Application Requirements for Smart Move Rental Homes

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How We Score an Application

A Complete Application Packet Includes These Items

READ ALL OF THE FOLLOWING BEFORE YOU BEGIN YOUR APPLICATION

It is the policy of Smart Move Property Management that all applications must be complete, and all fees paid prior to submission for consideration. Failure to provide any requested information or documentation will deem the application incomplete and therefore will not be considered.

  • ONLINE APPLICATION

    Must be completed through our online application. Applications from 3rd party sites, such as Zillow, are not accepted. EACH ADULT (18 years and older, married couples too) who will reside in the home is required to submit a completed application.

  • FEE

    $45 NON-REFUNDABLE per applicant, regardless of family/marital status.

  • IDENTIFICATION

    Copy of each applicant's valid photo ID (driver's license, military ID, state ID, passport).

  • PET/ESA AND ANIMAL PROFILE

    All applicants will be emailed a link to complete an Animal Profile confirming the presence or non-presence of animals in the home. If NO PET or animal is being considered, a NO PET Agreement will be required. There is a $20 fee for the first pet, $15 for each additional pet, no charge for submitting a reasonable accommodation request for an assistance animal or ESA.

Phase-Of-Approval

  • PHASE ONE OF APPROVAL

    CREDIT, RENTAL HISTORY, CRIMINAL BACKGROUND & ANIMALS: Applicant's credit history, rental history and criminal background will be scored per the criteria listed herein. Reasonable accommodation requests for ESAs and service animals will be reviewed and validated by our 3rd party verifier, OurPetPolicy, per HUD guidelines.

  • PHASE TWO OF APPROVAL

    INCOME VERIFICATION: Applicants agree to complete the income verification process within 24 hrs using our secure 3rd party verifier, PayScore, to validate a combined net income minimum of 3x the monthly rent. There is a $15 fee for this service.

  • PHASE THREE OF APPROVAL

    SECURITY DEPOSIT & SIGN LEASE: Upon approval, you will have 24 hours to secure the home by putting down a Reservation Fee (equal to the deposit) and another 24 hours for all occupants to sign the lease agreement. These funds may be paid online or in person in the form of a cashier's check or money order.

Credit

  • All applicant credit scores must be 650 or higher with no more than 3 accounts in collections.

  • Scores of 600–649 can sometimes be approved conditionally, but applicants must: 1) have an average of less than 3 or more unpaid collections per applicant, 2) AND will require a double deposit, 3) AND you must have excellent income and rental history.

  • If one or more of the applicant’s scores is below 600, we cannot rent to you, even with an extra deposit.

  • Any applicant showing no credit score will require a double deposit.

  • All information on the credit report is subject to verification, including previous address and place of employment.

  • Negative, past due or adverse debt, collections, judgments, and or liens exceeding $10,000 will result in denial of the application, regardless of overall score.

  • Applicants with an open bankruptcy will automatically be denied.

  • Credit reports supplied by applicants are not accepted.

Rental History

  • One year of good, verifiable (non-family) rental history or homeownership is required immediately preceding the date of your application.

  • A double deposit may be considered for lack of rental history (without homeownership).

  • Evictions, small claims suits, and/or collections by any previous or current landlord will be cause for rejection.

  • Applications may be denied for damages beyond normal wear and tear, illegal activity on premises, and/or reports of non-compliance.

  • Any landlord reference that includes two or more late payments and/or return checks may result in denial or a double security deposit.

  • Any instance of a security deposit which was not returned due to damage of the rental unit beyond normal cleaning and/or any instance of proper Intent to Vacate Notice not being given to a landlord and/or a broken lease, may all be cause for denial.

  • It is not possible for us to consider rental history if a current or former landlord is non-responsive, or the landlord’s contact information is not provided.

Criminal History

  • Applicants may not be accepted if they have been convicted of a violent crime less than seven (7) years since the convicted date. Regardless of date, no applicant will be accepted with a conviction for: an act of violence (against a person or property), sex crime, burglary, criminal trespass, stalking, vandalism, arson, gang involvement, or illegal manufacturing or distribution of drugs. However, per Federal regulations, special accommodations may be requested for certain drug and/or alcohol-related convictions. SMPM reserves the right to consider all criminal activity, arrests, pending charges, and convictions on a case-by-case basis.

