Credit and criminal background checks are required for anyone over 18 who will be residing at the property. Each person over 18 must complete their own individual application and pay the application fee (example: married couples must complete two separate applications). The application fee is $40.00 

Approval criteria:

• Income Requirements:

• Net Income must be at least three times the monthly rental amount (this includes all sources of verifiable income combined from all parties applying).
• All income must be verifiable and truthful in nature. We do count wage statements from your employer, signed tax returns, social security income, retirement income and investment income as legal sources of income.
• Unverifiable income includes child support, business income without a tax return, and gift money.
• Verifiable proof of income would be last 2 consecutive months of pay stubs from each employer, award letters for social security, disability or retirement, if self-employed last 2 years signed tax returns and last 3 months bank statements. For new role or new employment, submit offer of employment letter confirming terms of compensation, start date and letter must be on letterhead, signed and dated by the offeror.

• Rental History:

• Prefer 2 recent years of verifiable rental history in excellent standing (home ownership may apply). Verifiable means we must receive documentation of your rental history from a current landlord, past landlord or property management company. Friends and family will not qualify as landlord references.  Copies of checks filled out for rent, will not be considered verification. An additional deposit and/or co-signer may be requested if no verifiable rental history.
• Any evictions, negative rental history or landlord actions evident on the credit report or background check will be grounds for denial of an application.
• Collections on a credit report associated with a rental will be grounds for denial. (ie. Apartment/rental collections, utility collections).
• Outstanding debt to a property management company or previous/current landlord may result in denial.

• Credit History:

• Credit scores are important, but we are more interested in what created the credit score.  A low credit score, may be offset by strong rental and employment history. A high credit score, may still be disqualified if applicants don’t meet other rental criteria.
• Non-discharged bankruptcy action will result in disqualification for the rental property.
• After a bankruptcy has been discharged, applicant may be required to show six months of positive established credit.
• Credit will be reviewed. Some reasons for credit denial are too much debt to income, large judgments, utility collections, poor payment history. If no credit is available, you may ask if a co-signor and/or higher security deposit is allowable.
• Our guidelines for credit scores is 650 to 800+ standard approval, 600 to 649 conditional approval, 530 to 599 possible denial, if approved would likely require additional deposit and credit score below 530 will most likely not be approved.

• Criminal History:

• Each applicant will have a criminal background check.
• Residency may be denied due to a criminal record, although each applicant is considered on an individual basis.  The criminal record will be evaluated by the nature of the crime (s) and date (s), number and frequency of any conviction (s) and other criminal history and relevant circumstances.
• Felony and misdemeanor convictions may result in denial.
• Criminal histories noted on background check pertaining to weapons, drugs, arson, vandalism, forgery, burglary, violence or any other act that poses a threat to household, neighborhood, safety of others, vendors, Greater STL Rentals employees, or the physical property itself, may result in denial.