Dear Prospective Applicant,
Thank you for taking time to consider applying to rent a Recovery Realty property! We do our absolute best to process applications on a first-come, first-served basis, but often times the person applying first has bypassed completing some important/needed details which will likely land them in a secondary or latter position, so please don’t rush the process. We ask that all proposed adult occupants apply at close to the same time to ensure positioning in this competitive market. Occasionally we receive several applications around the same time frame. If this occurs, the applications will be processed simultaneously, and recommendations will be made by management to the owner who ultimately approves an applicant for tenancy. Here are some important points to observe when considering applying for one of our available properties:
- Be sure to have three years of residential and employment details prepared before starting this application. You will not be able to log back into your application to edit or resubmit documentation.
- Each occupant 18 years of age and older must complete an application regardless of income. Applications will not be processed until every applicant has filled out all necessary information and included a copy of a current photo identification.
- Application fees are NON-REFUNDABLE unless you are applying as a backup or secondary position whereas no processing or credit check has occurred. In those circumstances where an earlier applicant was approved and signed a lease, a refund will be issued back to the original payment source – please allow three to five business days for the refund to be posted to your account.
ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA:
Applications should always include a copy of your current picture identification and are processed using on three basic categories:
Credit: While scores are important, we evaluate credit history as a whole (i.e., score could be low due to limited, not necessarily poor history). Utility collections including cell phones as well as any liens or judgements often lead to automatic denial. Utilities and communications are imperative to a person’s comfort. Liens or judgments can become a wage garnishment preventing a rent payment being paid timely, so our rules have very good reasoning behind them.
Rental History: If you have any eviction or landlord collection history, this will be grounds for an automatic denied typically. Those who have been homeowners prior to renting will have a heavier weight put on their income and credit categories.
Income: Please do not attach paystubs or bank statements as they contain sensitive information. You will be invited separately to confirm just your bank deposit history that will produce an accurate and up-to-date income report.
Many management companies require a minimum of 3x the rent for qualification to be met. We look more closely at the income:debt ratio. So in some cases, where there is a great deal of debt, 3x may actually be insufficient. Income and living expenses have to make sense naturally to both management and the owner in order for an applicant to be advanced to the approval process. Bottom line, income should ensure a resident is comfortable paying their living expenses. We simply don’t want to see anyone struggle or become over extended.
Section 8. Section 8 is now a protected income class, so there is no need to ask if Section 8 or similar voucher programs are accepted.
PLEASE NOTE: Any falsification found to be made on an application will lead to immediate denial.
PET POLICY:
Please confirm the pet policy for this property. If pets are allowed for this property, take a moment to become familiar with our company pet policy here: https://recovery-realty.com/pet-policy/. Our properties may differ in pet policies regarding what kind of pet, weight, number of pets allowed which can be limited by the owner, the HOA, insurance restrictions, or a combination thereof, but it is our policy to encourage responsible pet ownership when it’s allowed.
Applicants with animals should postpone registering their critters until requested to do so. Because “Pet Screening” is a third-party vendor, fees charged by this service cannot be refunded. Upon request, all applicants must create a tenant-only, pet, and/or animal profile. If you have a pet, there is an additional per one-time screening charge which is administered by this third-party service and depending on the property, we do charge a bit extra for security deposit. We do not have a pet rent policy and do not intend to implement one. Any deposits in California are considered refundable by law.
For applicants who DO have Pets, please wait until your application is processed as pet screening is a third-party vendor, and their fee is nonrefundable. When you are asked, you can click on our pet screening link: https://cherylmuzinich.petscreening.com. This link will direct you to complete a Pet Application and to pay the required pet profile fee. Service or ESA animals do not require an up-front fee and will be fee free if verified.
For applicants who DON’T have a pet, please visit the link https://cherylmuzinich.petscreening.com and complete a ‘No Pet’ profile at no additional cost.
NEXT STEPS:
Each occupant, age 18 and above, must complete an individual application and pay a NONREFUNDABLE application fee of $50 per adult.
- An incomplete application will delay the process and may result in another applicant being approved while we wait for your information or the cancellation of your application entirely.
- Once we receive your completed application, we will have it fully processed and notify you of the results within 48 business hours of receipt or less. The primary delay of any application is waiting for a rental reference.
