When applying for residence, please follow the video below. There are two fees in the application process. The first fee is an administration fee of $24; this fee goes toward verifying employment, rental history, and income. The second fee is a screening fee of $25; this processes your background check, eviction report, credit history. The video below will walk you through the process. If you have not filled out all information and submitted both payments for a total of $49, then your application is not complete. Application fees are not refundable; however, we can use one application for multiple properties. The link to apply is below as well as the instructions to walk you through the process.
Click here to start the application process
How do I submit a rental application and pay an application fee?
In order to apply for a rental, the landlord needs to send the prospective renter a link to fill out an application for the listed rental. Or if the renter is viewing the website hosted through TenantCloud, and applying for a rental using the listing on the website.
You are to follow the link and press on the “Apply to this listing” button.
Fill in all required information and press the “Continue to pay the fee” button. If you do not complete the application, it will remain in draft format. You will need to select the “Edit application” button to complete the application and apply for the rental. The progress bar is in percentage format and is situated in the upper left corner of the page. This will help you visualize the progress of your rental application.
If you are applying with another co-applicant, press “+ add occupants” and provide the required information. Enable “Invite to apply” toggle-button to send out the email invitation to the co-applicant. Your co-applicants will receive a link to submit a rental application. If you disable “Invite to apply” toggle-button, the invitation to apply won’t be sent to your co-applicant.
Put a check-mark to acknowledge that you have read and understood the disclaimer:
If an application fee is required, pay it using one of the available online payment methods. If your potential landlord has set up either TC Payments powered by Dwolla, PayPal, or Stripe, you can submit payment by pressing the “Pay online” button.
After confirming the transaction, your rental application will be successfully submitted.
On the Applications page you can find a prospective rental and submit your rental application, click the “Find a place” button in the upper right-hand corner, enter the city, state, or zip code of the location you are interested in. Click on a listing and you’ll be able to apply online or contact the landlord/property manager:
Our goal is to put the best possible tenant in place. Making sure to preserve neighborhoods and build a community. Because of this, we have a streamlined application process. Please click the link below to get started.
Rental Qualification
APPLICATION TERMS
- Primary Applicant / Co-Applicant: All individuals over age 18 who will reside in the home and are financially responsible for making lease payments, and who will sign the lease agreement and uphold the lease obligations. The Applicant who starts the application process is referred to as the “Primary Applicant”. All others with similar responsibilities are referred to as “Co-Applicants”.
- Adult Applicant: All individuals over age 18 who will reside in the home who are notfinancially responsible for making lease payments but must uphold all other lease obligations.
- Non-Resident Guarantor: An individual over age 18 who will be financially responsible for lease payments but does not reside in the leased home. The Non-Resident Guarantor will be required to sign the Lease Agreement and/or a Guarantor addendum. Guarantors may be accepted for applicants who do not meet certain financial qualification requirements.
QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS
All applicants will undergo a screening process, which includes a review of the applicant’s credit history, previous rental history and criminal history. To qualify for residency with Happy Homes and You, each Applicant must meet the requirements detailed below. Please note: nothing contained in this document constitutes any guarantee of approval.
AGE
Each Applicant must be at least 18 years of age.
OCCUPANCY
Occupancy standards allowable cannot exceed 2 persons per bedroom, plus one additional person per home, unless otherwise dictated by local, state or federal law.
| Number of Bedrooms | Occupancy Standard |
| One Bedroom | Two Persons |
| Two Bedrooms | Four Persons |
| Three Bedrooms | Five Persons |
| Four Bedrooms | Seven Persons |
| Five Bedrooms | Nine Persons |
IDENTIFICATION
Applicant(s) must present valid photo identification issued by any state or federal authority of the United States. Documents must be uploaded in PDF or picture file format (such as jpg, jpeg or png). Acceptable ID documents include:
- State-issued Driver’s License
- State-issued Identification Card
- U.S. Passport or Passport Card
- U.S. Permanent Resident Card
- U.S. Military ID Card (front and back of ID needed)
- Valid Foreign Passport along with valid work visa issued by the United States
INCOME
Applicants must earn total monthly gross income equal to 3 times the total rent of the selected home.
Non-Resident Guarantor(s) regardless of state/city must earn a total monthly gross income equal to 5 times the total rent of the selected home.
Applicant(s) must upload one or more of the following forms of documentation to fully substantiate the monthly income stated on the rental application. Accepted forms of documentation in order of preference are detailed below. Documents must be uploaded in PDF or picture file format (such as jpg, jpeg or png). If the documentation uploaded does not meet requirements or demonstrate the monthly income stated on the application, the Applicant(s) will lose their place in line for the property applied for and additional documentation may be requested for review.
CREDIT REQUIREMENT
To verify credit rating, a credit report using a third party agency will be obtained on all adult applicants financially responsible for lease payments. All open collections, charge-offs, repossessions and delinquencies may be taken into consideration during review of credit report. All applicants must have a FICO score of 500 or higher.
