How does your service work, and why is it free?

Greenlight is both match maker and concierge service when it comes finding Austin apartments. Once we know what you're looking for, we can show you what qualifies and what would satisfy your requirements. The service is free because we have such a large market of possible apartments in Austin, that a "finders fee" is paid to us by the apartment community you lease at for bringing them a qualified client. To be more specific, an apartment would rather pay an agent for bringing them a tenant than spend money on radio, T.V. or print ads.

Apartment Locators are all Texas Licensed Real Estate Agents working for a commission, and that commission is paid by apartment communities each time we generate a lease. This commission has no bearing on your rent (comes at no cost to you), and we can help you steer clear of the pitfalls with leasing, as well as show you all of the apartments in the area that fit your specific criteria.

It's easy for you to give us due credit for the assistance. All you need to remember is to mention Greenlight on all guest cards and applications.

Best of all, IT’S FREE!

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Why don't I just do this on my own?

There are over 800 apartment communities in Austin, and even if you fell in love with it from driving by, there's no guarantee that a) they have a vacancy b) they have a vacancy in the floor plan you need c) their rates are within your budget d) they allow your pets, etc, etc. The variables that set each apartment apart are wide ranging, and we sort through the info on a daily basis, and the differences are first hand knowledge to a good locator. Who works with credit issues, who takes large dogs, who includes washer/dryer, who offers move-in specials; these are just a few examples of what we know about each community.

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How do I give Greenlight credit?

Simple, just remember to put Greenlight Locating on all guest cards, applications, and be sure to mention us by name when the leasing agent greets you at the door and asks how you heard about the community.

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What do I need to get an apartment?

Four main things come into play on the application. Income, Rental History, Credit, and Criminal background checks.

Income

It needs to be at least 3 times the amount of the monthly rent. Ex: if you are considering a $500 apartment, your gross income (before taxes, not take home) must be at least $1500 per month. Child support, baby sitting money, money from mowing lawns can all be used to arrive at that minimum, it just needs to be documented. If you don't meet the income requirements, a cosigner is required. The 2 main exceptions to this rule of thumb are either if you're new to the area or state, and you can prove that you met or exceeded the income before you relocated, you'll qualify based on tax records, or if you have sufficient money in the bank to cover 6-12 months of rent, depending on the community.

Rental History

If you have any rental history, you cannot owe another apartment community money, it must be paid off or you are and have been making payments. If you are a first time renter, many times, a cosigner will again be necessary.

Credit

Your credit score is a common gauge of whether or not you will pay your rent on time. If you have repossessions, bankruptcies, foreclosures, evictions, these are all hurdles that must be addressed when you're applying for an apartment. They won't necessarily preclude you from being accepted however. Late payments and charge-offs are often overlooked, but if that's the majority of the content on your credit report, you'll likely need to pay an additional deposit. Most communities are up front about their qualifying criteria, and we can steer you to certain management companies that will work with your particular situation. One thing to know though, is that move in specials and low deposits are reserved for those with good credit, just like buying a car.

Criminal History

Everyone gets checked for criminal history when they apply. Misdemeanors are allowable, depending on the offense. Felonies are almost always an automatic denial. Be honest going into the application about any skeletons in your closet, and we can prevent you from wasting application monies with communities that won't listen to your story.

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What if I want a Short-Term Lease?

Every landlord wants their tenant to sign a 12 month lease, but not everyone has the same situation. Typically, lease lengths vary from 2-18 months, with the longer the lease, the cheaper the rent. For any lease less than 6 months, a premium is tacked onto the base amount for rent. This is usually about 20% additional for the privilege of the short term lease, but gets more expensive as the leases get shorter. The reason behind this is that it's more expensive for the community to only lease a unit for 3 or 4 months, because it will need to be cleaned again after it's moved out of, which means that it sits vacant.

If you're needing a short term lease because you're buying or building a house in a couple of months, there are programs designed to help you transition out of the rental and into your new home.

We can show you who will accommodate your short term lease needs and help you negotiate the best possible arrangement.

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What about utilities, how do I know who to use?

Electric

You'll need to establish an electric account with Austin Energy before you'll be handed to keys to your new place. This is standard practice, and it's relatively painless, as it can be done online. Be sure to write down your new account to give to the leasing agent at your new community.

If you are looking at a community that's on the western/northwestern edge of the metroplex, your electric may be handled by Perdenales Electric Co-op.

