Rental Policies and Criteria

Thank you for choosing Western Slope Property Management. We use the following rental policies and rental criteria to qualify applicants prior to entering into a lease agreement. To prevent unexpected denial of your application, please be sure to read and understand these policies in their entirety and ensure you have provided all supporting materials and documentation (e.g. driver’s license, pay stubs, etc). WSPM will not consider any information an applicant has provided on the application unless its consideration is allowed under applicable law. Please note that false/incomplete information provided by any applicant will result in the denial of the entire party applying to rent.

WHAT WE CONSIDER WHILE REVIEWING APPLICATIONS

(Rental Criteria)

CRIMINAL BACKGROUND AND PUBLIC RECORDS CHECK:

We will order a criminal background and public records report for each adult applicant and apply all applicable federal, state and local laws when reviewing these reports. WSPM will deny rental applications for the entire lease party for any of the following reasons:

Any Applicant is a registered sex offender;
Any Applicant has (within the last 5 years) been convicted of any felony, violent, disturbing the peace, and other similar crime. Please note that Colorado law allows us to consider certain offenses indefinitely, including homicide, stalking and possession/manufacture/distribution of certain controlled substances;
Any Applicant who has delinquent debts;
Any Applicant has a non-monetary eviction OR a bankruptcy in the past 7 years;
Lease Party exceeds the following Occupancy Limits:
- 1bd Unit: 2 people (excludes children under 2)
- 2bd Unit: 4 people (excludes children under 2)
- 3bd Unit: 6 people (excludes children under 2)
- 4bd Unit: 8 people (excludes children under 2)
Any discrepancy between what was disclosed in the application and what was returned on the criminal background and public records check.

INCOME:

All sources of income, including child/spousal support, SSI, SSDI, retirement and self-employment are accepted.
Gross monthly income MUST be at least two times (2x) the monthly rent amount.
Minimum 6 months of steady and verifiable work history or income.
Income and employment must be verifiable! In addition to pay stubs, we may contact your current or past employers. Applicants transitioning between jobs may provide recent pay stubs from the previous and a letter from your new employer as proof of income. The letter has to state hourly wage or annual salary, how many hours worked & if you are a permanent employee or otherwise provide enough information for us to calculate monthly and annual income AND must be on company letterhead or from a verifiable source.

RENTAL HISTORY:

Applicants must have verifiable rental history for the past 2 years to qualify and must provide all residential history for the past 7 years.
Previous landlords will be contacted and verified and applicants must have positive rental references and history.
If you have no rental history with a landlord or property manager or as a homeowner for the past 2 years, WSPM will require you to include a Co-Signer (see Co-Signers below). Please note that friends, family members and co-workers DO NOT count as landlords/property managers for the purposes of establishing 2 years of most-recent rental history.

CO-SIGNERS:

When an applicant doesn’t meet certain rental criteria, we may still be able to move forward if a Co-Signer is willing to join the lease party as a financially responsible non-occupant, such as in the case of new renters who do not yet have rental history. Co-Signers must meet all of the above criteria as well as gross income must be two times (2x) the amount of rent in order to be considered acceptable. Co-Signers must complete the application in its entirety, pay the application fee, and must also sign the lease agreement and remain financially responsible for the entire occupancy of the lease party.

By submitting an application to rent through Western Slope Property Management you agree to the following:

I recognize that this application is subject to acceptance or rejection.
I/We hereby state that the information provided is true and complete under penalty of perjury and authorize its verification.
I/We hereby authorize Western Slope Property Management to run any and all credit, criminal and residential checks necessary.
Should any statement made herein be deemed a misrepresentation, by and at the sole discretion of Western Slope Property Management, I understand that I will forfeit any application fees paid.
I understand that false or misleading information on this application by any member of your applicant party will result in denial for the whole party and is not a valid reason for a refund of application fee(s).
By submitting an application, I/We attest to the fact that we have read and accept the application and affirm that all of the statements included in the application are true and correct.

THINGS YOU WILL NEED TO SUBMIT WITH THE APPLICATION:

1. Driver's License (or other government issued photo ID) + Social Security Card for every applicant over 18. You may:

Attach digital files or photos of these documents via our online application OR
Send us a high-resolution photo/scan of the front and back of each card OR
Present these documents at our office so that we may make copies/scans and attach them to your applicant file.

