s Insurance– Residents are required to obtain renter’s insurance for casualties such as fire, flood, water damage, theft, and general liability. Renter’s insurance must have a minimum of $50,000 of liability coverage with “The Elms Apartments” identified as an Additional Insured (or other appropriate designation as available), and must be sent from the insurance company (or agent) to The Elms Apartments.

Identity Verification: Valid government-issued Photo ID must be presented by all applicants and guarantors at the time of application. Credit Privacy Numbers are not accepted.

Non-Us Citizens/Foreign Nationals: Foreign nationals/non-us citizens may be required to complete a supplemental rental application, provide valid and current USCIS documentation and photo ID (passport, driver's license, US identification card, or identification card from home country) and present additional documentation evidencing Applicant’s right to live in the United States through the end of the lease term.

Animals: A maximum of 2 pets are permitted per unit. Only non-aggressive, fully grown, trained dogs less than 50 pounds, or cats may be considered as pets. Pets must not be aggressive to other animals or people. A Manager must meet and approve all animals prior to their moving in. Animals deemed aggressive at the sole discretion of our Manager will be removed from the property at your expense and without recourse. Exotic animals, birds and reptiles are not accepted. Animal addendum, with fees, and additional restrictions will apply.

All animals must be non-aggressive and approved by management prior to move-in.
Support animals are not considered pets and are allowed to reasonably accommodate a disabled leaseholder or occupant. Support animals must have proper, verified, third-party documentation.
Service Animals are allowed. Service animals are animals that are individually trained to perform tasks for people with disabilities such as guiding people who are blind, alerting people who are deaf, pulling wheelchairs, alerting and protecting a person who is having a seizure, or performing other special tasks. A disabled person who has an emotional support animal (ESA) will need to produce a verifiable letter from a licensed mental health professional that prescribes the need for the animal.

Application and Notification

A non-refundable application fee must be paid by each Applicant before an application will be processed.
Applicants will be responsible to pay any additional fees charged by their listed employer(s) or employer’s agent to verify employment or income.
An application must be completed for each occupant 18 years of age or older and any occupants who are under the age of 18 and deemed an adult under applicable law.
All Applicants are required to present a valid government-issued identification. Except as otherwise prohibited by applicable law, non-U.S. citizen Applicants may be required to present additional documentation evidencing Applicant’s right to live in the United States through the end of the lease term.
An application does not constitute a lease agreement or offer to lease. No lease shall exist unless and until Landlord and Applicant execute a lease agreement and Applicant pays all required funds.
Falsification of any information on an application will result in Applicant’s automatic denial. If an Applicant is denied for falsifying paperwork, Landlord may retain all deposits and fees paid. Additionally, in the event a lease is signed, falsified information may result in a Notice to Vacate.
The first Applicant to complete and submit the Application and all Application fees, pass the verification process, and pay all required deposits will be accepted.
Notifications of acceptance or denial will be made by electronic mail or other electronic means to the email address and/or mobile number provided on your Application. Denials will include information regarding the credit and background check provider.

Guarantor (co-signer): A lease Guarantor may be required in the case of ONE of the following:

Insufficient rental history or home ownership in the past five years, or
Insufficient Employment income (Students only)

A Guarantor:

Must submit an application and pay a non-refundable application fee.
Is subject to the same qualification requirements as Applicants but must have an income of five (5) times monthly rent.
Will be required to sign the lease.
Must be the sole Guarantor per household, and must not be the Guarantor on any other leases.

Privacy Policy for Personal Information of Rental Applicant and Residents– We are dedicated to protecting the privacy of your personal information, including your Social Security Number and other identifying or sensitive personal information. Our policy and procedures are designed to help ensure that your information is kept secure, and we work to follow all federal and state laws regarding the protection of your personal information. While no one can guarantee against identity theft or the misuse of personal information, protecting the information you provide us is a high priority to our company and staff. If you have concerns about this issue, please feel free to share them with us.

How Personal Information is collected: You will be asked to furnish some personal information when you apply to rent from us. This information will be on the rental application form or other document that you provide to us or to an apartment locator service, either on paper or electronically.
How and When Information is used: We use this information for our business purposes only as it relates to leasing a dwelling to you. Examples of these uses include but are not limited to, verifying statements made on your rental application (such as your rental, credit and employment history), reviewing your lease for renewal and enforcing your lease obligations (such as to obtain payment for money you may owe us in the future).
How the Information is Protected and Who has Access: We allow only authorized persons to have access to your personal information, and we keep documents and electronic records containing this information in secure areas and systems.
How the Information is Disposed of: After we no longer need or are required to keep your personal information, we will store or destroy in a manner designed to prevent unauthorized persons from accessing it. Our disposal methods will include shredding, destruction or obliteration of paper documents and destruction of electronic files.

Locator Services: If you found us through a locator service, please be aware that the locator services are independent contractors and are not our employee or agents, even though they may process applications and lease forms. You are advised to require any locator services to furnish you with their privacy policies.

I understand and accept these qualifying standards and have truthfully answered all questions. I understand that falsification of Rental Application information will lead to denial of rental. I understand your ability to verify this information is limited to the information made available by the agencies and services used.