HomeScreen will make a recommendation based upon the applicants’ criminal background, income verification, and rental verification. Applicants must pass all three parts of the screening for a full recommendation. If they do not pass one section of the screening, they may be recommended with an additional deposit or a co-signer. Each landlord who uses HomeScreen may choose to accept or deny our recommendation based on their own screening criteria. The landlord always makes the final leasing decision.

Criminal Background

• HomeScreen will not recommend any applicants who have a violent felony or federal crime conviction in the past 10 years. The date of the criminal activity must have occurred within 10 years of the day the application is submitted.

• HomeScreen defines violent felony and federal crimes as crimes involving people, property, drug distribution, and drug manufacturing. Examples of violent felonies include armed criminal action, arson, assault, sexual assault, burglary, counterfeiting, drug trafficking, endangering the welfare of a child, fraud, identity theft, manslaughter, murder, robbery, stalking, or theft

• HomeScreen does not consider arrest records or pending charges, only convictions. 

• HomeScreen does not consider non-violent felonies convictions like non-payment of child support, possession of a controlled substance, or DUIs. 

• HomeScreen does not consider infractions, ordinance violations, or misdemeanor convictions. 

Income Verification

• HomeScreen will recommend applications as long as the gross household income is verified to be at least 3x the amount of rent the applicants are required to pay

• HomeScreen will consider a Section 8 or other housing voucher as a form of income and will deduct the value of the voucher from the amount they are required to pay

Rental Verification

• HomeScreen will not recommend anyone who has a judgment to a landlord in the past five years, including if the balance has been paid off and including if the judgment is for possession of the property only.

• HomeScreen will not recommend anyone who owes a balance to a current or landlord in the past five years if there is no payment plan in place.*

• HomeScreen will not recommend anyone who paid late 50% or more of the time during their current tenancy*

• HomeScreen will not recommend anyone who caused damages that were not covered by the security deposit

• HomeScreen will not recommend anyone who caused multiple disturbances at his/her residences in the past five years

  *We acknowledge that Covid-19 impacted renters, especially low-income renters, in a disproportionate way. Knowing this, we have adjusted our screening guidelines in the wake of the pandemic:

  • HomeScreen will continue to fail the rental history section of an application if the applicant has a judgment to a recent landlord, including judgments executed from 4/2020 - 9/2021.

  • If the landlord reports property damages or disturbances in the past five years, including between 4/2020 - 9/2021, HomeScreen will continue to fail the rental history verification section of the application and will not recommend the applicant.

  • HomeScreen will fail the rental history verification section of an application if the applicant owes a balance to a landlord in the past five years and/or if more than 50% of the rent payments of an applicant’s current tenancy are late.

    • However, if the late payments occurred between 4/2020 – 9/2021 and the applicant must be making payments toward the balance or be working on obtaining rent assistance, HomeScreen now will leave the rental history section pending resulting in a recommendation of an additional deposit assuming all other sections of the application pass screening.