Net Income

  • Income will be verified by a trusted 3rd party, encrypted verification company, PayScore.

  • Applicants must be able to prove a combined monthly net income of at least THREE times the monthly rent.

  • Liquid assets, investments, etc. may be counted if it is verifiable and will require a double security deposit and minimum credit score of 650. In addition, proof of one year’s worth of rent in liquid asset accounts is required.

  • Income guidelines may be waived at the discretion of SMPM if applicant pre-pays rent for the full term of the lease.

  • If you are relocating from out of the area, we will need verifiable documentation to show you have verifiable income once you relocate.

Roommates

  • We do not allow more than 3 unrelated adults in a rental home. Some properties may not allow roommates. Check the rental listing for your property's terms.

Co-signers

Application Policies & Requirements

  • Every applicant is required to submit a pet/animal profile through a third-party pet screening vendor as a part of our rental application process. This applies across the board for any non-human animals that will occupy the home. For ESA’s, provide supporting documentation. If NO PET or animal will be living at the property, you will need to complete the profile stating as such. There is a charge for this service for pets, however service/companion/assistance animals and “no pet” profiles are free. A monthly pet rent and a one-time non-refundable pet fee will be assessed based on factors in your pet’s application. Not all properties allow pets (check the listing) and those that do are on a case-by-case basis. Pets under 1 year old are never accepted. Pets may only be dogs or cats (no birds, hamsters, turtles, rabbits, ferrets, snakes, exotic animals, etc.). Due to risk and insurance limitations, SMPM does not allow guard dog breeds or aggressive dog breeds which are not limited to: Pit Bull Terriers, Staffordshire Terriers, Rottweilers, German Shepherds, Presa Canarios, Chows, Doberman Pinschers, Akitas, Wolf-hybrids, Mastiffs, Cane Corsos, Great Danes, Alaskan Malamutes, Husky, Sheba Inu and any hybrid or mixed breed of one of the aforementioned breeds.

  • SMPM reserves the right to decline an applicant who exhibits behavior that is evasive, abusive, harassing, or combative or whose behavior gives cause to believe that the prospect cannot or will not comply with the proffered rental agreement or follow the expected rules of residency.  

  • A Resident Benefits Package fee of $35 covers several beneficial items, including access to rent credit reporting, quarterly home delivery of furnace filters, as-needed pest control* (some restrictions apply), a 24/7 maintenance hotline and online resident portal is charged on each lease. This is in addition to the monthly rent, pet rent and any other amounts owed.

  • Applications are usually processed within 2 business days, depending on how quickly your references respond and are processed on weekdays only. Applications are processed in the order received and must be completed for all occupants to be considered.

  • Once the deposit is paid, you must sign the lease within 24 hours and begin paying rent and utilities for the property no later than 10 calendar days from the day the of approval or when the property becomes available, whichever comes first, or we will move on to the next application in line. If you choose not to occupy the property after approval and payment of required funds, some or all funds paid may be non-refundable to cover costs incurred after the property is removed from the rental market, as allowed by law.

  • To receive your keys, all utilities must be transferred into your name, no later than your Lease start date. The first month's rent will be prorated and must be paid online or in person in the form of cashier’s check or money order. Key pick up is Monday through Friday, during regular business hours only. A lockbox move in can also be arranged for $35.

  • Occupancy Guidelines: To prevent overcrowding and undue stress on plumbing and other building systems, we restrict the number of people who may reside in the home to two people per bedroom. In determining these restrictions, we adhere to all applicable fair housing laws.  All properties are non-smoking. Some properties may not allow pets. Please note some properties may not allow roommates or restrict them to 2 or 3 adults (check the listing).  A misrepresentation of information on the application will result in the application being denied.

  • Properties become available when they are ready to rent. A vacant property will not be deemed available until it has been cleaned and prepared for the new resident. Availability is subject to change at any time. It is the duty of the applicant to verify school boundaries and other neighborhood information. 

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