Before you apply: gather your documents
Pull everything together before you start touring. When you find the right home you want to apply the same day, not spend a week tracking down pay stubs. Scan each document to a PDF and keep them in one folder on your phone.
- Government photo ID for every adult who will live in the home.
- Proof of income: your last two to three months of pay stubs, or an offer letter on company letterhead if you are starting a new job.
- If self-employed: the last two years of tax returns and recent bank statements.
- Other income: benefit letters, child support orders, military Leave and Earnings Statements, or a housing voucher.
- Rental history: addresses, dates and landlord contact details for the last few years.
- Employer name, supervisor contact and your start date.
- Pet records: vaccination records, a photo, weight and breed for each pet.
- If you have an assistance animal, any documentation you choose to provide. Assistance animals are not pets.
Read the selection criteria first
Texas law requires a landlord to make its tenant selection criteria available to applicants, and good landlords publish them with the listing or the application. Read them before you pay anything. They tell you the income the landlord expects, often stated as a multiple of the monthly rent, along with how credit, rental history and criminal history are weighed. If you clearly do not meet a criterion and there is no stated way around it, such as a co-signer or a larger deposit, you can save the cost of applying and keep looking.
Every adult over 18 who will live in the home usually needs to apply separately, even a spouse or adult child. Ask before you submit so the file is complete on the first try.
What landlords check
A careful landlord looks at the same things for every applicant, and you should expect most of these:
- Identity: that you are who you say you are.
- Income: that it is steady and enough to pay the rent with room to spare.
- Employment: a call or email to your employer to confirm your job.
- Credit: payment history, collections and any debts owed to past landlords or utility companies. An unpaid CPS Energy or SAWS balance can show up.
- Rental history: whether past landlords would rent to you again, and whether you paid on time and left the home in good shape.
- Eviction records: filings and judgments in public court records.
- Criminal background: reviewed against written criteria. A landlord should not use a blanket ban on any record.
If your credit or history is not perfect
A thin credit file, medical collections or a single bad stretch do not have to end your search. Be upfront. Landlords see a lot of applications, and a short written note explaining what happened and what has changed often reads better than a surprise in the report.
Bring proof of what is going well: a year of on-time rent receipts, a reference letter from your current landlord, bank statements showing savings or a new job's offer letter. Ask whether the landlord accepts a qualified co-signer or a larger deposit for applicants who meet most but not all criteria. Some do and some do not, but it is a fair question.
A prior eviction is the hardest thing to overcome. If it was dismissed, or you paid what was owed, have the paperwork ready. If there is an unpaid judgment, paying it or setting up a payment plan before you apply can make a difference.
Your rights as an applicant
The federal Fair Housing Act prohibits landlords from refusing to rent, or setting different terms, because of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, familial status or disability. A landlord must apply the same criteria to everyone. If you have a disability, you can ask for a reasonable accommodation, and an assistance animal is not a pet: it cannot be charged pet rent, a pet fee or a pet deposit.
If a landlord turns you down or sets extra conditions because of something in a credit or background report, federal law requires the landlord to tell you, name the reporting company and tell you how to get a free copy and dispute errors. Errors happen often enough that it is worth checking.
Spot a rental scam
Scammers copy real listings and repost them at low rents. Walk away if the person asks you to wire money or pay with gift cards, cannot show you the inside of the home, pressures you to pay before you see a lease, or says they are out of the country. Check that the person showing the home is the owner or a licensed agent; Texas agents can be looked up on the Texas Real Estate Commission website.
Applying for a home managed by Rothrock
Rothrock Realty Team lists its rental homes on the rent page and shows them with a licensed agent. Every applicant is screened against the same written criteria for credit, income, employment, eviction, criminal background and landlord references, and the home's owner makes the final approval. Once you are approved you sign the lease online, set up your tenant login and put renters insurance on file before move-in.
Questions
What do I need to apply for a rental house in Texas?
Photo ID, recent proof of income, employment details, rental history with landlord contacts, and pet records if you have pets. Each adult who will live in the home usually applies separately.
How much income do I need to rent a house in San Antonio?
Each landlord sets its own standard, often a multiple of the monthly rent. Read the landlord's written selection criteria before you apply; it will state the requirement.
Can I rent a house with bad credit?
Often, yes. Explain the history upfront, show steady income and good rental references, and ask whether a co-signer or a larger deposit is accepted.
How long does a rental application take to approve?
Usually a few business days. Delays most often come from employers or past landlords who are slow to respond, so give accurate contacts and let them know a call is coming.
Can a landlord charge a pet deposit for a service animal?
No. Under fair housing law, assistance animals, including service and support animals, are not pets and cannot be charged pet fees, pet rent or pet deposits.
General information about Texas rules, not legal advice. For a specific situation, speak to a Texas attorney.