Apartment rental is always more complicated than what it should be in San Francisco.  Over the years, I have found a clean defined process works well for my potential tenants and me, and I always communicate the process to them before they even come to see the apartment. 

the process

1.      apartment showing – a chance for potential tenant to see the unit & the neighborhood, for me to answer any question they have, and for us to know a little about each other.

2.      rental application - once a potential tenant expresses his/her interest in renting the apartment, each potential renter and co-signer will need to fill out a rental application, which includes:

• rental application
• co-sign form if a co-signer is needed
• consent form for credit check
• a copy of driver license or identification card
• some form of financial statements
• a check of $35 for credit check

3.      credit & reference check – a credit report helps to determine if the potential renter can afford to pay, and if she/he a financially responsible person.  A reference check to her/his previous landlords will help to determine if the potential renter is a responsible tenant.  It normally takes a day or two to complete this step.

4.      lease agreement signing – I always provide a copy of the lease agreement for potential tenant to review.  When we meet to sign the lease, I walk through the entire lease with them in great details, and answer any last-minute questions they might have.  Upon signing the lease, I need to collect the first month of rent and the security deposit.

Here is a list of rental forms for Sagamore House apartment rental.  All prospective tenants need to fill out and sign the Rental Application.  If a prospective tenant has a co-signer, the co-signer will need to fill out and sign the one-page Personal Guarantee of Rent form.  Both potential renters and co-signers need to sign the Consent form.

the forms

1. Sagamore House Rental Application form
2. Personal Guarantee of Rent form
3. Consent form

Rentapp.pdf Download this file

PERSONAL GUARANTEE OF RENT.pdf Download this file

Consent.pdf Download this file

Good landlord and tenant relationship rely on good communication and process.  I hope the above steps and the documents upfront can help ease your pain in apartment hunting and renting.  The key is to have well prepared forms to distribute to people who are interested in the apartment, sometimes even ahead of time. Providing these documents upfront can help ease your pain in apartment hunting.  Feel free to download and print these forms, fill them out and bring them to the open house.  Once you identify an apartment you like, you can submit your rental application right at the spot, which will make the whole rental process much quicker and painless.

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