Application Process and Rental Criteria
Real Property Management Heritage is committed to equal housing and we fully comply with the Federal Fair Housing Act (FFHA). We do not discriminate against persons because of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, national origin, or age. We also comply with all state and local fair housing laws. We offer applications to everyone who requests one.
👇🏼 Jump to our policy and procedures regarding Disability and Accommodation Requests
Step 1
Apply
Submit a separate application for each occupant eighteen (18) years of age or older and pay the application fee.
Step 2
Sign & Pay
After your application is approved, secure the property by signing the Lease Agreement and submitting payment for the Security Deposit. Until the home is secured, the property is still available for rent to any party with an approved application.
Step 3
Move In
Schedule a time to pick up keys from our office starting on the day your lease begins. Proof of Utilities set up and full payment of the First Month’s Rent to pick up keys.
Important Information:
1️⃣ First Come, First Serve
We review each application that is submitted in the order we receive them. Missing information or the inability to contact a previous landlord or current employer for verification can delay your application.
⏱ Turnaround time
It can take up to 3 business days* to purchase and review credit history reports, background checks, and criminal history, contact your previous landlords, verify employment, and thoroughly review all submitted documents.
*In some cases, the approval of common interest Associations, homeowners, or unforeseen circumstances may require a longer processing period.
❌ We do not pre-screen
We do not provide pre-screening approvals on people or pets without a submitted application. We recommend reading the information below to pre-screen yourself before submitting an application. If you meet the screening criteria, we highly recommend applying for the home.
🏃🏻♂️ Expedited Move-In
If your move-in date is within 10 calendar days of the application submittal date, we may require a $250 rush fee.
📆 30 day Move-In
No rental property will be held vacant for more than 30 days without approval.
🐶 Pet Policy
Case by case for acceptance. Generally, the charge for each pet is a $450 Refundable Pet Deposit and a $20 Monthly Pet Fee. 2 pet maximum per property. Pet acceptance and fees may vary based on the property, please refer to the listing.
🎁 Required Resident Benefit Package
The Real Property Management Heritage Resident Benefits Package (RBP) delivers savings and convenient, professional services that make taking care of your home easy. This is a requirement for all homes under our management and the exact terms and conditions are in the lease agreement. This includes air filter delivery, building your credit with on-time payment reporting to all 3 credit bureaus, move-in utilities concierge service, resident rewards, $1M Identity Protection, and more.
📞 Call Us
If you have any questions about the application process, want to know the status of your application, or this is your first time renting a house from an apartment, give us a call at (832) 701-0766 and a team member will help guide you.
Our Rental Criteria:
Identification Verification
Each applicant is required to provide a copy of a legible government issued photo identification card. We may request additional identification documentation as needed to verify. This can include, but not limited to:
- Texas Driver’s License
- Texas Identification Card
- Social Security Card
- Passport
Credit Score
Applicants with less than a combined average 600 Transunion Resident Score are subject to review and approval by upper management and may be subject to additional Security Deposit.
Good credit history is required for standard acceptance. Applicants with no credit, slow credit, or marginal credit may be approved with an additional security deposit. We will obtain a copy of your credit history, applicant-supplied credit history reports will not be accepted.
We can offer applicants with lower than a 600 Transunion Resident Score with an opportunity to rent from us by offsetting the monetary risk for the owner, and the management company. Applications may still be approved with less than a 600 Transunion Resident Score. Combined scores of 600 or higher are usually approved with normal rents, as advertised admin fees, and the advertised security deposit.
How to Calculate Combined Transunion Resident Score for Multiple Applicants: Add the Transunion Resident Scores together with applicants and divide by the number of applicants in the home.
Credit History
We will obtain a copy of your credit history, applicant supplied credit history reports will not be accepted. We will take into consideration if the applicant has paid all bills on time and if the applicant has a history of debt “write-offs” or accounts that have gone into collection. Money owed to a previous landlord or utility company is cause for denial.
Income Verification
Your monthly income must be at least three (3) times the monthly rent and verifiable from an unbiased source:
- Last two (2) pay stubs from your employer.
- Self-employed income must verified through one (1) year of the most recent personal tax returns and proof of ownership.
- Bank statements may be requested to verify income, but will not be accepted as sole proof of income.
- Transfers or re-locations must have correspondence showing an accepted job offer.
- Any verification fees required by the employer must be paid by the applicant.
If military, we need a current copy of your leave and earnings statement. If you are active-duty military, you must be on an assignment that, to best of your knowledge, will allow you to complete an initial twelve (12) month lease.
Resident Verification and History
We verify residential history for at least one year whether you currently own, rent, lived on base or lived with someone else.
- Rental history must be verified from unbiased sources.
- Applicants are responsible for providing contact information (yes, we email/call to verify) of previous landlords with the dates of residency for the previous year.
