Income is the first gate
Most Dallas properties want your gross monthly income to be 3x the rent. Some run 2.5x. A few run 2x.
Properties check that number before anyone looks closely at your credit score. So two renters with the same score can get different answers at the same building.
| Gross monthly income | Qualifies at 3x | At 2.5x | At 2x |
|---|---|---|---|
| $3,000 | $1,000 | $1,200 | $1,500 |
| $4,000 | $1,333 | $1,600 | $2,000 |
| $5,000 | $1,666 | $2,000 | $2,500 |
| $6,500 | $2,166 | $2,600 | $3,250 |
| $9,000 | $3,000 | $3,600 | $4,500 |
A typical one bedroom across the Dallas area is $1,245 a month net effective this week. At 3x, that takes $3,735 a month gross. If a property uses 2.5x instead, the same income gets you a higher rent. We keep that on file for the properties we work with, and it's one of the things a locator does that a listing site does not.
What counts as income
Gross, not net. Before tax.
Properties differ on what they count and what paperwork they take:
- W-2 employment: two or three recent pay stubs, the proof properties ask for most
- New job not yet started: a signed offer letter or job contract, which many properties accept
- 1099, gig, and commission: tax returns, bank statements, or a profit and loss statement instead of pay stubs
- Multiple earners: your combined income counts toward the multiple, and each adult is screened separately
- Income not from a job: support payments, benefits, and the like. The paperwork they want varies.
When this goes wrong, it's rarely the amount. It's the format. A property that wants two pay stubs and gets a bank statement will ask again, and the application stalls. Renting with low credit covers how income can make up for little or bad credit.
Where credit sits
Second, not first.
Once you clear the income bar, properties look at your score, your credit file, and your rental history. Score minimums vary, and some properties don't publish one at all. A low score often means a yes with conditions, not a no: a higher deposit, a deposit alternative, or a guarantor.
Screening runs through outside companies, such as SafeRent Solutions, RealPage, RentGrow, and TransUnion. The screening company doesn't decide. The property sets the cutoffs inside that company’s system. That's why the same file gets different answers at two buildings using the same software.
We never see your report
An apartment locator doesn't make the leasing decision, so it has no reason to pull your screening report. We don't pull, ask for, take, or store yours. We work only from what you tell us.
Where background sits
Third. Each property sets its own background policy, and we pass along what it says, as written, before you apply.
A record doesn't automatically rule you out, and it isn't automatically fine. The type of offense, how old it is, how the case ended, and the property’s own criteria decide it.
What to do with this before you apply
Three numbers make the whole process cheaper:
- Your gross monthly income
- The income multiple at each property you want
- The highest rent those two allow
Applications usually run $50 to $75 per adult and are rarely refundable. Working out those numbers first turns three applications into one.
Send us your income, target rent, move date, and anything on your credit, rental history, or background. We compare it with the screening criteria in our database and send back the places where the numbers work.