* Non-Resident Guarantors, regardless of state/city, are required to have a FICO score of 620 or higher. These credit ratings will be used in the following manner to determine security deposit requirements if the application is approved:
| Credit Score | Deposit |
| Less than 500 | Ineligible (Declined) |
| 500 – 579 | 1.5-months security deposit** |
| 580 or higher | 1-month security deposit |
*If no FICO score or a credit report is available, the application may still be considered but applicant(s) must earn a gross monthly income equal to 5 times the total rent for the home selected and 1.5-month security deposit would be required if approved.
*If no FICO score is available due to limited credit history, the application may still be considered but the applicant(s) must earn a gross monthly income equal to 3.5 times the total rent for the home selected and 1.5-monthly security deposit would be required if approved.
**In accordance with Alabama law, a landlord may collect no more than one month’s rent as a security deposit. Therefore, all Alabama applicants with a FICO score of 500 – 579 must earn a gross monthly income equal to 3.5 times the total rent to be eligible for a Happy Homes and You property in the State of Alabama. If FICO score is 580 or above, gross monthly income may meet the minimum standards of 3 times the total rent to qualify.
CRIMINAL HISTORY
All residents over the age of 18 must consent to a criminal history verification using third party agency. Application(s) will be denied for any felony conviction within the last 7 years. Felony conviction for certain types of fraudulent activity, arson offenses, non-forcible sexual crimes and/or violent crime(s) will be denied within 10 years. Misdemeanor convictions within 3 years will also be cause for denial of application. Felony drug sale and manufacture offenses will be denied if within 10 years of application. All forcible sexual crimes and sex offender registrants will be declined regardless of time.
† Certain municipalities and local jurisdictions require a landlord to provide criminal background reports for all rental occupants, including those under age 18. In those areas, Happy Homes and You will comply with local regulations and requires all occupants to consent to a criminal history examination.
RENTAL HISTORY
Landlord/Tenant records within three (3) years of application date are automatically declined. Applicant(s) that reflect only one (1) Landlord/Tenant record with a dismissed or terminated status will remain eligible to lease a home.
A Non-Resident Guarantor, regardless of state/city, must have no history of any types of Landlord/Tenant records including but not limited to evictions, housing payment delinquencies or open / unsatisfied judgements.
CREDIT HISTORY
Rental Debt outstanding above a pre-determined value reflected on your credit report will be automatically declined unless judgement was satisfied 1 year prior to application date.
- Derogatory credit % (30 days late credit payments) of 50% or more.
- Landlord collections record(s) with unpaid balances over $500 within the last 7 years.
- Landlord related unpaid public record(s) for balances over $500 within the last 7 years.
- Any unpaid subprime/alternate credit delinquencies over $500 within the last 3 years.
BANKRUPTCY
Open bankruptcies will be cause for automatic denial unless a court letter of dismissal or discharge is provided. Dismissed or discharged bankruptcies that appear on the applicant’s credit report may be considered. Any rental debt that has been waived due to a dismissed or discharged bankruptcy may result in a declined application.
PET POLICY
Happy Homes and You welcomes your pets! Pets must be approved and a Pet Addendum to the lease is required. For approved pets, Happy Homes and You charges a non-refundable pet fee of $250 for each approved pet and a monthly rent of $25 for each approved pet. When pets are approved, there is a maximum limit of three (3) domestic animals per household. Acceptable pets include dogs, cats, small caged animals. Restricted pets include Pit Bull Terriers, Rottweilers and any mix containing one of these breeds. Livestock, farm animals and poisonous, dangerous or exotic animals are also prohibited. Verified service animals and emotional support animals are permitted.
ADDITIONAL DISCLAIMERS
FAIR HOUSING POLICY
The agents of Happy Homes and You adhere to the Fair Housing Law (Title VIII) of the Civil Rights Action of 1968 as amended by the Housing and Community Development Action of 1974 and the Fair Housing Amendment of 1988 which stipulate that it is illegal to discriminate against any person in housing practices because of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, familial status or any other class protected by law.
PRIVACY POLICY
All documents and information you submit as part of the application process is kept private and confidential. We take your privacy very seriously, please take a moment to review our Privacy Policy.
FALSIFICATION OF DOCUMENTS
Any falsification in Applicant’s paperwork will result in the automatic denial of the application as inconclusive. If an Applicant falsified his/her paperwork, the Landlord has the right to hold all application deposits and fees paid to apply toward liquidated damages. Falsification of application is also grounds to terminate the lease regardless of when the falsification is discovered.
USE OF INFORMATION
The information provided in the application as a result of the authorization given herein by the Applicant will not be sold or distributed to others. However, Landlord and Landlord Agents may use such information to decide whether to lease the home to an Applicant and for all other purposes relative to any future lease agreement between the parties including the enforcement thereof.
APPLICATION DOES NOT CREATE A LEASE
Completed application(s), even if accepted, shall under no circumstance be considered a lease agreement between Applicant(s) and Landlord.
Happy Homes And You 