Housing barriers fall into four categories: Income, Credit, Rental, and Criminal history. Properties’ screening criteria is how you know which category can be a barrier. This guide shares the legal tools available and how to use them to increase access to housing.  

Income + Credit History + Rental History + Criminal History

Barriers to Housing

Credit History

Credit requirements vary by property but typically a score under 600 should be considered a barrier.

Common reasons for denial

  • Credit score below 600

  • Bankruptcy in last 5 years

  • Any amount in collections

  • Outstanding debt

  • High number of late payments

Income

The maximum income requirement in Oregon is 2.5x the rent amount. Requirements will vary from 1.5x to 2.5x.

Example

Income Requirement: 2.5x
Rent: $1000/month
Required Income: $2500/month

With Rental Assistance

Household Rent Portion: $100/month
Income Requirement: $250/month

Criminal History

Criminal history requirements vary widely by property and is often the most difficult barrier to overcome.

Common Reasons for Denial

  • Any Felony within last 7 years

  • Misdemeanors in last 3 years

    • Drug distribution

    • Person crimes

    • Property crimes

Rental History

Rental history requirements vary widely by housing provider and are often the least strict, unless in cases of eviction or past due rent/utilities.

Common reasons for denial

  • Eviction within last 5 or 7 years

  • Rental Arrears: Any amount owed to a past housing or utility provider

Barrier Identification

Identifying a client’s housing barriers is essential to enabling a household to get into housing as quickly as possible. Not every household has barriers, but if they do the strategies for getting to approval are more complex.

How to Identify Barriers

  1. Run a Background Check

  2. Discuss Screening Barriers with the Client

  3. Review Property Screening Criteria

  4. Prioritize Addressable Barriers

  5. Prepare Documentation for Individual Assessment

  • 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.

    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.

  • Criminal history is another factor that housing providers consider when reviewing housing applications.

    When a criminal history is present, providing supplemental evidence and/or reasonable accommodations can be used to address barriers. See how below!

Overcoming Barriers

Individual Assessment

Individual assessment is automatically required by housing providers anytime “supplemental evidence” is provided during an application or appeal. Not every housing provider will have a process to do this. Always confirm with the housing provider that the individual assessment is being performed. Requesting a timeline for response is best practice.

How to Request Individual Assessment

  1. Identify Barriers

  2. Understand household support network

    • parole officer, SUD treatment, mental/behavioral health treatment, etc

  3. Prepare/collect supplemental evidence

  4. Submit supplemental evidence with housing application

Putting it in Practice

  • Submit supplemental evidence with the application when possible (not after denial).

  • Keep the evidence short, factual, and clearly organized by the four factors.

  • Label the documents: “Supplemental Evidence for Individualized Assessment – ORS 90.304.”

  • Include contact information for the case manager or program for verification.

What is “supplemental evidence”?

City of Portland definition: “written information submitted by the applicant in addition to that provided on the landlord’s form application that the applicant believes to be relevant to the applicant’s predicted performance as a tenant.”

Examples

  • Letters from case managers/employers

  • Proof of treatment

  • Certificates or training completion

  • Recent positive rental history

  • Payment plans

  • Personal statement connecting supports to housing success

In Portland

In Portland, housing providers must consider supplemental evidence for any barrier. Housing providers also must respond within two weeks with approval or a denial. The denial must include an explanation of why the supplemental evidence does not compensate for the reasons established in the original denial.
Portland City Code 30.01.086

Outside of Portland

Housing providers outside of Portland only have to consider supplemental evidence in regard to criminal history. They will consider four elements in the supplemental evidence.

  1. The nature and severity of the incidents that would lead to a denial;

  2. The number and type of the incidents;

  3. The time that has elapsed since the date the incidents occurred; and

  4. The age of the individual at the time the incidents occurred.
    Oregon Statute 90.304

Recommended Supplemental Evidence

For Any Barrier

  • Letter describing Supportive Housing Services provided by program

  • Letter describing rental assistance and any other financial supports

For Credit/Rental History Barriers

  • Previous Tenant Ledger showing positive payment history

For Criminal Barriers

  • Letter signed by Case Manager and Household about specific actions taken by the household as part of program participation - share goals, classes, or certifications of completion.

  • Letters from additional supports

    • Parole, SUD, Mental/Behavioral Health, Employer/Workforce Development.

Four Criteria

Addressing Criminal Barriers

1. Nature and Severity of the Incidents

Goal: Show that the incident does not indicate current risk or inability to meet tenancy obligations.

How to prepare

Provide context (e.g., circumstances at the time, non-violent or victimless nature).

Include documentation of rehabilitation or stability since the incident (e.g., completion of treatment, counseling, training, program participation, or consistent employment).

3. Time Elapsed Since the Incidents

Goal: Highlight how much time has passed and what the applicant has done since to prevent the situation from occurring again.

How to prepare

Share a brief timeline showing stability milestones (e.g., employment, education, community service, rental history since the incident).

Attach documentation showing recent positive tenancy or program participation.

2. Number and Type of Incidents

Goal: Demonstrate limited or non-repetitive history and improvement over time.

How to prepare

Summarize the history clearly and factually (avoid long narratives; list incidents with dates).

Emphasize reduced frequency, isolated events, or minor offenses.

Include evidence of changed behavior — such as clean records or participation in programs.

4. Age at the Time of the Incidents

Goal: Show that the applicant has matured and circumstances have changed.

How to prepare

Note the applicant’s age at the time (e.g., “age 19” or “teenage offense”) and current age.

Describe how life circumstances differ now (stable income source, family support, education, recovery).

Rental Arrears & Credit History

Financial Barriers

Strategies to Overcome Financial Barriers

  1. Clearly share the financial responsibility of the household and rental assistance - establish dollar amounts and percentages of the lease contract amount that the household and rental assistance program will pay

  2. Use a reasonable accommodation to establish a connection between the household’s disability and the barrier (can only be used when household is disabled)

  3. Share any additional supports the household has now that differs from when the barrier was created.

RLRA Examples

Household WITH Income

Household

Household Income: $943/month
Household Size: One Adult
28.5% Household Income: $269

Unit

Unit Size: 1-bedroom
Lease Rent: $1800/month
Estimated Utility Costs: $150

Payment

Home Forward Rent Portion: $1681
Household Rent Portion: $119
Utility Subsidy: $150
Rent Portion + Utility Subsidy: $269

Lease Responsibility

Lease Amount: $21,600
Home Forward: $20,172 (93%)
Household: $1428 (7%)

Household WITHOUT Income

Household

Household Income: $0/month
Household Size: One Adult
28.5% Household Income: $0

Unit

Unit Size: 1-bedroom
Lease Rent: $1800
Estimated Utility Costs: $150

Payment

Home Forward Rent Portion: $1800
Household Rent Portion: $0
Utility Subsidy: $150

Lease Responsibility

Lease Amount: $21,600
Home Forward: $21,600 (100%)
Household: $0 (0%)

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