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Application Process

CHAD is committed to Equal Housing Opportunity for all applicants and we comply with  Federal, State and local fair housing laws. CHAD does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including sexual harassment), national origin, ancestry, age, order of protection status, marital status, sexual orientation (including gender-related identity), mental or physical disability, familial status, source of income, pregnancy, military status, immigration status and arrest records or unfavorable discharge from military service. To be eligible to live in CHAD housing, all applicants must meet income and other admissions criteria based on the funding restrictions for certain rental properties as well as CHAD’s additional criteria. 

When applying with CHAD, an applicant is applying to qualify to rent with CHAD. An applicant is not applying for any one specific property. Once an applicant is approved, then available properties are discussed and showings are scheduled. Only one application should be submitted per household. Please review the application process, outlined below, before completing the CHAD Rental Application.

APPLICATION PROCESS

1. Search Vacant Properties: All prospective applicants should review the available (vacant) CHAD-owned properties for rent that are listed under the Find a Home section of the website.

 2. To submit a Rental Application, Applicants will need to provide the following: 

•   Completed Online Rental Application or Paper Application  
•   Application Fee: $50 for each adult applicant 18 years of age and older. The application fee is non refundable and is payable with a credit card when submitting an Online Rental Application. If submitting a paper copy of the Rental Application to the CHAD office, the application fee is payable with a Money Order or Cashiers Check only. No cash or personal checks are accepted. There will be an additional application fee if we attempt to run a credit/criminal background search and are unsuccessful due to the consumer placing a freeze on their credit report or for non-sufficient funds.

The following documentation is required for all rental properties:

• Clear & colored copies of a Valid US government issued ID (Drivers License or State ID) for all adult occupants.
• Paystubs for the last 90 days from all adult occupants’ current employers.
• Any other legal sources of income documentation including, but not limited to, current year award letter for Social Security/Disability/VA Benefits, Pension Payments and/or Child Support Disbursement Statements.  For further information on acceptable sources of income and appropriate documentation, please refer to Rental Criteria tab.

 Some properties are subject to federal, state or local government grants which require applicants to provide any or all of the following documentation in addition to the above list:

• Clear & colored copies of the Social Security Card for all occupants. 
• Clear copies of Birth Certificates for children under 18 years of age living in the unit. 
• Guardianship papers (if applicable) that evidence custodial rights.
• Bank Statements (last 3 months), including paycards, Cash App, Venmo, Paypal and/or all Mobile App statements. 
• Itemization of all deposits for all accounts. 

3. Submitting the Rental Application: If you find a property that appears to meet your housing needs, please click on the CHAD rental application link on our website and complete the online application. Please ensure that all required documents are emailed to applications@chadhousing.org within 2 hours of the online application submission. Incomplete applications will be returned to the applicant and will not be processed. You can also request a paper rental application by emailing applications@chadhousing.org or calling our office at 630-456-4452

4.  Application Review:  Once the completed application is submitted to the CHAD office, the Leasing staff will review all forms and required documents for completeness. Once the application is determined to be complete, a payment link will be emailed to pay the application fee(s). All applicants will be required to submit to credit and criminal background screening checks, along with Third Party verifications, including employment and current/former landlord references as stated above. The credit report, criminal background, employment, and rental references will be reviewed, as stated above, to confirm that the applicant meets CHAD's rental criteria.

5. Await Decision Process:

This process takes 7 to 10 business days, depending on the volume of applications at that time and on how quickly we receive 3rd party verifications. NOTE:  We are currently experiencing a high volume of applications, processing times are currently between 15-20 business from the the time the application is complete & payment has been received. 

If the application is approved: The Leasing Agent will schedule a virtual tour or showing to view the unit with the applicant. Units can only be viewed by the screened applicants. We will not show units to other adults who have not been screened and/or are not listed on the application. If the applicant decides to rent the unit, then they will be required to provide at the virtual tour/showing a $250 non-refundable Unit Hold Deposit, payable by Money Order or Cashiers Check only. No cash or personal checks are accepted. The Hold Deposit is applied towards the security deposit and will hold the unit for up to seven (7) full calendar days to the extent allowable by law. Please note: any application approval is strictly conditional and revocable until the parties execute a binding lease (“Lease Execution”). CHAD reserves the right to revoke its granting of conditional approval of your application should any reason to deny a rental application be brought to CHAD’s attention after conditional approval and prior to Lease Execution. By submitting a rental application, you expressly acknowledge and agree that if CHAD grants conditional approval of your rental application that the conditional approval is fully revocable as set forth herein. 

If the application is denied: CHAD will contact the applicant via email and issue a denial letter that states the reason for the denial. A denied applicant has the option to submit an appeal. 

6. Schedule Move-In Orientation:

Once the approved Applicant has seen and opted to lease the unit and has paid the $250 deposit to hold the unit, the Leasing Agent will schedule a move-in date and an appointment in the office to sign the lease, review the rules and regulations and addendums to the lease.

On the date of move-in, the new resident must pay the remaining fees, deposits and outstanding balance of rent. These include:

• Pet Fee (if applicable): $400, payable by Credit Card, Money Order or Cashiers Check only. No cash or personal checks are accepted. The pet fee is non-refundable.
• Security Deposit: Generally, one month’s rent, payable by Credit Card, Money Order or Cashiers check only. If renting a single family home, the security deposit will be 2 month's rent. No cash or personal checks are accepted. Higher security deposits will be charged based on derogatory collections activity obtained from a credit background check.
• Balance of Full Month’s Rent: The balance of the first and second month’s rent (based on the move-in date) is due at lease signing, payable by Money Order or Cashier's Check only. No cash or personal checks are accepted.
• Parking Permit: CHAD parking is for residents only. There is no guest parking on CHAD properties. Parking spaces are limited to one to two spaces based on unit size and availability. To obtain a parking permit, the following documents must be provided at Move-In; valid driver's license, proof of insurance (The policy must list only those names listed on the rental application), and the vehicle registration. The registration must be in the names of the leaseholders only (applicant and co-Applicants). 

The Leasing Agent will review, among other things, the obligations of the lease, maintenance requests, emergency procedures, annual property inspections, lease termination and eviction procedures. The new resident will be provided with copies of the lease, addendums and the rules and regulations, along with keys to the building (if applicable), unit and mailbox (if applicable).

A move-in inspection will be conducted with the resident and a move-in inspection form must be signed by leaseholder and the Leasing Agent.

NOTICES:

Any application approval is strictly conditional and revocable until the parties execute a binding lease (“Lease Execution”). CHAD reserves the right to revoke its granting of conditional approval of your application should any reason to deny a rental application be brought to CHAD’s attention after conditional approval and prior to Lease Execution. By submitting a rental application, you expressly acknowledge and agree that if CHAD grants conditional approval of your rental application that the conditional approval is fully revocable as set forth herein.

CHAD’s policy and procedure is to communicate only via email regarding the application process. Please monitor your email for communications from CHAD and respond promptly as needed.