Rental Application Approval Criteria

Colorado Rental Properties

All rental applications will be evaluated consistently in accordance with applicable federal, state, and local fair housing laws.

1. Credit Requirements

  • Applicants must have a minimum credit score of 650.
  • Applicants must have no late payments reported on credit accounts within the preceding 12 months.
  • Applicants receiving qualifying housing subsidies, including Section 8 housing choice vouchers, are exempt from these credit requirements in accordance with Colorado law.

2. Income Requirements

  • Applicants must demonstrate verifiable gross monthly income equal to at least two (2) times the monthly rental amount.
  • Acceptable verification includes recent pay stubs, employment verification, tax returns, benefit statements, or other reliable documentation of lawful income.
  • For applicants receiving qualifying housing subsidies, the income requirement will be calculated based solely on the portion of the monthly rent the applicant is personally responsible for paying.

3. Background Screening

  • All applicants must successfully complete a background screening.
  • Criminal history will be evaluated in accordance with Colorado law, including applicable restrictions on the types and ages of criminal records that may be considered.
  • Screening decisions will be based on legally permissible information and applicable fair housing requirements.

Portable Tenant Screening Reports

  • In accordance with Colorado Revised Statutes § 38-12-904, applicants have the right to provide a qualifying portable tenant screening report in lieu of purchasing a new screening report.
  • A portable tenant screening report must meet applicable Colorado statutory requirements. Secretary of Estates, LLC may require that the report:
    • Was completed within the preceding 30 days.
    • Is available to management at no cost.
    • Is accompanied by a statement from the applicant confirming that no material changes have occurred in the information contained in the report since it was prepared.
  • Applicants who provide a qualifying portable tenant screening report will not be charged a rental application fee or a fee to access or use the report, as required by Colorado law.
  • Management reserves the right to verify application information and request additional supporting documentation to the extent permitted by law.
  • Acceptance of a portable tenant screening report does not guarantee approval. Applicants must still satisfy all applicable rental qualification criteria.

4. Rental or Mortgage Payment History

  • Applicants must demonstrate satisfactory rental references or a satisfactory mortgage payment history.
  • Rental references should demonstrate timely rental payments, compliance with lease obligations, and satisfactory care of the property.
  • Applicants with a mortgage history must demonstrate a record of timely mortgage payments.
  • Applicants without established rental or mortgage history may provide alternative documentation of their ability to meet rental obligations, which will be evaluated consistently and in accordance with applicable law.

5. Eviction History Requirements

  • Applicants must have no eviction judgments entered against them within the seven (7) years immediately preceding the date of application, except where consideration of such judgments or denial based upon them is prohibited by applicable law.
  • Only legally reportable and verifiable eviction records will be considered.
  • Eviction filings that did not result in a judgment will not, by themselves, constitute grounds for automatic denial.
  • These criteria will be applied consistently to all applicants, including applicants receiving housing assistance, in accordance with applicable federal, state, and local laws.

6. Individual Property Owner Requirements

  • Each rental property may have additional qualification requirements established by the individual property owner, provided those requirements comply with applicable federal, state, and local laws.
  • Additional requirements or preferences must be established and disclosed before applications are accepted and must be applied consistently to all applicants for the property.
  • All application decisions will be based on the published qualification criteria and legally permissible property-specific requirements.

7. Service Animals and Emotional Support Animals

  • Service animals and emotional support animals (ESAs) are permitted as required by applicable federal, state, and local fair housing laws.
  • Applicants requesting an assistance animal as a reasonable accommodation may be asked to provide reliable supporting documentation when the disability or disability-related need for the animal is not readily apparent or otherwise known, to the extent permitted by law.
  • Assistance animals are not considered pets and are not subject to pet restrictions, pet deposits, pet fees, or monthly pet rent.
  • Requests for assistance animals will be evaluated individually in accordance with applicable fair housing laws.

8. Co-Signers and Guarantors

  • Co-signers and guarantors are not accepted. All applicants must independently satisfy the applicable rental qualification requirements.

9. Property Viewing Requirements

  • Sight-unseen leases are not permitted. Applicants must participate in a live walkthrough of the rental property before entering into a lease agreement.
  • The walkthrough may be conducted in person or through a live, interactive video tour with a representative of Secretary of Estates, LLC.
  • Prerecorded videos, listing photographs, and virtual tours without live interaction do not satisfy this requirement.
  • Applicants must have an opportunity to ask questions and view specific areas of the property during the walkthrough.

10. Application Verification

  • All information provided on the rental application is subject to verification.
  • Providing materially false or misleading information may result in denial of the application, to the extent permitted by law.
  • All applicants must meet the published qualification criteria, subject to applicable legal exceptions and reasonable accommodations.

Secretary of Estates, LLC complies with all applicable federal, Colorado, and local fair housing laws.

All applicants will be evaluated fairly and consistently without discrimination based on any legally protected characteristic, including lawful source of income.