By Solaris Property Management — Last updated June 2026
The vast majority of fair housing complaints we see against California owners are not the result of malice. They're the result of inconsistency — different criteria applied to different applicants, undocumented denials, or screening logic that can't be explained on a witness stand. The fix is straightforward: write down your screening criteria, apply them identically to every applicant, and document every step.
This article walks through the specific criteria we use at Solaris, why each is defensible, and the legal landmines to avoid in 2026.
Before you accept the first application, you should have a written rental standards document that you can hand to any applicant. Ours covers:
The document gets posted on the listing, attached to every application, and saved with every screening decision. When two applicants are treated differently — for example, one denied and one approved — the written standard is what proves the difference was a permissible reason, not a discriminatory one.
Our default standard is a minimum credit score in the mid-600s, with no recent bankruptcies, no judgments related to housing (eviction or unpaid rent), and no recent collections from utilities or prior landlords. Scores below the threshold can sometimes still qualify with a guarantor or an additional month of deposit (within the limits of AB 12) — but we apply that adjustment consistently and only when the rest of the file is strong.
We do not use the credit report to evaluate medical debt — California has restricted the consideration of medical debt in housing decisions, and it's a good practice independent of the statute.
The conventional standard is 3x rent in verifiable gross income. We accept paystubs (the most recent two), an offer letter for a confirmed start date within 30 days, bank statements showing self-employment deposits over 6+ months, tax returns for self-employed applicants, retirement statements, and verified support payments.
For Section 8 applicants, the income ratio applies only to the tenant's portion of the rent, not to the full contract rent. If the contract rent is $4,500 and the voucher covers $3,500, the income standard is 3x $1,000 — that is, $3,000/month — not 3x $4,500. Applying the higher standard to voucher holders violates California's Source of Income protections. See our Section 8 guide for the full picture.
We verify the prior two tenancies — directly with the landlord, not with whomever the applicant lists as a "reference." Key questions: was rent paid on time, was the unit returned in good condition, were there lease violations, and would the landlord re-rent to the applicant? We document the conversation contemporaneously.
A prior eviction is not an automatic denial — we evaluate the circumstances. Eviction during the pandemic-era moratorium, for instance, is treated differently than a non-payment eviction last year. The standard we apply is "would a reasonable person, knowing what we know, accept this tenant for this unit?" — and we document the reasoning either way.
California's Fair Chance Act for housing (effective 2020 and refined since) restricts how criminal history can be used in tenant screening. Owners must:
Blanket bans ("no felonies, ever") are not defensible. A nuanced, individualized policy — and documentation of how it was applied — is.
For applicants with pets, we run every animal through a third-party pet screening profile (we use PetScreening). The profile evaluates breed, age, weight, vaccination status, and behavioral history. Approved pets are added to the lease with a pet rent, not a separate pet deposit (pet deposits count against the AB 12 cap — see our AB 12 guide).
Assistance animals — including emotional support animals — are not pets under California and federal fair housing law. They are not subject to pet rent, pet deposits, breed restrictions, or weight limits. We use the same screening platform to handle the reasonable-accommodation request process and verify documentation, but we never treat an assistance animal as a pet.
If you pull a credit report or background check, you are subject to the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) and California's Consumer Credit Reporting Agencies Act (CCRAA). The key obligations:
This is the step owners most often skip. The fix is simple: a standardized written denial template that you send every time, regardless of who the applicant is.
California limits the application "screening fee" to a statutory cap that is adjusted annually for inflation. The fee must be itemized, can only cover actual out-of-pocket costs and reasonable processing time, and any unused portion must be refunded. We disclose the fee on the listing and provide a receipt with the screening report.
For every applicant — approved or denied — we save:
Records are retained for at least four years. If a complaint is ever filed, this paper trail is the difference between a quick dismissal and a protracted, expensive dispute.
Solaris runs every applicant through the same process, using the same standards, with the same documentation. We use Buildium and TenantTurner to automate the workflow, which removes the "I forgot to send the adverse action notice" failure mode. And because every application goes through the same pipeline, you get a defensible, auditable record on every tenancy.
That consistency also produces better tenants on average. We use the same approach across all of our service area, and we'd be glad to walk you through it for your specific property. If you'd like to see how we'd handle screening on your home — and what kind of tenants we'd likely place — request a free rental analysis.
For broader compliance reading, see our AB 1482 guide and our AB 12 deposit guide.
We'll review your current rental standards and screening workflow, and help you build a process that consistently places great tenants.
Talk to Solaris →This article is informational and is not legal advice. Fair housing law has technical requirements that change over time. Consult a California landlord-tenant attorney for advice on your specific property.