In the Portland area, housing providers usually require applicants to earn about 2.5 times the rent. For tenants with rental assistance, only the tenant’s portion of rent counts—so even clients with little or no income can qualify. All households with an RLRA voucher will income qualify at any property due to the portion being capped at 28.5% of income.

Examples:

• If the monthly rent is $1000/month a household must earn $2500/month.

• If the household only pays $100/month as their portion they can only be required to have an income of $250/month.

Best Practices

• Housing providers often view consistent income as evidence that a tenant can pay rent on time. However, for tenants using rental assistance, this concern is less relevant because rent payments are guaranteed to be made by the housing authority.

• Always report any changes in income to your housing authority or provider as required by your housing assistance contract to ensure compliance and accurate subsidy calculations.

Similarly to income, housing providers will use credit history as an indicator that the tenant will reliably pay on time. They will screen for a credit report that shows any current debts, outstanding balances, and any collection amounts.

Best Practice

• Outstanding housing debt can affect eligibility at many properties. Taking steps to resolve the debt, such as paying it off or setting up a payment plan, shows housing providers that the tenant is responsible and committed to maintaining good standing in future housing.

Rental history will show if a person has ever been evicted through the courts in the past. Housing providers may want to discuss with previous landlords to see if the applicant was a good tenant in the past.

Exceptions (ORS 90.303):

• Evictions where the judge ruled in the tenant’s favor

• Eviction court cases that resulted in an agreement with the landlord that a tenant followed

• Eviction court cases that a tenant lost more than five years ago.

Best Practices

• Housing providers will often not deny an applicant due to insufficient rental history (Portland FAIR ordinance). Be mindful of the property’s screening practices and reach out to the property manager if you ever need clarification.

• Utilize a reasonable accommodation if any negative rental history was within the past 3-5 years ago.

Criminal history is another factor that housing providers consider when reviewing housing applications. They rely heavily on the context of the convictions and utilize the below criteria when assessing any criminal background.

• Severity of incident

• Date of incident

• Type of offense

• Frequency

When a criminal history is present, providing reasonable accommodations and documentation of participation in rehabilitation programs can demonstrate that the applicant has made positive changes and no longer poses a risk to the property.