Applicants

RENTAL APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS:

1.  Holding Fee – Applications will not be processed without this fee.  All Holding Fees will equal 1 month’s rent.  Upon approval, the Holding Fee becomes the first full month’s rent.  This fee is refundable if your application is not accepted.  However, if your application is accepted and you do not sign the lease within 48 hours, this fee is non-refundable.  We do not accept cash/checks/certified funds.  Please see payment options below.  For your convenience you can now pay the holding fee with a credit card (Note: There is a 4% fee to cover the cost of the transaction included).  To pay your holding fee, simply enter the amount of one month’s rent in the box and click “PAY NOW” below.

2.  Application Fee – We require a $50 application fee to be paid for every applicant over the age of 18.  We do not accept cash/checks/certified funds.  Please see payment options below.  For your convenience you can now pay the application fee and holding fee with a credit card (Note: There is a 4% fee to cover the cost of the transaction included).To pay your application fee, simply choose the number of applicants in the drop-down menu and click “PAY NOW” below.

3.  Addendum A – Resident Handbook – Includes Tenant Selection Criteria.  Verify on your application that you have read and agree to the Resident Handbook.  This will be initialed/signed by each applicant on the Authorization to Release Information and Addendum A Agreement form and made part of the lease upon acceptance.  CLICK HERE TO SIGN ADDENDUM A.

4.  Supporting Documents – The following must also be emailed as part of your application packet:  A copy of a photo ID must accompany each applicant over 18 years old; Income Verification – most recent 3 months of paystubs (If self-employed/retired, please provide us with the last two years of tax returns and last three months of bank statement showing deposited income); Employment verification if starting a new job.  Please send these documents to Support@MarsHillRealty.com.

If Applicable:

* Pet agreement form and policy – Please read Special Provisions for details on which dog breeds
require additional insurance and owner approval.  Non-refundable pet fee for first pet is $250 and $30/mo pet rent.  Every additional pet will increase your security deposit by $100.  You can now fill in the pet details on the online application.

5.  Rental Application – CLICK HERE TO FILL OUT APPLICATION ONLINE.  All occupants over 18 years old must either fill out their own form or be added as an “APPLICANT.”  Occupants under 18 years old should be added as “OTHER.”

DELIVERY AND PAYMENT OPTIONS:

Chose one of the options below to pay the Holding Fee and Application Fee.

    A. Direct Deposit to our Bank (No Wires) – Send confirmation of deposit to Support@MarsHillRealty.com. You can physically deposit at any local Wells Fargo Bank or make a direct deposit from your bank.

Bank Info: Wells Fargo – Mars Hill Operating Account; Routing: 111900659; Account: 7494972073

     B.  PAYPAL – Online Payment Option via PayPal (This will incur a 4% fee to cover the cost of the transaction)

APPLICATION FEE:

HOLDING FEE:

HELPFUL TIPS:   

     To speed up processing time, make sure application is filled out completely and supporting information is provided.

Application is processed when both the application fee and application deposit is received.  No exceptions.

We have a 2-3 business day processing time and any applications received during that time will be considered.

When we have multiple applications, we present them all to the owner to pick the strongest qualified applicant.

Virginia Renters Packet

• Sample Lease
• Brokerage Disclosure for Unrepresented Parties
• Disclosure of Dual Agency
• Disclosure of Designated Agency
• Understanding Rights and Resp under the Virginia Res Disc Act
• Useful Info about Real Estate Transactions

Maryland Renters Packet

• Sample Lease
• Understanding Whom Real Estate Agents Represent Agency Disclosure
• Consent for Dual Agency

Washington DC Renters Packet

• Sample Lease
• Disclosure of Brokerage Relationship
• Disclosure of Dual Representation

Tenant Selection Criteria

The following constitute grounds upon which Landlord will be basing the decision to lease the Property to you.  If your application is denied based upon information obtained from your credit report, you will be notified.

1. Previous Rental History: Landlord will verify your previous rental history using the information provided by you on the Lease Application. Your failure to provide the requested information, provision of inaccurate information, or information learned upon contacting previous landlords may influence Landlord’s decision to lease the Property to you. Other factors that may influence Landlord’s decision to lease the property to you include: Late rental payments, broken leases or leaving a previous rental property in poor disrepair.  Any adverse rental history could require an extra month’s security deposit.