2. Proof of income ** - Please provide:

Employment Income: 4 most recent pay stubs showing hourly or salary rates, Year-to-Date totals and deductions.
Applicants who are relocating for a new job: Letter(s) from your employer on their letterhead indicating hourly or salary rates and which provide enough information for us to calculate monthly or annual income AND provide documentation of your most recent employment income (see Employment Income, above).
Self-employed or non-W2 Applicants: We will consider prior year tax returns and bank statements, accompanied by a written explanation of your source of income.
Applicants receiving child/spousal support, VA benefits, SSI, SSDI, pensions and other sources of income not covered above can submit benefit letters or court documents as verification of income.

** Applicants who will use a Housing Authority-issued voucher to pay any portion of their monthly rent charges do not need to provide proof of income. WSPM will collect any and all income information from the Housing Authority. WSPM will not consider any information an applicant has provided on the application unless its consideration is allowed under applicable law.

3. Background check fee of $27.00 per adult applicant ***

Application fees can be paid online via AppFolio or in-person via check, money order, cashier’s check, etc. WSPM cannot accept cash payments for any amounts due at any time.
This background check fee of $27 covers our actual cost to run each criminal background and public records check.
Application fees are not refundable once we start processing your application.

*** Portable Tenant Screening Reports (PTSR): 1) You have the right to provide Landlord with a PTSR that is not more than 30 days old, as defined in § 38-12-902(2.5), Colorado Revised Statutes; and 2) if you provide Landlord with a PTSR, the Landlord is prohibited from: a) charging you a rental application fee; or b) charging you a fee for Landlord to access or use the PTSR.

APPLICATION PROCESS & TIMELINE

Application Review Timeline: Once the application fee has been paid and a complete application has been received, we will start processing your application. Please allow up to (7) working days to process the application subject to delays due to slow or no response from references.

Approval-to-Lease Signing Timeline: After approval, you will have 48 hours to sign a lease. Security Deposits are due at lease signing and all move-in charges (e.g. pro-rated or first month’s rent, utilities, pet fees, etc) are due prior to occupancy and receiving keys. If you intend to sign a lease and move-in on the same day, all of these items would be due at lease signing. Once the security deposit is paid we will stop showing the unit and processing other applications and the unit will be held for you and the rest of your resident group until move-in.

Source of Funds: All funds due at lease signing and monthly/recurring payments can be made via personal check, cashiers check, money order, or through our online payment portal. Some of the online payment options carry fees, though we offer a fee-free online payment option directly from a bank account (ACH/EFT). We cannot accept any cash payments for applications, rents, or any other amounts due.

Notification of Rental Application Denial: If your application is denied we will provide a written explanation of our decision and we will make a good faith effort to do so within 20 days of the application date. Unless you request we notify you via U.S. Mail, we will send this written notification to the e-mail address(es) used during the application process.

ADDITIONAL TERMS AND POLICIES

Security Deposits: A security deposit is required to be paid in full prior to move-in. Security deposits are typically equal to one-month of rent but will not exceed two-months of rent.

Community Rules: All of our leases include a set of Community Rules which can be changed by the Property Manager/Landlord with written notice and with or without the written agreement of residents. These rules are a part of the lease and violation of these rules constitutes a violation of the lease. These rules are primarily intended to protect quality of life for neighbors and the communities we serve and include important restrictions required under law, by our insurance providers, and/or to protect certain aesthetic or other standards as determined by the Property Manager/Landlord.

Use of Premises: Property rented through WSPM is to be used for residential purposes only. Rooms, appliances, mechanical systems, fixtures and other items are to be used for their intended purpose only. At no time, or for any reason, may any person live in a garage, living room, family room, hallway, kitchen or any other space that is not a designated bedroom.

Occupancy Restrictions: Unless preempted by law, WSPM observes and enforces the following occupancy and density restrictions:

1bd Unit: 2 people (excludes children under 2)
2bd Unit: 4 people (excludes children under 2)
3bd Unit: 6 people (excludes children under 2)
4bd Unit: 8 people (excludes children under 2)

Additional Terms and Policies: This is by no means a comprehensive list of all leasing terms and policies – please defer to the residential lease agreement for the complete list of terms and policies that govern your specific lease agreement.