Screening Criteria

APPLICATION SCREENING CRITERIA FOR OCCUPANCY

(Please contact the office for information on smoking and pet policies for individual properties)

Occupancy Standards

Occupancy is based on the number of bedrooms in a unit and other factors. A bedroom is defined as a space within the premises that is used primarily for sleeping consisting of a door and a secondary exit such as another door or window.

Albany Partnership has established standards on occupancy to permit the tenant to select the apartment size they deem appropriate to their needs while preventing overcrowding and underutilization of the apartment. Occupancy limits:

One bedroom – 1 to 3 occupants

Two bedrooms – 2 to 5 occupants

Three bedrooms – 3 to 7 occupants

Four bedrooms – 4 to 9 occupants

  • If, after moving in, the household composition changes, such as with the addition of a new child, it will not automatically result in the household exceeding the maximum occupancy of the apartment if the apartment has adequate space for the new member and continues to maintain proper egress.
  • In the event an applicant, family member, or someone associated with that household, has a disability which requires an apartment larger than the size allowed above, management will allow the applicant family to apply for an apartment of the required size if one is available.

Disabled Accessibility

The Albany Partnership is committed to making the community readily accessible to and usable for individuals with disabilities. We will consider any request by or on behalf of a resident or applicant with a disability for:

  • a reasonable accommodation relating to a change in its rules and/or polices; or
  • a reasonable modification relating to alterations of the common areas or an individual unit.
  • If the request for a reasonable accommodation or reasonable modification is granted, the cost to perform the accommodation or modification will be the landlord’s unless the request will:
    • impose an undue financial and administrative burden on the owners or
    • fundamentally alter the nature of the services provided by the owners.

Any such request should be made to the site manager.

In most instances, management will allow a person with a disability to have an assistance animal which is related to and necessary for the handicapped person to enjoy the benefits of the housing. A particular assistance animal may be rejected if:

  • the animal poses a direct threat to the health or safety of others that cannot be reduced or eliminated by a reasonable accommodation;
  • the animal would cause substantial physical damage to the property of others;
  • the presence of the animal would pose an undue financial and administrative burden to the housing owners;
  • the presence of the assistance animal would fundamentally alter the nature of the services provided by the apartment community owner.
  • No fees or additional security deposit will be imposed as a condition of allowing an assistance animal.

Application Process

  • All applicants must be able to enter into a legally binding contract and will be considered in the order of time/date the application is received by management.
  • Complete the Rental Application in its entirety, sign and date.
  • Pay the non-refundable screening fee of $40.00 per adult after being contacted by management for an available unit. The application screening fee covers the cost of processing the application. Screening entails verification that individual applicants meet the requirements listed below. This fee must be paid in full in the form of a money order before the screening process can begin.
  • The manager will make every reasonable effort to notify you of the results of your initial screening within three (3) business days.
  • If the application is approved, you will need to complete the required paperwork within 48 hours. If it is determined that the household is not eligible to reside at the property, the screening fee will be retained regardless of the results of the screening.

General Requirements

  • A copy of photo identification: such as a driver’s license, state ID card, or passport,
  • A complete and accurate application listing a current and one previous rental reference with phone numbers will be required. Incomplete applications may not be considered.
  • Each applicant over 18 must submit a separate application.
  • Unfavorable information for any individual applicant may result in denial of all applications for the household.
  • Applicants are required to qualify in the following four areas: 1) credit, 2) rental or mortgage history, 3) income, and 4) criminal history.

Credit Requirements

  • Good credit history is required. Lack of credit history is acceptable.
  • Credit items warranting an automatic denial of application include:
    1. A previous eviction or judgment filed by a previous landlord within the last three (3) years.
    2. Negative credit activity occurs after bankruptcy.
    3. Unverifiable social security number.
    4. False name, social security number, income etc. that is discovered in the screening of the application.
    5. Unpaid utility or property debt (excluding medical costs and/or student loans)

Rental History Requirements

  • One (1) year of positive verifiable rental history from a third party landlord is required.
  • Home ownership will be verified through the county tax assessor’s office. Mortgage payments must be current to reflect a positive payment history.
  • Three (3) years of eviction-free rental history will be required.
  • Should the applicant have negative rental history, in some cases they may be subject to a Conditional approval.
  • All addresses on the credit report will be verified.

Income Requirements

  • Gross monthly income must be at least 2 times the amount of the stated monthly rent, but may not exceed the current LIHTC/HOME program income limits, whichever is applicable. Please ask your manager for the current limits.
    • Please see Attachment A for the Over-Income HOME Re-Designation and Procedure.
  • Third party verification of all sources of income and assets will be required. Verifiable income may be, but is not limited to: bank accounts, alimony/child support, trust accounts, social security benefits, unemployment, welfare, etc.
  • Self-employed applicants will be required to provide proof of income through copies of tax returns and anticipated net income.
  • Application will be automatically denied if all income and/or assets cannot be verified.

Criminal History Requirements

  • A conviction, guilty plea or plea of no contest to any of the following offenses will be grounds for denial of your application:
  • Felony involving injury, assault (including domestic violence), kidnapping, death, arson, felony burglary, drug possession or robbery within the past five (5) years.
  • Any sex crimes, drug manufacturing/distribution, and/or murder charges will result in denial.
  • Any misdemeanor involving assault, intimidation, drug related activities, property damage, weapons charges, criminal trespass, theft or prostitution within the past three (3) years may result in a denial; however, depending on circumstances regarding the conviction, the applicant may be subject to a Conditional Approval.
  • Pending charges or outstanding warrants for any of the above will cause the application to be suspended until the charges are resolved. No units will be held awaiting the result of pending charges.

