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General qualification guidelines: Am I qualified to rent?
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In general, if you are qualified to rent a 1 bedroom studio or apartment on your own, you will very likely be qualified to rent here on your own. Typically, according to our research, most apartments require a 670 minimum credit score and a gross monthly income that is roughly 3 times the monthly rent.
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Based on the general qualification guidelines, I need a co-signer. Will you accept a co-signer?
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A co-signer that is a good fit for a lessee typically applies to a specific situation (e.g., as a lessee, you're a student with no credit history so you require a co-signer). A co-signer will be treated like an additional applicant on the lease. They should be prepared to submit all information needed to verify income and undergo a background and credit check. This typically means they need to submit documentation for proof of income (paystub, bank statements or tax returns if self employed. You may include all sources of income including spousal and child support even if not reflected on your tax filings) and proof of funds for rent/deposit (typically a bank statement). So if a co-signer is not prepared to submit in a timely manner the required documents when asked by the property manager, you should find another co-signer.
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How much is the total move in cost?
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To move in to an unfurnished room, you are typically required to provide 1.5-2x months worth of rent as a security deposit as well as the first month's pro-rated rent. This is done in advance and in conjunction with the signing of the lease.
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What are the terms of the lease?
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The lease is month to month (at least initially). You are required to provide 30 days written notice when moving out (email is fine).
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Why is the guest policy so specific and why are there fees?
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We find a well-defined guest policy helps prevent unnecessary conflicts with access to the common areas and prevent "sudden" appearances of a stranger on the property that is a surprise to everyone in the household. A fee helps everyone prioritize how often their guests come over and prevent someone's boyfriend or girlfriend constantly hanging around and using the shared utilities and common areas even though they are not on the lease.
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What utilities are included in the rent?
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Electricity, water, gas, trash and Internet are included with the room rental. Note: An overage clause is added into the lease whereby if the average of the water, gas, and electricity exceeds $100 per person, roommates will split the additional utility costs evenly. This number was derived from past data tracked by the property manager. In practice, an overage has never been triggered and we don't expect to reach this threshold and the number will be updated as rates from the various companies get updated and in the event more roommates move in. See the
amenities page for more extras included in the rent.
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How much and how often is the rent increased?
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Officially, we try to keep rental increases as an annual event (or in the spring/summer, whichever comes first) and in line with the market, but this should not be considered a guarantee of any kind as rental agreements are month-to-month and rent can change with a 30-day advance notice. While we can't give an exact number, rent increases are typically not less than $25 and have not historically exceeded 10% (though if inflation increases to 50% and all similar rentals in the area follow that trend, you should expect something similar). While we try to only increase rents on a unit after a tenant moves out (especially since a lot of our tenants are younger students or employees that typically stay for a year and then move on to their next big adventure), please note that this is not a guarantee of any kind to hold rents at a certain level.
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How many people are living in the house?
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There are a maximum of 4 people living here at any one time.
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Who is currently living there now?
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There is currently a live-in property manager (adult male over 25) that resides in the main bedroom with their own private bathroom, so you would not share the bathroom with him. The general composition of the household varies, although thus far, we've found that once one male is renting and using the shared bathroom, even though we filter for conscientious and clean tenants, no females have typically chosen to rent one of the rooms. So if you're a female with concerns about the shared bathroom situation, please feel free to inquire about the demographics of the current tenants.
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What is the bathroom situation?
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It's a shared bathroom with a current maximum of up to 3 people.
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I'm trying to figure out how far away the place is from work. What is the address?
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The address you can use for Google Maps that will work is: 980 Warwick Ave, Thousand Oaks, CA 91360
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What about parking?
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Generally, there is plenty of street parking directly in front of the house in which you will be staying. We ask that tenants park in the street within the boundaries of the property (rather than a neighbor's property).
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I'm having trouble filling out the form to schedule a tour on my phone, can you help?
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Due to the way Google forms are rendered on mobile devices, we suggest using a laptop, desktop or large tablet device to fill out the form.