1. Application Process.  Any tenant who desires to rent a property management by Appleland is required to complete the application process.  The application process is designed and intended to make sure that the property is appropriate for the tenant and that the tenant meets the qualifications for the property.  The application process includes the following:  (i) each proposed occupant over 18 years of age must complete an application; (ii) each application must be fully completed (all blanks); (iii) payment of the application fee; (iv) applicant provides all additional support information requested by Appleland (eg employment pay stubs); (v) Appleland reviews the application and obtains information from third-party sources; (vi) applicant provides all information from follow-up requests of Appleland; (vii) decision is made.  If a decision is to approve tenancy, the tenant will be placed on a wait list pending an open unit.  Approval of an applicant as tenant is good for 60 days, but may be revoked based on a change in tenants, occupants or any other material change in an applicant’s application information.
2. Application Fee.  Each applicant must pay the application fee.  Any application received without payment of the fee will not be considered until the application fee is received.  
3. Application.  Each applicant is required to fully complete each part of an application.  If the request for information is not applicable to the applicant, the tenant is to mark the blank as not applicable or otherwise indicate that the request does not apply to them.
4. Application Signed.  Each application must be signed by the applicant verifying that the information is complete, true and accurate.
5. Authorization to Release Private Protected Information.  Each applicant is required to execute an authorization to permit Appleland to obtain public and private protected information.
6. Non-Discrimination and Fair Housing.  Fair housing laws prohibit discrimination in any activity relating to the sale or rental of dwellings, financing or insuring housing, the terms and conditions related to housing, or harassment that is based on your race, color, religion, disability, familial status, national origin or sex.  Appleland does not discriminate based on protected classes as defined by the Fair Housing Act or the Michigan Elliott Larsen Civil Rights Act.
7. Appropriate Property.  A tenant must meet the occupancy criteria for the property.  By way of example, a single bedroom home cannot house 6 occupants.  There are legal and safety limitations for the number of occupants who can reside in a property.  While jurisdictions vary based on local zoning or housing codes, Appleland focuses on two occupants per bedroom when placing a tenant unless housing codes permit for a different measurement.
8. Any Occupant 18 years of age or older.  Any person who plans to be an occupant of a rental unit must complete the application process.  Only those persons authorized to be occupants will be permitted to reside in a unit.  The term “reside” includes any one of the following:  (i) occupying the property more than 10 overnights in a calendar year;  (ii) receiving mail at the property; (iii) listing the unit on your driver’s license, identification card or passport.
9. Financial Requirements.  The proposed rent cannot exceed 33% of a tenant household’s gross income and the tenant’s rent plus all other debt payments cannot exceed 40% of the tenant household gross income.  The tenant household income must be substantiated by the tenant household’s last three payroll stubs used to calculate the tenant household’s gross income.  If a tenant household desires to use other sources of income to justify affordability, the tenant must provide written proof of the income, the income history and sufficient information to show consistent and regular reliable payment of the income source.  
10. Criminal History.  Each applicant must disclose any criminal convictions that they have in their personal history.  If an occupant is not a tenant (i.e. under the age of 18 years old), the applying tenant must disclose any criminal convictions or juvenile adjudications.  Each conviction or adjudication will be reviewed for its specific circumstances, so more detail is important without adjusting the truth of the conviction or adjudication in favor of the tenant.  Appleland may require additional information from an applicant.  The following are the primary factors that are used to review each criminal conviction:
    
    The Crime.  The level of crime, the type of crime, the victim of the crime, the number of crimes, a history of the type of crimes and facts of the crime are all considered.  

• Sentence date and duration of sentence.

• Probation completion.

• Time since last conviction.

1. The type of property being considered.  A single-family home versus a multi-family complex.  A single-family home may provide for better acceptance than a multi-family unit based on the crime(s).
2. Totality of the Circumstances.  All tenant criminal convictions are considered based on the totality of the circumstances, some of which have been listed above.
3. Full Disclosure.  If a tenant fails to disclose a criminal record, the failure to disclose may be the basis of denial for tenancy.  

Tenancy History.  An important signal of a tenant’s ability or willingness to comply with the terms of a tenancy is the tenant’s history as a tenant.  If a tenant has had an eviction in the tenant’s history, the tenant is required to disclose the eviction, the date of the eviction, the landlord and the facts of the eviction.  

Credit History.  The tenant’s credit history is reviewed to determine the tenant’s ability and/or willingness to pay debts.  One method to determine a tenant’s credit history is to review a credit score.  If a tenant has a low tenant score but has taken actions to correct the credit problems, the poor credit history will be reviewed in its entirety.  

Any Other Criteria.  Appleland will review other criteria that it believes to be important before entering into a relationship with an applicant.  Items that may cause Appleland to accept or deny an applicant are not limited except as provided above.