- We can accept military base housing as rental history.
- Evictions, broken leases, late payments, or any issues with previous residencies will be considered on a case-by-case basis and an additional security deposit may be required.
Background Check
We will check these databases for all occupants over eighteen (18). Criminal backgrounds involving violent crimes, sex offenses, domestic violence, and/or involving the possession or distribution of weapons or illegal substances are all possible grounds for denial of an application. Exceptions may be made for type and or age of offense, please provide details in advance of the review.
Animal Criteria
We abide by The Fair Housing Act, allowing a reasonable accommodation involving an assistance animal in situations that meet the conditions outlined here: https://www.hud.gov/program_offices/fair_housing_equal_opp/assistance_animals
For pets, typically up to two animals are allowed per property and may vary based on the listing.
We do not allow any possession of poisonous, dangerous, endangered species or otherwise unauthorized animal.
On a case-by-case basis, Real Property Management Heritage will allow for Restricted Breed dogs that are all or any portion of mixed with the following breeds:
Alaskan Malamute
Akita
American Bulldog
Bull Terrier
Bullmastiff
Cane Corso
Chow
Doberman Pinschers
German Shepherd
Great Dane
Husky or Siberian Husky
Mastiff
Pit Bull
Presa Canario
Rottweiler
Wolf Hybrid
If a restricted breed is allowed, a dog liability insurance policy may be required with a minimum coverage of $100,000 per incident and name “Real Property Management Heritage” as an additional insured on this policy.
Disability and Accommodation Requests:
Submit an Accommodation Request
Applicants and tenants may make accommodation requests and submit supporting documentation at any time prior to or during the lease term that accommodations are needed. However, it may take up to 2-3 weeks for the information to be reviewed, meetings to be scheduled, and accommodations to be put in place.
If you are applying to rent, your application approval is not dependent on the approval of the accommodation request. You may be approved before your accommodation request. If that happens, you will be offered a lease agreement to sign and the ability to pay the security deposit to secure the home. If you have any questions about this process, please contact our office.
Documentation Guideline
Disability-related documentation should provide information on the impact of the disability so that appropriate accommodations can be identified. Documentation may include assessments, reports, and/or letters from qualified evaluators, professionals, or institutions. Common sources of documentation are healthcare providers, psychologists, and diagnosticians. Copies of accommodations approved by a previous landlord(s) such as accommodation agreements/letters can also be included as additional supporting information.
Suggested Documentation Elements:
- Typed on letterhead, dated, and signed by a qualified professional.
- Describe the impact or symptoms of the disability.
- If appropriate, discuss the severity and/or expected progression.
- If appropriate, list medication side effects.
- Current and/or past accommodations.
- Any recommended accommodations.
Review Process
Accommodation requests and supporting documentation will be reviewed on an individual, case-by-case basis in the order that it is received. After the initial application is reviewed, we may request additional supporting documentation, or set up an appointment to discuss possible accommodations before accommodations can be put into place. Please contact the office to check on the status of the request.
What is a service animal?
Under the ADA, “service animal means any dog that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability, including a physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual, or other mental disability. Other species of animals, whether wild or domestic, trained or untrained, are not service animals for the purposes of this definition. The work or tasks performed by a service animal must be directly related to the individual’s disability.”
What is an assistance animal?
Per HUD,”an assistance animal is an animal that works, provides assistance, or performs tasks for the benefit of a person with a disability, or that provides emotional support that alleviates one or more identified effects of a person’s disability. An assistance animal is not a pet.”
Information Confirming Disability-Related Need for an Assistance Animal
- Reasonably supporting information often consists of information from a licensed health care professional – e.g., physician, optometrist, psychiatrist, psychologist, physician’s assistant, nurse practitioner, or nurse – general to the condition but specific as to the individual with a disability and the assistance or therapeutic emotional support provided by the animal.
- A relationship or connection between the disability and the need for the assistance animal must be provided. This is particularly the case where the disability is non-observable, and/or the animal provides therapeutic emotional support.
- For non-observable disabilities and animals that provide therapeutic emotional support, we may ask for information that is consistent with that identified in the Guidance on Documenting an Individual’s Need for Assistance Animals in Housing in order to conduct an individualized assessment of whether it must provide the accommodation under the Fair Housing Act. The lack of such documentation in many cases may be reasonable grounds for denying a requested accommodation.
How to Obtain Documentation
The professional making the diagnosis of a disability should be an appropriately trained evaluator, such as a physician, psychologist, psychiatrist, or educational diagnostician. For example, an audiologist would diagnose a hearing impairment; a psychiatrist, psychologist, or clinical social worker would diagnose a mental health disability. Documentation from a family member or family friend is not acceptable.
