Applicant Screening Criteria

Please read the following information carefully before you apply!

Tuscan Sun Property Management considers complete applications, as provided for in the established screening criteria, in the order in which the complete applications were received. Your application is not considered complete unless all required criteria information is presented and verified for all roommates. If your application is not complete, or is unverifiable, it may be denied. Please see our Denial Policy page for more information.
   

When filling out the application, applicant understands and agrees that the application to rent only and does not guarantee that applicant will be offered the premises. Tuscan Sun Property Management is not required to refund an application screening fee to an applicant whose application is denied, after consideration, because the applicants do not meet our established screening criteria, or if any application is incomplete. If you are approved for a home but decide not to move forward with your good faith agreement, your application fee is non-refundable. If your application is approved, you can move your application to any other available property for up to 60 days, at no extra cost.

We verify the information presented on applications to confirm that prospective tenants are financially stable, responsible, and able to meet the obligations of renting the property.

Applicants must meet at least 3 out of the 4 criteria to be approved. Please note that meeting 3 out of 4 criteria does not guarantee approval. 

We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, familial status, or disability.

APPLICATION FEE:

Please be prepared to pay the application fee of $45.00 as outlined in the property listing.

Application fee of $45, which is allocated as follows:
Credit Report: $15 per report from Experian (third-party service, soft credit check).
Staff Processing Labor: $25 for a minimum of one hour of staff time, covering application processing, review, verification, and coordination with applicants, references, and property owners.
Online Application Fee: $5 for processing by AppFolio (third-party service).

Criteria 1: CREDIT SCORE

Applicant must have a credit score of at least 650. We will take into consideration medical debit and student loans.

Criteria 2: RESIDENTIAL HISTORY

Applicants must list 5 years of residential history, with complete addresses and landlord information. You can present self-verified residential history by providing tenant ledgers or a mortgage statement. We consider only unbiased references. 

Our application criteria requires that you have at least 5 years verifiable rental history from unbiased references (non-family or friends). Even if you do not have any verifiable rental history or property ownership history, please note where you have lived for the past 5 years. Failure to provide accurate landlord information can delay your application processing time. You can expedite your application processing time by providing us with tenant ledgers from your landlords to self-verify rental history. A tenant ledger is the record of all your charges and payments. Many management companies no longer give rental references, in that case we would require a tenant ledger.

Criteria 3: INCOME STABILITY

Applicants must show Income stability for at least one year. You can present self-verified income stability by submitting your last year’s tax return (first two pages only), or W-2, with your two most recent pay stubs. 

We will need to verify stable income that is at least 3x the rent amount for your household. You can submit two types of income proof from the list below to have income verification complete at the time of application submission. If you do not submit self- verified income with your application, we will need to contact your employer for more information, and this may delay your application being considered. 1) Last year’s income tax return (IRS form 1040), business return also if you are self-employed, OR  W-2 if employed. AND 2) your most recent Pay stub. AND/ OR  3) The last three months complete bank statements. AND/ OR  4) Award letter.  AND/ OR  5) Investment account statements. AND/ OR  6) HUD Limits Sheet (Please note that our low-income properties will have other forms and information required after application submission.) 

Criteria 4: TOTAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME

The total household income must be at least three (3x) times the rent amount. (2x for City low-income programs or 3x the tenant portion for Housing Voucher programs.)

IF YOU HAVE AN ANIMAL:

Not all property owners consider pets. If you have an animal, we require a picture of each animal and proof of current rabies vaccination for each dog or cat. For an ESA, with your photo and proof of rabies vaccination, you must also provide proper ESA documentation, including a current care provider letter (within the past year), and complete our Reasonable Accommodation Form so we can verify the information with your care provider. For service animals, please provide a picture and any necessary documentation. 

Please see our pet policy page for more information.

PERSONAL INFORMATION:

We do not require a photo ID until after your application is approved and your good faith deposit is paid. Please confirm that all information on your ID matches the information you have entered on your application. If the information on the ID you provide after approval does not match the information on your application, you may be denied.

DEPENDENTS:

Date of birth is not required unless you are applying for a unit that is part of the City's low income program. Everyone that will be living in the home that is over the age of 18 must submit their own separate complete application.

AFTER APPLICATION APPROVAL:

Upon approval of your application, you must pay a non-refundable Good Faith Deposit that is at least half of the requested Security Deposit, with a cashier’s check or money order only, to place a hold on the property. You will be asked to provide a current valid government-issued photo identification at this time.

The good faith holding deposit must be paid within 24 hours of approval, or we will move forward with the next applicant in line. After the good faith deposit is received, you must take possession within 14 days of receipt of Good Faith Deposit or unit readiness, if unit is not currently ready.

CO-SIGNER POLICY:

Guarantor Option: IF REQUESTED BY MANAGEMENT ONLY

After Management reviews your application and determines that you do not meet all the above requirements, they may request a Guarantor. Not all property owners take Guarantors. The Guarantor must provide a complete application and meet all listed criteria. Guarantors must be a California resident, have a credit score of 750 or higher, and are currently employed with verifiable income of four (4) times the monthly rent. If a co-signer application is submitted without management’s request, the application fee is non-refundable.

*Guarantor agreement is for the length of the tenancy and is a guarantor for the unit NOT an individual* 

TIME LINE:

Please allow 2-3 business days for processing your application. However, more time may be needed if you did not present complete information and your references are slow to respond to our inquiry, or if it is an affordable housing application with additional forms required. If you present self-verified residential history (tenant ledgers or mortgage statement) and self-verified proof of income stability (your two most recent pay stub and your last year’s tax return or W-2), at the time of application submission, you could receive your application decision as quickly as 1 business day. In most cases, the property owner makes the final decision on your application. Tuscan Sun gathers the information, verifies it and then contacts the owner for approval or denial (this can take additional time).

SEE OUR DENIAL POLICY PAGE FOR REASONS YOUR APPLICAITON MAY BE DENIED.