Conditional Application Approval

Because of special circumstances, some applicants do not meet 100% of the criteria for an Unconditional Approval to rent. The applicant may lack one of the four areas of qualification requirements, but be strongly qualified in the other three. Therefore, the following procedures have been established for these situations:

Payment of an additional refundable security deposit of a sum equal to two months’ rent may be required and must be paid in full before taking residency. This option would apply in the following situations:

  • An applicant with past credit problems, but rental, income and criminal history meet the other screening criteria.
  • An applicant who has negative rental history, but credit, income and criminal history meet the other screening criteria.
  • An applicant who has been convicted of a misdemeanor within the past three years (3) but can provide written proof of unusual circumstances may be granted a conditional approval depending on the circumstances.

Live In Caregiver/ Care Attendant/Aide

A qualified care attendant/aid will be subject only to a criminal background search. Credit and income verifications will not apply.  Additional paperwork will need to be completed by both the applicant and the caregiver.

Waiting List Policy

Your application may be removed from the waiting list for any of the following reasons:

  • At your request.
  • At the second refusal when offered a unit.
  • We have been unable to contact you by phone on 3 or more occasions.
  • Your phone is no longer in service.

Rejection Policy

You have the right to dispute the accuracy of any information provided to APHCD by the screening company service or credit reporting agency. If your application is rejected due to unfavorable information received during the screening process you may:

  • In writing, contact the screening company that supplied the information to obtain a copy of your screening results. The screening company that processes our applications is Pacific Screening. Their name and reference number for your file will be printed on the acceptance or denial letter.
  • Contact the credit reporting agency who is reporting unfavorable information.
  • Correct any incorrect information through the credit reporting agency as per their policy.
  • Request the credit reporting agency to submit a corrected credit check back to the appropriate screening agency.
  • Upon receipt of the corrected and satisfactory information, your application will be evaluated again for the next available apartment.

Be advised:

  • Incomplete, inaccurate or falsified information may be grounds for denial.
  • Any applicant that is a current illegal drug user or has been convicted by any court for the illegal manufacture or distribution of a controlled substance shall be denied.
  • Any individual whose tenancy may constitute a direct threat to the health or safety of an individual, or whose tenancy would result in physical damage to the property of others will be denied.
  • Any individual(s) that exhibits rude or threatening behavior towards management staff, tenants or visitors will be denied at the sole discretion of the property manager.

If your application has been denied and you feel you qualify under the aforementioned criteria please feel free to write an appeal letter outlining the discrepancies and reason(s) you believe your application should be re-evaluated and submit to the property manager of the site you are applying for. Upon receipt, the site manager, and Resident Services staff will meet to determine your eligibility.

If your application has been denied due to a domestic violence incident or incidences resulting in eviction from a previous landlord you may still qualify. Please talk to your manager for additional information.

You will receive a response to your request within seven (7) business days.

ATTACHMENT A

 

Over-Income HOME Re-designation and Procedure

Fixed HOME Units

High HOME

  • Upon recertification, if household income has increased above the current High HOME income limit, the property is temporarily out of compliance until the over-income tenant vacates and the unit can be rented to the next qualified household.Â

The following action is taken for the over-income household:Â

  • Tenant rent may be raised as soon as possible, in accordance with lease terms.

The rent of the over income household will be adjusted to the lesser of:

The rent amount payable under state or local law;

  1. 30% of the tenant’s monthly adjusted family income; or
  2. If the unit is also LIHTC, the tenant must pay the rent dictated by the tax credit program

Low HOME

  • Upon recertification, if household income has increased above the current very low (50%) income limit, but not above the low (80%) income limit, the property is temporarily out of compliance until either:
  1. A High HOME rent unit can be re-designated as a Low HOME rent unit, or
  2. The unit occupied by the over income household is vacated and can be rented to the next qualified very low income household.Â

The following action is taken for the over-income household:

  • The unit retains the Low HOME status, and rent is not increased above the Low HOME limit until a High HOME rent unit vacates (regardless of bedroom size) and can be re-designated as Low HOME. Once the re-designation occurs, the over-income household rent may be increased to the High HOME rent, in accordance with lease terms.
  • Upon recertification, if household income has increased above the current low (80%) income limit, the property is temporarily out of compliance until the over-income tenant vacates and a new income-eligible household moves in.

The following action is taken for the over-income household & unit:Â

  • Tenant rent may be raised as soon as possible, in accordance with lease terms.

The rent of the over income household will be adjusted to the lesser of:

  1. The rent amount payable under state or local law;
  2. 30% of the tenant’s monthly adjusted family income; or
  3. If the unit is also LIHTC, the tenant must pay the rent dictated by the tax credit program; *the tenant rent is not adjusted
    • Management will designate the next vacated High HOME unit, regardless of bedroom size, as Low HOME. To be occupied by a qualified very low income household. The unit occupied by the over-income household will be re-designated as a High HOME rent unit. *If the unit is also LIHTC, the unit does not need to be replaced by a comparable unit until household income exceeds 140% of AMI.