2. Current Income: Landlord may ask you to verify your income as stated on your Lease Application.  Depending upon the rental amount being asked for the Property, the sufficiency of your income along with the ability to verify the stated income, may influence Landlord’s decision to lease the Property to you.  If you are self-employed or retired, please provide a bank statement or tax statement showing sufficient income/assets.  We prefer tenants to have a 3:1 ratio of income to debt.

3. Credit History: Landlord will obtain a Credit Reporting Agency (CRA) report, commonly referred to as a credit report, in order to verify your credit history. Landlord’s decision to lease the Property to you may be based upon information obtained from this report. If your application is denied based upon information obtained from your credit report, you will be notified.

4.  Criminal History: Those with a criminal history of felony conviction or drug offense over 7 years will be considered on a case by case basis.

5. Failure to Provide Accurate Information in Application: Your failure to provide accurate information in your application or your provision of information that is unverifiable will be considered by Landlord when making the decision to lease the Property to you.

Mars Hill Realty Group is subject to the Federal Fair Housing Act, which makes it illegal to have any preference, limitation or discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status or national origin, or an intention to make any such preference, limitation or discrimination. Familial status includes children under the age of 18 living with parents or legal custodians, pregnant women and people securing custody of children under 18.  Our applicants are hereby informed that all properties are available on an equal opportunity basis.

Home Showing Procedures (if you do not have an agent):

There are two types of methods you can use to find a rental home.

     The first is the old-fashioned way.  You email or call up the phone number for every home you are interested in and set an appointment with those respective owners/listing agents. Since you are setting the appointments and talking directly to the owner/listing agent, you may feel like you have more control of the process.  However, what you may not realize, is that the owner/listing agent has no duty to represent your best interest in the transaction.  Furthermore, calling multiple properties and dealing with multiple owners/listing agents is cumbersome and a waste of time.  It’s very unlikely that you’ll be able to get 4-5 different people to meet you on your busy timetable and you’ll end up making multiple trips on multiple days just to see the properties you’re interested in.

• Advantages:  Direct interaction with the owner/listing agent
• Disadvantages:  No professional representation; inefficient coordination for home showings; SLOW

     The second way is to get representation.  Just like buying a home, having a real estate professional represent you enables you to schedule property showings in a much more efficient manner since they have access to the home via a secure keycard.  You have a much higher likelihood of grouping your property showings of up to 3-5 homes in a 1 hour period.  Furthermore, if you work with me specifically, you get a Master Certified Negotiation Expert to go to bat for you on your application and you get my market insight to help you determine if the rental price you pay is a fair amount.

The “advantage” of interacting directly with the owner/listing agent can turn out to be your greatest disadvantage due to your lack of market knowledge and negotiation expertise in this industry.  Just ask yourself, would you consider it an advantage to represent yourself in court?  As a property manager, I can use my experience to help my clients in the application process and share proven tips to increase their chances of a positive renting experience.

• Advantages:  Professional representation – negotiation expertise, market insight, property manager experience; 100% commitment from an agent who cares about your interests; FAST
• Disadvantages:  $100 retainer fee (can be applied to your first two rental applications)

The reason we charge a retainer fee is because we value our time and believe tenant representation is a better experience for the tenant, agents and owner.  This fee helps us to sort through the tenants who want to do business the old-fashioned way and represent themselves, and those that are committed to renting a home through representation by a real estate professional.  We find that those tenants who want to do business the old-fashioned way usually take longer to find a home, end up renting a home that is not professionally managed, and/or have a greater likelihood of contract and security deposit disputes.  Which way do you want to do business?

If you’re ready to do business with us, we’d be honored to help!  Here are your Next Steps:

1.  Disclosure:  Our broker represents the property owner for all of the homes listed by Samson Properties.  Please read the brokerage disclosures for the corresponding states below regarding designated and dual representation.

2.  We require a non-refundable retainer fee of $100 to show you homes listed by Samson Properties and other cooperating brokers on the MRIS (listings database).

3.  This fee can be applied to the first two applications made on a rental property and must be paid in cash or certified funds at our first meeting.

4.  Contact us to conduct an initial phone consultation so that we can send you a list of homes that meet your criteria.

5.  Schedule a 1-2 hour window with us to see 3-8 homes that you are most interested in.