Rental Criteria
At TD Home Team, we seek three fundamental qualities in a resident: pay their rent on time, take good care of the house and property, and not engage in any unlawful activity. If you can adhere to those three fundamental rules, then please read on.
Our requirements are outlined in the resident screening criteria below. We understand that not everyone possesses flawless rental credit, therefore, we reserve the right to waive some of these requirements, at our sole discretion, in an effort to work with each applicant on a case-by-case basis in order to help good residents find quality homes.
The following information will be accessed as part of the screening of any application for tenancy:
General Criteria:
- Applicants are not required to view the property in person before applying.
- It usually takes 1-3 business days to process the application, application status and correspondence will mostly take place via emails.
- Incomplete, inaccurate, or falsified information on the application is immediate grounds for denial and/or termination of the lease. We have a zero tolerance policy toward false or misleading information. The holding fee will also be forfeited if applicants provide false or misleading information on the application.
- All applicants 18 years of age or older must complete a SEPARATE application.
- Groups of more than one applicant will not be considered until the applications from all members of the group are received in full.
- A positive government issued ID for all adult occupants, failure to provide ID will result in denial of the application.
- All animals, including Emotional Support Animals and Service Animals, must be screened through Our Pet Policy before being accepted.
- We do not accept comprehensive reusable resident screening reports as defined by and pursuant to RCW 59.18.030.
- In most cases, the applicant with the most favorable overall rating, and the earliest commencement of tenancy will be given priority consideration.
- Only outside smoking is allowed on the majority of our properties, including both tobacco and marijuana smoke.
- A non-refundable application fee of $40 is required for each applicant.
- Renter’s insurance is required.
- Resident Benefits Package is required.
- We ask for a nonrefundable Holding Fee that is 25% of a month's rent to secure the unit for up to 3 weeks. If you take possession of the property during the 3-week holding period, or at the end of the holding period, the Holding Fee will be applied towards your First Month's Rent. If you do not take possession of the unit or change your mind about the unit, you agree to forfeit the nonrefundable Holding Fee. Please keep our Holding Fee Policy in mind when deciding your Desired Lease Start Date.
- If you are an applicant you have a right to a free copy of your report from the reporting agency, if you request it no later than 60 days after you receive this notice. In addition, if you find that any information contained in the report you receive is inaccurate or incomplete, you have the right to dispute the matter with the reporting agency that provided the report or through Background Data Solutions (a TransUnion Rental Screening Solutions, Inc. company) consumer relations at 1-800-230-9376 or TURSSDispute@transunion.com. Additional information about the dispute process can be found at https://www.transunion.com/client-support/rental-screening-disputes.
Rental History: Applicants must have a minimum of 24 months verifiable rental history. A valid rental history is a written lease or month-to-month agreement. Homeowners are exempt.
Credit History: We do not require a specific credit score, instead, we assess the report as a whole and in conjunction with every other resident screening criteria. All open accounts are in good standing for at least 2 years and derogatory credit history may result in denial. Student and medical debt are excluded. See Risk Mitigation Fee section for Credit Score details.
Risk Mitigation Fee: An additional $75 per month for average Credit Score between 501 - 649. An additional $150 per month for average Credit Score below 500. Credit Score will be the average of all applicants. Those who does not have a credit score will be assigned a 600 credit score for the purpose of determining the Risk Mitigation Fee.
Income Requirement: A monthly combined verifiable income of all applicants must be equal to at least 2.5 times the monthly rental amount. Section 8 applicants are required to meet the same criteria as stated above, with the exception that the applicant only needs to meet income requirements for their portion of the rent. All source(s) of income must be verifiable either through employer pay stubs, tax returns, or bank statements.
Employment Requirement: Currently employed applicants must submit their 2 most recent paystubs or an offer letter from a prospective employer. Self-employed applicants are required to submit their 3 most recent bank statements along with 2 years signed tax returns. Others may submit their Leaves Earnings Statement (LES), Statement of Social Security Benefits, Housing Vouchers, I20 (International Students), Child Support Letter, etc. Unverifiable current employment may result in denial.
Required Documentation: A valid government issued photo identification will be required of all applicants such as a Driver’s License and a copy of the applicant’s Social Security Card.
Co-Signer: If an applicant is not able to meet one or more of the above criteria, a Co-signer or Guarantor and/or last month’s rent may be requested. Co-signers and Guarantors are required to have an income of 4x the monthly rent, a credit score of 750+ and live in the same state. Co-signer will be considered on a case-by-case basis and must submit their own separate application.
Pet(s), Emotional Support & Service Animal: Only pets that will be less than 20lbs when fully matured are allowed with an applicable one-time pet fee and monthly pet rent for each pet. ALL pets, Emotional Support Animals & Service Animals must complete the verification process through Our Pet Policy.
Grounds for Denial Will Result From the Following on All Applicants:
- Have an eviction within the past 5 years.
- Unpaid rental collection to previous landlord.
- Current active bankruptcy.
- Falsification of rental application.
- Threatening or abusive behavior towards a TDHT employee, agent or contractor.