Water

Unless you're moving into a duplex or house (and some townhomes), your water bill will be either be allocated or submetered bill that you pay along with your rent. The management company of your new apartment home will detail this arrangement when you are going over the lease. If you are moving into a duplex or house, your water bill will be included in your electric bill, along with wastewater and trash charges.

*Submetering is when you only pay for the water you use, metered off of your hot water tank.

*Allocation is where they'll take the water bill for the entire community, take 20% off for sprinklers, pool, etc., and divide the remainder up between each apartment. They will do it by square footage/occupancy, so a single person in a 1 bedroom apartment pays less than 2 people living in a 2 bedroom

Gas

Texas Gas Service is the natural gas provider for the Austin area. If your community offers gas cooking, you will likely need to establish a gas account. One exception, the older communities in Central Austin will usually pay for the gas.

Phone

SBC, Time Warner Communications, and Grande Communications all offer phone service, and while SBC is the universally accepted provider, certain communities will contract to work with Time Warner or Grande exclusively ( in addition to SBC ). To clarify, you can always have an SBC phone, but if you preferred to have your phone/internet/cable services bundled by one carrier ( offered by both Time Warner and Grande), you would have to check with your community to ensure which company they work with. Only a few communities in Austin require you to have a land line (versus cellular phone only) and that is due to how the security gates are set up to call you when a visitor is at the gate. Example: If you only have a cell phone, and it's not a local number (ie. long distance) the gate system is not set up to call long distance

Cable

Very few places provide cable, so if you want cable, you'll need to establish an account with the provider that works with your community. Time Warner and Grande are the two most common, but satellites are increasingly popular. Since satellites must point southwest, you'll need to ensure that your unit has some southern orientation to accommodate. Additionally, the rule of thumb is that you cannot attach or affix your dish to any part of the property. Most people will place it on the balcony/patio on either a tri-pod or in a 5 gallon bucket w/ a post coming out, set in by cement. Because this is something that can blow around in a storm or otherwise fall over, most communities will require you to carry renters insurance to cover any potential damage caused by the satellite.

Internet

Almost every place in town has been wired for cable, and that transmits into high speed options for your internet.

Time Warner Road Runner
Grande Communications
AT&T/Yahoo, offers DSL through the phone line

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What fees are associated with getting an apartment?

The main fees are application, administration, and deposit.

Application fees range from $25 to $100, with the average being $45. The application process requires that the Apartment Community verify all of your rental history, income, credit, etc, and this is done through a third party service which charges each time an application is run. The Apartment Community is simply passing along to cost to you.

Administration Fees are more common these days due to changes in the laws defining deposits. It used to be that a portion of the deposit would be non-refundable, and these funds would be used to cover the cost of paperwork associated with a lease, and offset the various costs associated with the amenities that are increasingly more extravagant. The wording was changed to say that a deposit, by nature, was refundable, and thus was born the administration fee. In addition to the costs of doing business described above, communities typically store your lease paperwork for up to 5 years after you vacate, and this storage is paid for in part by your administrative fees.

Deposits are fully refundable by definition. Deposits range from 87.50, which is actually a bond bought for the apartment, all the way to $500. If your credit is in really bad shape, you might need to pay additional deposits, up to one month's rent, to offset the negative credit.

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What happens when I apply?

Your application is viewed as intent towards renting a particular unit. The apartment communities in Austin will not take back-up applications on an apartment. Once you apply, they'll do everything they can to get you approved, and during the approval period, the unit that you applied for is considered "off the market" and no longer available. Therefore, when you apply for an apartment, they will want the application fee and the admin fee or the app fee and the deposit. Since the apartment is considered "taken", they are forfeiting all opportunities to lease that apartment. In the event that you get approved and then change your mind about leasing, your funds become non-refundable as a rule. There are exceptions, and if your circumstances are uncertain, you should voice your position to your leasing agent and see what they can do for you.

Have an idea for a question we've over looked? Email us at info@greenlightlocating.com

Credit Repair

Credit plays such a huge role in the big decisions in life, and it's important to know what's on your credit report. If you've applied for a credit card or a line of credit, and have been denied, you can get a copy of your credit report for free from any one of the three main reporting agencies. With this information, you can clean up anything on your report that doesn't belong there or has been taken care of and needs to be updated or removed. The three main credit reporting agencies are:

• Equifax
  
• Experian
  
• Transunion

If you need a little more help cleaning up your credit, we recommend Lexington Law.

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