How to apply

In order to process your application for a rental unit, you must submit a $65.00 Screening Fee. The fee covers the cost of screening your application. We give you a receipt for it, and once a screening company or credit agency has screened you, a confirmation with a copy of its receipt. We refund the fee within 30 days if we fill the home before we screen you, if you withdraw your application in writing before we have ordered or done any screening, or if we do not screen you for any other reason. Otherwise the fee is not returned, including if you turn down our offer to rent the home. If you apply for more than one of our homes within 60 days, you pay the fee only once. Every adult over 18 years of age who will be residing at the property, or any person over 18 years of age who will not be living with a parent or guardian, must submit an application and Screening Fee. Per anti-discrimination laws, married couples with the same last name must be screened separately. Co-Signers must submit a $65.00 screening fee on the same terms. If you request your screening fee back, it will be returned within 30 days.

• Completed Application for Rental
• Identification for each adult that shows the person's name, date of birth and physical appearance. We accept any of these, or a combination: a Social Security card or other evidence of a Social Security number; a certified copy of a birth record; a permanent resident card; an immigrant or nonimmigrant visa; an ITIN card from the IRS; a passport, driver license or other government-issued ID, even if expired; or other identification that lets us reasonably verify who the person is. A Social Security number is not required, and we do not ask about immigration or citizenship status (ORS 90.303, 90.306).
• Proof of income: paystubs, award letters, pre-employment letters or other
• $65.00 screening fee (cash, money order or cashier's check only)

GMS will accept applications from anyone who wishes to apply for residency. Based on the information submitted on the application and verified by the management agent, the applicant will be notified whether or not they are eligible for the available housing. Any items noticed at the time of showing which, in your opinion, need improvements or repairs should be submitted in writing before submitting an application, keeping in mind that special requests may not be approved.

GMS does not discriminate based on race, creed, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, marital status, familial status, source of income, disability, age, or immigration or citizenship status, or because a person is or has been a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault, bias crime or stalking.

Each potential tenant is required to list at least three previous landlord references or five years of rental history in lieu of a mortgage. These landlord references may not include landlords related to the potential tenant by blood, marriage, or other close ties. In absence of these landlord references, a co-signer may be required, subject to management approval. Monthly income should be equal to 2.5 times the stated rent, and must be from a verifiable, legal source. Food stamps will be included in meeting this requirement. If you receive rent assistance, such as a Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher, we take its value into account: the 2.5 times measure applies to the part of the rent you pay yourself (ORS 659A.421). As part of the screening process, we conduct a public records check, eviction history, criminal activity and credit check. You have the right to dispute the accuracy of any information a tenant screening company or credit reporting agency gives us. Potential tenants must indicate a purposeful intention to report information in a true and complete manner. Potential tenants who provide inaccurate or false information will be deemed ineligible for occupancy. Using false names or social security numbers is an example of dishonesty in reporting.

• Inaccurate, incomplete or falsified information
• Not meeting the pet policy listed for the specific unit
• Not meeting the income qualification of 2.5 times the rent amount for your monthly income (with rent assistance, 2.5 times the part of the rent you pay)
• Not enough verifiable rental history
• Any eviction or unlawful detainer action as a result of lease violations or non-payment of rent or tenant default. As Oregon law requires (ORS 90.303), we do not consider an action that was dismissed or ended in a judgment for you, a judgment entered 5 or more years before you apply, or a judgment on claims that arose from April 1, 2020, through February 28, 2022.
• Negative rental history
• Unpaid collections, liens or judgments. As Oregon law requires (ORS 90.303), we do not consider unpaid rent that came due from April 1, 2020, through February 28, 2022, including rent in a judgment or referred to a collection agency. Negative credit history. We consider credit scores between 760 and 850 Excellent, 700 to 759 Good, 600 to 699 Fair, and below 600 Poor, which will most likely lead to denial. We suggest checking your credit score on a free site such as creditkarma.com before applying.
• Conviction, guilty plea or no contest plea for most felonies. Conviction, guilty plea or no contest plea for any misdemeanor involving assault, intimidation, property damage, theft, dishonesty, criminal trespass, prostitution, weapons charges or any charge that is sex-related or drug-related. Any pending criminal charges of these kinds. As Oregon law requires (ORS 90.303), we consider an arrest only if it led to a conviction, or to a charge that is still pending while you are not in a diversion, conditional discharge or deferral of judgment program; and we consider convictions and pending charges only for conduct that is illegal in Oregon today and is a drug-related crime (not a conviction based only on marijuana use or possession), a person crime, a sex offense, a crime of financial fraud such as identity theft or forgery, or another crime whose conduct would harm the property of the landlord or a tenant, or the health, safety or peaceful enjoyment of the premises of residents, the landlord or our staff. Before we deny an application because of criminal history, you may give us supplemental evidence to explain, justify or negate the relevance of the information, and we assess your application individually, considering the nature and severity of the incidents, their number and type, the time since they occurred, and your age at the time (ORS 90.304).

We reserve the right to deny any application that does not meet these screening criteria. If we deny your application, we give you a written statement of the reasons within 14 days (ORS 90.304).

Within 48 hours of your application being approved, you will be required to pay the security deposit and sign the deposit to hold form. This serves as putting a hold on the property and will secure the property for up to 7 calendar days. Once the deposit to hold is tendered to GMS it will not be returned unless the landlord defaults, or unless you reject the rental agreement because you discover material defects relating to the home's habitability. In either case we return the deposit within five business days, at our office or by first class mail (ORS 90.297). Otherwise, if you fail to pay the balance of money due at move-in, and/or fail to execute the Rental Agreement within 7 days, you will forfeit all monies paid up to the time of cancellation. The first month's rent payment and Security Deposit must be in the form of guaranteed funds (money order or cashier's check); personal checks will not be accepted.