Three simple steps

1. Sign your lease within 24 hours of your approval.
2. Pay your deposit and $250 processing fee within 48 hours of signing.
3. Pay your first month's rent, prorated rent and pet charges at least 48 hours before you move in.

After that, rent is due on the 1st, and a 10% late fee applies if it isn't received by the 5th. Pay by check, money order or cashier's check, or by credit or debit card through the resident portal. Pay each item as a separate payment. Your lease's fee schedule lists all other charges.

• Everyone 18 or older who will live in the home needs to apply, each with their own email address. You'll sign electronically.

• Have these ready: a clear color copy of your driver's license or other government-issued photo ID (not a photocopy), your income verification, a PetScreening profile if you have a pet, and the $55 application fee.

• If you have a credit freeze, lift it before you apply. If a freeze blocks your report, we'll let you know and re-run it at no charge once it's lifted.

• Most decisions take 48 to 72 hours after we have your complete application and documents. Finishing your verification steps within 24 hours keeps things moving.

• Applications are valid for 30 days.

• An application doesn't hold a home. A home comes off the market only after your application is approved and your lease is signed. Once you're approved, you'll have 24 hours to sign. Homes are leased first come, first served.

• Your household's combined gross monthly income should be at least 2.5 times the monthly rent. We use the advertised rent, which is also the rent you'll pay.
• Housing choice vouchers and rental assistance are welcome at every CopperBay home. If a voucher or subsidy pays part of your rent, the 2.5 times requirement applies only to your portion.
• Income we count: wages and salary, self-employment, vouchers and housing subsidies, public assistance, veterans' benefits, Social Security, SSI, disability, retirement and pension income, child support, alimony, and other benefit programs. Income must come from a lawful source you can show is ongoing.
• Starting a new job? A signed offer letter or employment contract that shows your pay and start date works.
  
  
• Two ways to verify: Link your bank or payroll through Plaid, which is fastest. We never see or store your login. Or upload documents through the Plaid link: 30 days of pay stubs or 60 days of bank statements, plus award letters for any benefit income. Choosing documents won't count against you. For help or another way to verify, email applications@copperbay.com.
  
  
• Short on income? You can add a guarantor who earns at least 4 times the monthly rent, applies and pays the application fee, passes the same screening and signs the lease. You may also be conditionally approved with a higher deposit.

Some Income-Qualified homes also have maximum income limits. Check the program page before you apply.

We look at the whole picture.

• Your Qualification Score is based on your full application, credit report, rental history and income-to-rent ratio, not your credit score alone.

• An open bankruptcy results in denial. A discharged bankruptcy is reviewed as part of your overall credit history.

• We review up to five years of rental history. An eviction judgment, or money owed to a previous landlord, in the past five years may result in denial.

• We don't count eviction filings that were dismissed, withdrawn, settled, decided in your favor or still pending, or records that were sealed or expunged. A balance you paid or settled before applying won't count against you.

• Little or no rental history won't, by itself, result in denial.

What your decision means

• Approved: You meet the criteria. Your deposit is one month's rent.

• Conditionally approved: You meet most of the criteria. Your deposit is one and a half months' rent.

• Declined: You don't meet the criteria. You'll get a notice explaining your rights, and you can reapply at any time.

We consider convictions only.

We don't consider arrests without a conviction, pending charges, dismissed charges, convictions reversed on appeal, or any record that was expunged, sealed or set aside.

Sex offenses and felony homicide or kidnapping result in denial no matter when they happened.

Other convictions count only within these look-back periods:

If a conviction falls within a look-back period, you can ask us to consider more information, such as the circumstances, time since the conviction, rehabilitation and references. Email applications@copperbay.com within five business days of our notice.

• Up to three pets per home. No breed restrictions. Exotic pets aren't allowed.

• Every applicant with a pet completes a PetScreening profile. A profile fee applies for household pets.

• Pet fees are in the cost table above. If you have a dog, your renters insurance needs at least $25,000 in dog bite liability coverage.

• Service and assistance animals are not pets. No pet fees, no pet rent, and no breed, weight or number limits. The Assistance Animal Profile is free, and we respond within 10 business days.

Keep renters insurance for your whole lease with:

• At least $100,000 in personal liability coverage, from a licensed insurance company

   

• The property owner named in your lease listed as an additional interested party and loss payee (your insurer may call it "Party of Interest"), with a waiver of subrogation

• At least $25,000 in dog bite liability if you have an approved dog

Show proof before you get your keys and at each renewal. If we don't have proof by move-in, you'll be enrolled in our Liability Insurance Waiver Program for a monthly fee of $13. The program isn't insurance and doesn't cover your belongings, and you can opt out any time by uploading a qualifying policy. If your insurer won't write a policy that meets these terms, call us before your lease starts and we'll work it out.

Two people per bedroom, plus one more per home. Children under two don't count. So a threebedroom home fits up to seven people. We also consider the home's layout and local rules, so if your household doesn't fit the formula, ask us before you apply.

Home ready now: Your lease starts within 14 days of your application.

Home still being finished: Your lease starts within five days of the home being ready.

• Lease terms: 12 to 24 months.

• Renewals: Leases don't renew automatically. Request a renewal in the resident portal at least 60 days before your lease ends. If you're moving out, give 60 days' notice through the portal.

• What's included: A full appliance package (refrigerator, range, microwave, dishwasher, washer and dryer), a high-efficiency furnace with central air, window blinds throughout, and your own backyard. Most homes also include a one- or two-car garage.

• What you're responsible for: Moving utilities into your name within 3 business days of move-in, renters insurance, routine lawn care and watering, snow removal from driveways and walkways, and keeping the home smoke and vape free, including the garage.

1. Find a home. Browse available homes across Michigan and Indiana.

2. Apply online. Submit your application and pay the $55 application fee.

3. Get a decision. Most applications are reviewed within 48 to 72 hours.

4. Sign and secure. Sign your lease within 24 hours of approval, then pay your deposit and processing fee within 48 hours of signing.

5. Move in. Pay your first month's rent and any pet charges at least 48 hours before move-in, share proof of renters insurance, and transfer your utilities.

Yes. A guarantor earns at least 4 times the monthly rent, completes an application, passes the same screening and signs the lease.

Most decisions take 48 to 72 hours after your application and documents are complete.

Yes. Everyone 18 or older who will live there applies, each with their own email address.

Some homes are open for showings, marked with a "Schedule Showing" button. Floor plans and virtual tours are available for every floor plan.

Yes, at every CopperBay home. If a voucher pays part of your rent, the income requirement applies only to your portion.

Email applications@copperbay.com. No special form or wording is needed, and it costs nothing.

We'll send a notice naming the screening company and explaining your right to a free copy of your report and to dispute anything wrong. If a correction is made, we'll review your application again at no charge while the home is still available. You can also reapply at any time.

Those homes follow these criteria plus maximum income limits. Visit our Income Qualified Housing page to check your eligibility.

Email applications@copperbay.com or call 1-833-944-7368.