Rental application information

Government-issued photo identification, income documentation appropriate to your situation (recent pay statements, an offer letter, tax returns or business records if self-employed, or benefit award letters), and contact details for your current and prior landlords.

California caps the screening fee a landlord may charge, and the cap is adjusted annually. The current amount is stated on the application for the specific property. You are entitled to a receipt, and on request a copy of the report obtained.

Usually a few business days once a complete application and all documentation are received. Incomplete applications are the most common cause of delay, so it is worth submitting everything at once.

Apply anyway and tell us the context. Criteria are applied consistently, but circumstances vary and a single past event is not always determinative. What is not helpful is discovering something on a report that the applicant did not mention.

Co-applicants are screened individually against the same criteria. Whether a guarantor is accepted depends on the property and is stated in the criteria for that listing.

You are notified, and where the decision was based on information in a consumer report you receive an adverse action notice identifying the reporting agency, as federal law requires. You may obtain a free copy of your report from that agency and dispute anything inaccurate.

Only within the limits California law and any applicable local ordinance allow, including individualized assessment requirements where they apply. Blanket exclusions are not used.