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How to rent

Rental Criteria

Please read these criteria before you apply. We use the same written standards for every applicant. We are an Equal Housing Opportunity community.

Apartments and rent

• 1-bedroom: $750 per month (waitlist)
• Classic 2-bedroom: $800 per month
• Renovated 2-bedroom: $950 per month

The security deposit is equal to one month’s rent: $750 for the 1-bedroom, $800 for the Classic 2-bedroom, and $950 for the Renovated 2-bedroom. The first month’s rent and the security deposit are due at move-in.

We offer 6- or 12-month leases.

Water, sewer, garbage and an onsite storage unit included in rent. Tenant pays electric, internet and cable.

Pets and smoking

We do not allow pets. Assistance animals for a person with a disability are not pets. They are allowed as a reasonable accommodation under the Fair Housing Act. We do not charge a pet fee or pet deposit for an approved assistance animal.

The apartments are smoke-free. Smoking is allowed outdoors on the grounds.

Who must apply

Every person 18 or older who will live in the apartment must complete an application and be screened. We process complete applications in the order we receive them (first come, first served). An application is complete when every adult has applied, paid the screening fee when it is due, and given us the required documents.

Screening fee

The screening fee is $49.99 for each adult applicant. You pay it through RentRedi. It covers a TransUnion credit report and income verification. The fee is not refunded once we request the report.

If you join our waitlist, you do not pay the screening fee until a unit is about to open and we invite you to apply.

Income

Combined gross monthly income for all adult applicants must be at least three (3) times the monthly rent.

All steady, verifiable income counts.

If more than one adult is applying, we add their income together. A roommate or co-applicant’s income counts toward the household total.

The monthly income needed is:

• 1-bedroom ($750): $2,250
• Classic 2-bedroom ($800): $2,400
• Renovated 2-bedroom ($950): $2,850

If household income is below this amount but your credit, rental history, and other screening are otherwise acceptable, you may apply with a guarantor. The guarantor must have monthly income of at least four (4) times the rent, pass our credit screening, complete an application, pay the screening fee, and sign the lease. The guarantor does not need to live in the apartment.

Credit

We look for a credit score of 600 or higher as a guideline. A lower score, or little or no credit history, is not an automatic denial if your rental history and income are strong.

We also look at payment history, including unpaid rental or utility bills and recent bankruptcy. Medical debt and medical delinquencies are not counted. We review a bankruptcy discharged in the past two years, and any open rental or utility collections, on a case-by-case basis. You may give us a short explanation and proof of payment or a payment plan.

Rental history and evictions

We look at your recent rental history, including whether rent was paid and whether there were serious lease problems.

We consider eviction judgments and unpaid debt to a prior landlord from the past three years. We do not use an eviction case that was dismissed or that you won. If a case was settled or the balance was paid, you may give us that documentation and we will review it individually.

Documented serious lease violations or lease-breaking in the past three years are also reviewed individually.

Occupancy

As a starting point, we allow two people per bedroom: up to 2 people in a 1-bedroom and up to 4 people in a 2-bedroom.

We consider reasonable exceptions, including an infant, a temporary guest, or a reasonable accommodation for a disability. We apply the same occupancy rules to every household.

What to bring

Please provide:

• A government-issued photo ID for each adult applicant
• Proof of income, such as recent pay stubs, a job offer letter, tax returns, bank statements, or a benefit award letter

We may also use income verification through RentRedi.

Waitlist

Our waitlist is first in, first out. There is no fee to join. When a unit is about to open, we Email the next applicant on the list and invite them to apply. At that point the $49.99 screening fee applies for each adult applicant.

Please reply to that Email within 48 hours. Evenings and weekends count. If we do not hear from you in that time, we will move you to the end of the waitlist and contact the next person.

Joining the waitlist is not a guarantee of an apartment. Everyone who applies is screened using these same written criteria. If you need more time to reply as a reasonable accommodation, please tell us.

If we cannot approve your application

If we deny your application, require a larger deposit or a guarantor, or take any other unfavorable action based in whole or in part on a consumer report (such as a credit report from TransUnion through RentRedi), we will give you an adverse action notice under the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

That notice will include:

• The name, address, and phone number of the company that provided the report
• A statement that the company did not make the decision and cannot explain the specific reasons for it
• A statement of your right to a free copy of the report if you ask the company within 60 days, and your right to dispute inaccurate or incomplete information

Reasonable accommodations

If you have a disability and need a reasonable accommodation or a reasonable modification — including an assistance animal, a change in how we communicate, more time to respond to a waitlist Email, or another exception to a rule — please ask us. You may ask in writing, by Email, or by phone. We will review requests promptly and at no charge. Approved assistance animals are not subject to a pet fee or pet deposit.

Questions? Call (662) 351-3728, Mon–Fri 9–5 CST, or Email leasing@ellisarmsapartments.com.

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