Tenant Screening Criteria

Opal Blue Real Estate “OBRE” does not accept comprehensive reusable tenant screening reports or process applications on a “first in” or “in order of submission” timeline unless required to by local laws.

Please be prepared to pay the non-refundable application fee of $40.00 as outlined in the property listing and online application process. In addition to this rental application, you will also be required to provide a copy of a valid government-issued photo identification and proof of income. Each resident/occupant over the age of 18 must submit a separate completed rental application and pay the application fee. 

To complete this rental application, you are required to provide the past 3 continuous years of residency and employment history as well as all contact information for current and past rental references and employers. You will also be required to provide information and documentation on your gross income. Please note that properties require gross income to be a minimum of 2.5 times the monthly rent amount (unless otherwise specified in the property listing). The final determination of the required income amount will be determined by reviewing the debt load, credit history, payment history, past due amounts, judgments, collections, housing expenses, household expenses, and business expenses to determine the applicant’s solvency or insolvency.

Income must be documentable and verifiable. If income does not meet this requirement, the applicant may not be approved to rent the residence. Documentable means: third-party payments to the applicant, third-party documentation verifying the source, i.e., paycheck stub showing year-to-date income, statement, voucher, account history, current and complete bank statements (all pages), retirement statement, etc., cash deposits are not considered verifiable income yet cash deposits into a bank account are considered documentable. If self-employed you are required to provide personal and business bank statements for 3 current and consecutive months or provide your tax documents showing your income for the previous year.

Generally required criteria to qualify for residency include:

• Documentation of adequate gross income of no less than 2.5 times the amount of rent is typically required. Housing vouchers will be included in the income calculation if applicable
• Proof of current and valid, government-issued photo identification i.e., driver’s license, passport, visa, etc.
• Verification of employment, income and/or financial assets
• Verification of valid 3rd party positive rental history / or residency history for the last 3 years. 
• Positive credit history and use (Minimum of 2 years of positive credit history with no late payments or negatives is required in most situations and evaluated on a case-by-case basis)
• Minimum credit score of 600. Some rare exceptions may apply if income and rental verifications exceed the standard and there are no negative credit events
• Ability to start financial responsibility for the residence within 14 days of submitting the application

Criteria that could result in denial of application and residency for all applicants include:

• History of criminal behavior and or activity by any proposed occupant which presents a danger to persons and/or property, or the peace and enjoyment of the others in the community could negatively impact your application. Determinations as to criminal activity screening will be made on a case-by-case basis and based on several factors and information. There will be no automatic denials for arrests or criminal convictions except the following: manufacture and/or distribution of any federally controlled substance.
• Negative credit and/or money management issues which may indicate the applicant is high-risk, or a pattern of payment delinquency.
• Review of applicant’s alternative financial documents indicates insolvency or inability to maintain debts and financial obligations.
• Excessive debt which may impact applicant’s ability to pay rent
• Open bankruptcy
• Omission and or falsification of any information
• Incomplete applications, inability to personally view the interior and exterior of the home (or virtually if out of state) and/or failure to provide requested information and or documentation within 12 hours.

Only completed applications will be approved. Incomplete applications will not be approved until all missing or requested information is submitted. Applicants will have up to 12 hours to submit any and all missing information/documentation. If the requested information/documentation is not submitted within that 12-hour period, applicants may be denied and/or the property may be rented to someone else. When there are multiple applications, we prioritize applications based upon the completeness of the applications, move-in date indicated on the application, financial strength, and overall qualifying criteria strength.

Co-signers:

Co-signers will only be considered in some situations where the applicant has no rental history and/or credit history. Applicants will be required to financially qualify on their own. Co-signers will not be allowed in situations where an applicant has negative rental history, credit history or criminal history that would be cause to deny the application for tenancy. Co-signers’ income must be 5.5 times the monthly rent amount in order to qualify as a co-signer.

Pets, Service, Companion and Emotional Support Animals:

Please check the rental ad for the property’s pet policy. If you have a service, companion or emotional support animal, please submit proof of legal documentation proving the service it provides from a doctor. We run all pets through petscreening.com to verify their certification. 

Application Approval:

Once your application is approved, you will have 48 hours to complete the review and signing of your lease agreement, and to make payment of the required move-in funds “first month’s rent, security and/or pet deposits/fees”, “utility charges”, and any other move-in fees, parking (if applicable), etc. If both signing the lease agreement and payment of the required move-in funds is not completed within the 48-hour period, your application for tenancy may be revoked and canceled unless both parties agree otherwise in writing.



Opal Blue Real Estate reserves the right to accept, process and approve applications that are more complete and stronger at any time during the rental application process, and approve them regardless of any and all circumstances. Time is of the essence and any processing delays that are caused by the applicant could result in denial of the application.