How do I rent with Access?
Here we answer all your questions about how to view a home, how to submit an application, and what our showing policies are. If you have any questions not answered here, please give us a call at 503-310-7949 and we would be happy to answer them for you.
I want to rent one of your properties. How can i do that?
Step 1: Set up an appointment to view the property
The easiest way to set up an appointment to view one of our available properties is to call our office at 503-310-7949. We will be able to find a day and time that works for you, as well as give you any additional information about the property. We require everyone who rents from us to see the home prior to renting. The reason we have this requirement in place is to make sure the home is the best fit for you. We do our best to market rental properties as accurately as possible. However, sometimes a home can turn out different than expected when you see it in person. By viewing the home first we can do our best to avoid any surprises and make sure you are happy with your new home.
Step 2: Save your spot in line
After you have viewed a rental property and are interested in applying, you will want to call our office and put your name on the list for that particular property.
Step 3: Screening
If you are the first person who called in, you will be asked to provide proof of income and a copy of your driver's license. Upon timely receipt of those things, the management team will email you a link to complete the application online. You will also be asked to pay a $55 nonrefundable screening charge. Anybody 18 years or older will be required to submit an application and screening charge. If you are not first in line, you will be put on the back-up list and be contacted if you move up to the first position (meaning the people in front of you backed out or did not pass screening). We do not collect money or applications from anyone unless they have the opportunity to apply.
Step 4: Sign the lease
Once you have been approved to rent the home, you will need to sign the lease. The lease will usually be emailed to you. You will log on and sign electronically. At this point in time the security deposit and first month's rent is due. You will finalize your move-in date with the property manager and be given access to the online tenant portal where you can pay your rent, submit a maintenance request, or communicate with your property manager.
Why do you still show a home if someone is in the process of applying for it?
We have almost 40 years of experience with renting out homes. Through that time we have fine-tuned the process to work for both the owner, and the potential renter. We continue to show homes that have a pending application because in our experience, the first person to call in on a home will be the final renter about 50% of the time. We will stop showing a home if it has several interested parties already in line or when an applicant has been approved and we receive funds. When you call to make the appointment we will let you know what information we have on the status of that particular property at that time. When we give you a reminder call for the appointment, we will do our best to let you know if the application status on the home has changed.
Why can't i schedule a property viewing online?
We manage over 1,000 single family homes throughout the greater Portland-Metro area. This means our leasing agents could start the day out in Newberg and end it in East Portland. In order to keep everyone running on time, predict traffic patterns, and streamline the route our agents take throughout the day, we have to manually schedule appointments. The easiest way to do this is over the phone with our receptionist or leasing agents.
Can I view an occupied property?
Yes, you can! We require that we give the current tenants at least 24 hours notice before entering the home and we only show one interested party at a time. This means it can take slightly longer to get you in to see the property so please take that into account when scheduling an occupied property viewing. It is possible that someone is viewing the home before or after you. Depending on property size, we stagger these appointments by 10 or 15 minutes to try to accommodate everyone and cause the least amount of inconvenience to the current tenant as possible. While we recommend everyone drives by the property they are interested in before their showing, we ask that you refrain from walking on the property or peeking in windows to respect the current occupants and neighbors.
Why are other people at my showing?
We will typically only show a property once per day. If a property is vacant, we will allow anyone who is interested and available to schedule an appointment with our receptionist. We stagger our appointments in 15 minute increments to allow potential tenants time to view the property with the leasing agent. Be sure to arrive promptly on time, an be prepared to leave after your allotted 15 minutes. Often times there is someone with an appointment before or after you. If you are confident that you want to rent the property, we recommend you call our office immediately following the showing. Our leasing agents will not take any screening or application materials back to the office for you.
Why can I only view the property once?
With over 1,000 properties throughout Portland, our property managers and leasing agents are very busy working with owners, tenants, and potential tenants. Unfortunately this means that we cannot send someone out to let you view the property for a second time. The exception to this is if a Rently lockbox is on the property. In that case, you can set up an additional showing to view the home on your own.
How Do I Set up a rently showing?
Each property that is set up with Rently will have a link in the description on our website. Click on the link, then click on the orange "Enter the Property Yourself" button. Create an account with your name, email, and phone number. You will receive a confirmation text message that you will need to respond "YES" to. You will then receive a verification link. This will take you to a webpage where you will sign in with your phone number and password. You can then choose when you would like to view the home. The final step is to enter your credit card information and pay the one-time $0.99 registration fee. The registration fee allows you see up to 20 of our properties with the Rently Lockbox on them. You will then be given instructions to go to the property. At the property, you use the Lockbox Serial code to get a secure, 1 hour access code. When you are done viewing the property, you lock up the house and return the key to the Smart Lockbox.
Why don't all your properties have a rently lockbox?
We currently have 32 Rently lockboxes. Whenever possible we try to use these to make it more convenient for prospective tenants. As a safety precaution, we cannot use these lockboxes for occupied properties. It is also up to the owner whether they are comfortable with Rently lockboxes being used to show their property.
PROSPECTIVE Tenant Documents
The following documents will help you through our rental process.
To access our rental screening criteria, please contact us directly at 503-310-7949.