- If approved, you will have until 24-48 hours to sign the lease AND pay the security deposit with certified funds depending on what day of the week the approval occurs. Until we receive the signed lease AND the security deposit, we will not remove the property from the market entirely until the lease is signed, and the deposit is paid. Properties will not be held for any length of time without this commitment. Delays in committing to the lease signing and collection of the deposit often result in cancellation of the applicant’s interest in that particular property or moving them behind a backup applicant who is next in line.
- If your application is approved but something prevents you from completing the lease, we do hold applications open for sixty days. You may apply your pre-approved application towards any of our other properties within those 60 days WITHOUT having to pay another application fee.
Our properties with central heating/cooling that have a filter will be automatically enrolled in our Resident Benefits Package. The cost for this program is $39.95/month, which is charged in addition to the rent as filters, batteries and bulbs are a tenant expense. This program is designed to improve our resident’s experience with cleaner air quality, more efficient use of their HVAC system resulting in lower energy costs and reducing the chance of system malfunction or failure during periods of extreme heat or cold spells. The package also includes the required renter’s insurance, credit building, identity theft, utility concierge and more for our residents.
INFORMATION ON APPLICATION FEES:
Maximum Application Screening Fees. When Civil Code §1950.6 was first enacted, owners and managers could not charge more than $30 per applicant for an application fee. The law allows the landlord to increase the $30 charge annually according to the consumer price index (CPI). In 2024, the maximum statutory amount is $62.02.
To avoid unfair business practice claims, conservative property owners and managers set their application fees at the lesser of the statutory maximum or their actual screening costs. An application screening fee should not be charged if the property owner or manager does not incur any screening costs (i.e. when no credit report is run or if the owner or manager did not perform a personal reference check or other processing).
Application Screening Fees When No Unit is Available. Unless the applicant agrees in writing, owners and managers cannot charge an application screening fee at all if they do not have a current vacancy or do not anticipate vacancies becoming available within a reasonable period of time. Civil Code §1950.6(c). The intent of the law is to prohibit any owner or manager from charging application screening fees when there are no units currently available to rent. But, if the applicant agrees in writing to have the report run when there are no current vacancies or no vacancies available within a reasonable period of time, an application screening fee may be charged. Otherwise, alternatives are to run credit reports and process the application at the landlord’s expense or wait to charge the fee and process the application when the applicant is at the top of the waiting list.
Charging Application Fees for Husband and Wife. Treating married couples differently than single persons is discriminatory in California. Each adult applicant should complete a rental application and should be charged the same fee. The monetary limit is per person regardless of the relationship between the parties.
Information to Include on the Receipt for the Application Fee. The applicant must be given an itemized receipt showing the actual charge for the credit report and the “soft costs” for the time and expense incurred by the owner/ manager for obtaining, processing and verifying the application (i.e. including past rental history, current employment, bank accounts, etc.). Civil Code §1950.6(d) and (f). If the total cost is less than the fee collected, the remaining sum should be returned to the applicant. Many application forms and some holding deposit agreements contain a receipt for the application fee, so often the application fee receipt is provided on either the application form or the holding deposit agreement form.
PET SCREENING:
Recovery Realty encourages healthy and responsible pet interactions for all residents, and we strive to create a community that welcomes everyone and ensures a pet-responsible environment. We use a third-party pet application service that is simple and secure all while storing your pet’s information in one place.
Please confirm the pet policy for this property. If pets are allowed for this property, take a moment to become familiar with our company pet policy here: https://recovery-realty.com/pet-policy/. Our properties may differ in pet policies regarding what kind of pet, weight, number of pets allowed which can be limited by the owner, the HOA, insurance restrictions, or a combination thereof, but it is our policy to encourage responsible pet ownership when it’s allowed.
Applicants with animals should postpone registering their critters until requested to do so. Because “Pet Screening” is a third-party vendor, fees charged by this service cannot be refunded. Upon request, all applicants must create a tenant-only, pet, and/or animal profile. If you have a pet, there is an additional per one-time screening charge which is administered by this third-party service and depending on the property, we do charge a bit extra for security deposit. We do not have a pet rent policy and do not intend to implement one. Any deposits in California are considered refundable by law.
All applicants should visit http://cherylmuzinich.petscreening.com, review the policies, and click the “start here” button for one of three categories: 1) no pets, 2) household pets, or 3) assistance/support animals.