RESIDENTIAL APPLICANTS
All residential applicants may initiate the process online by clicking below:
Macatawa Real Estate and its property owner clients are equal housing opportunity providers and comply with fair housing requirements. In order to be considered as a prospective tenant, an application must be completed. The application is reviewed according to the established prioritization criteria: credit history, prior rental history (if applicable), job history, etc.
Overview of the Process for Residental Applicants
1) Pre-Approval:
Apply online (link is above). Every adult, 18 years of age or older, living at the property desired or co-signer for the property must apply. You will not be able to come back and complete any missing information later, so fill out as complete as possible. If there are corrections, Macatawa Real Estate may manually update it for you later. This will allow the applicant to know if he/she matches the property owner’s minimum criteria. There is no fee for a pre-approval review.
2) Full-Approval:
Pay NON-REFUNDABLE application fee of $45.00 per adult. Once fee is paid, extensive checks can begin for credit history, background history, and references provided. If there are no concerns at this stage and matches what an applicant has provided, a full-approval status can be issued by the property manager.
You can pay in person, by phone or online. Cash is NOT accepted; only local checks, money orders or major credit cards. The link online for payment is:
3) Securing Your Lease:
Pay your first month’s rent (full month equivalent) and security deposit (up to 1.5 x one month rent or as permitted by law). It is usually first come, first serve for the applicant who provides the funds first. However, some properties have provisions where the property owner is open to a security agreement, which allows a property to be secured for a short duration with an earnest deposit. An applicant may inquire if a property has this feature, which is determined by the property owner’s wishes. Once deposited funds have cleared and are available for transfer to property owner, lease is signed by applicant and property manager or owner.
In case of Multiple Applicants for a Property: What if there are multiple applicants during the pre-approval and full-approval stages? It is still first come, first serve until full funds are received and a binding lease has been signed.
* You may modify your offer in any way (higher, lower, other terms, etc.) during the pre-approval stage to improve your application but you are not required to do so to move things along. You may also withdraw.
* If you are in the full-approval stage or securing your lease stage, you do not need to modify your offer to improve it, as the owner has accepted the terms subject to checks on your references, credit history and background history. If you modify the terms to less than what was earlier offered or wish to withdraw, the application may be terminated and if an earnest deposit was given, it may be released to the property owner.
RENTAL HOUSING WISH LIST
The local rental market is tight on supply of good rentals. If you have interest in a property that is already leased on our site, let us know if you’d like to consider it when the current lease contract ends. We’d be happy to keep your name on a waiting list for when these quality rentals are available again.
Contact us today at (616) 594-0022 or Lease@MacatawaPM.com for questions on a unit or particular situation. If you need special accommodations, please let us know.
COMMERCIAL PROPERTIES
As each non-residential property is typically unique, please contact us today at (616) 594-0022 or Lease@MacatawaPM.com to make an appointment to discuss your needs. We look forward to being a partner in achieving your business goals.