Contour Rental Criteria

 

NON-DISCRIMINATION

Contour ("Management") operates in accordance with the Federal Fair Housing Act, as well as all state and local fair housing and civil rights laws. We do not discriminate against any person based on race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, sex, familial status, handicap, disability, veteran status, or any other basis protected by applicable state or local laws. The Rental Criteria below outlines some of the policies for this community with regard to standards that may be required by each applicant in order to be approved for residency.

 

APPLICATIONS

All applicants must be of legal age. All parties 18 years of age or older are required to complete an application and pay any and all applicable fees. Applications are to be completed in full; applications containing untrue, incorrect, or misleading information will be denied. The application fee is non-refundable unless otherwise provided by state or local law.

As part of your rental application process, Appfolio will create a rental report that accesses up to three types of information about you: 1) credit/financial records; 2) court records; and 3) personal references. Any negative, misleading, or unverifiable information may result in the denial of your application. In the event of a denial or other adverse action, you have a right to obtain a free copy of your rental report from Appfolio, and to dispute the accuracy of any information appearing in it. You may contact Appfolio Propety Manager Customer Service by phone 1-866-648-1536; or visit https://help.appfolio.com/s/.

 

IDENTITY VERIFICATION

ALL applicants are REQUIRED to show at least one of any of the following forms of identification:

  • Government issued identification such as military identification, driver's license or passport

  • Age of majority card

  • Birth certificate

  • Social security card

 

RENTAL SCORE

All applications are submitted to appfolio.com, a third-party rental applicant screening company. All applications are evaluated based on a rental scoring system. Rental scoring is based on real data and statistic statistical data such as payment history, quantity and type of accounts, outstanding debt, and age of accounts. Every applicant is treated objectively because each application is scored statistically in exactly the same manner.

Contour does not accept Comprehensive Reusable Tenant Screening Reports.

 

GUARANTORS/CO-SIGNERS

If the rental applications is "Accepted with Conditions" or "Denial," a guarantor or co-signer may be considered. In this instance, the original applicant's application will be re-submitted along with the guarantor or co-signer's application. Applications for guarantors and co-signers processed through Appfolio are also scored, but are typically held to a more stringent, pre-established screening standard because guarantors and co-signers are technically responsible for the payments for this residence, as well as their own place of residence.

 

INCOME VERIFICATION

Written verification of income in an amount equal to 2.0 times the monthly rent per household will be required, along with any necessary supporting documents.

 

RESIDENCE VERIFICATION

Management reserves the right to verify the applicant's residence history. If Management is unable to verify current Rental History an extra deposit equal to 1-month's rent will be required. If Rental History is verified "negative" the application will be denied. If applicant is a homeowner with a mortgage in default or foreclosure, an additional deposit equal to 1-month's rent will be required.

 

CRIMINAL HISTORY

• Contour considers the entire application. We do not exclude individuals simply because of prior convictions and only consider records that are reportable under the Fair Credit Reporting Act and rules of Washington and the City of Seattle.

• The landlord is prohibited from requiring disclosure, asking about, rejecting an applicant, or taking an adverse action based on any arrest record, conviction record, or criminal history, except for registry information as described in subsections 14.09.025.A.3, 14.09.025.A.4, and 14.09.025.A.5, and subject to the exclusions and legal requirements in Section 14.09.115.

• Applicants or current residents appearing on the list of known terrorists and wanted fugitives as provided by the Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC), federal agencies (including the FBI or other state and local law enforcement agencies) will be denied. All applicants and current residents aged 18 and over will be screened through the OFAC.

 

EVICTIONS

Applicants who have been a party to an eviction proceeding may not be approved for residency, depending upon the pre-established criteria set by Management.

 

DENIAL POLICY

If your application is denied due to unfavorable information received on your screening report you may:

  • Contact Contour to discuss your application and identify any unfavorable information.

  • Supply Contour with proof of any incorrect or incomplete information.

  • Request that Contour re-evaluate and re-report your screening information and rental score to Management.

 

HOW YOU CAN IMPROVE YOUR RENTAL SCORE

Your rental score results from information found in your credit report, criminal history, references, and application data. Such information may include your history of paying bills and rent, the accounts you have, collections and delinquencies, income and debt.

Your rental score may change if the underlying information it is based upon changes. To improve your score, concentrate on paying your bills on time, paying down outstanding balances, and removing incorrect information. Your chances of approval may also improve if you apply for an apartment with lower monthly rent, or use a guarantor or co-signer if permitted by Management.