Touring a home for rent is simple and designed for convenience. You can tour when you're ready, without having to coordinate schedules with an agent. Visit our Self-Touring page for instructions on how to self-tour.
We operate in over 30 cities and offer a wide variety of homes to choose from! To see a full list, visit Our Markets page.
Rently is our self-touring access provider that allows you to conveniently tour our homes at your own pace, on the day and time that suits you best.
When you find the home on our website you would like to tour, click the "tour this home" button. In order to verify your identity, Rently will prompt you to create an account or sign-in. Once you select a tour package that fits your needs and pay the minimal charge, you will be able to schedule self-tours and view our homes.
Rently currently offers 3 different self-touring packages:
Smoking and vaping are not permitted inside any of our homes.
Most homes do have washer/dryer hookups, but MainStreet Renewal does not provide washers and/or dryers.
To qualify for a MainStreet Renewal home, all adults (18+) in the household must complete an application, pass credit and criminal background screening, provide required documentation, and pay a $55 non-refundable application fee that covers the costs of application processing and screening. Applicants must meet income requirements (generally three times the monthly rent), comply with occupancy limits, and maintain required renter's insurance throughout the lease. Additional policies apply for criminal history, pets, smoking, and Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) applicants. For full qualifications, detailed screening criteria, and complete policy information, please visit our Qualifying for a Home page.
Yes, on eligible homes. Voucher timelines must align with home availability, and HCV applicants cannot lease "Available Soon" homes. Please visit our qualifications and requirements page for more information here.
Income verification must prove a combined gross monthly household income of three times the monthly rent.*
Income verification is required for all applications. MainStreet Renewal uses third-party income verification provider Plaid to seamlessly verify your income.
*Subject to applicable state law.
Look for rental scam warning signs like listings on social media/community websites, too good to be true deals, accessing home in unsecure ways, no background or credit checks, printed leases, wire payments or suspicious payment platforms. Learn more on how to protect yourself from rental scams and fraud by reading our Fraud Prevention page.
Once you find the home you love on our website, click on the "Apply Now" button to log in using your MainStreet Renewal account credentials or create a new account if you are a first-time user. Be sure to thoroughly review our qualification requirements before completing your application.
All individuals 18+ years of age residing in the home must complete the following:
These requirements must also be completed by any resident 18+ years of age added to the household during the lease term.
All applications are reviewed following established screening criteria and using services of TransUnion, a third-party screening provider, for credit and criminal background checks. You can obtain a copy of the screening report by contacting TransUnion directly. Visit TransUnion online at www.transunion.com.
Completing your application can take as little as 30 minutes if you have all the necessary information ready. To help you prepare, here are the details you will need as the primary leaseholder:
Our application process is entirely digital. While we don't have local leasing offices for paper applications, we are here to guide you every step of the way in your online application journey. If you get stuck or have questions, our support team is readily available to assist you.
The application dashboard page will also show you the status of your overall household application and the status of your additional resident(s), if applicable.
The maximum occupancy per home is two persons per bedroom, plus one*. For example, a one bedroom home may have a maximum of three residents, and a two-bedroom home may have a maximum of five residents. Any residents who exceed these occupancy standards during their lease term will be required, upon the end of the current lease term, to either:
*Please note that occupancy guidelines do not apply to children under one year old.
Contact MainStreet Renewal for further details as Occupancy Guidelines are subject to local laws and Homeowners Association ("HOA") requirements.
During the application process, a credit report will be obtained for all leaseholder applicants to verify credit history and credit score. Credit report results, in addition to applicant's income, will collectively determine rental eligibility.
Factors that can negatively affect rental eligibility per the results of a credit report and subject to local laws, include, but are not limited to, the following:
A criminal background check will be completed for each applicant and occupant 18+ years of age. All criminal records are evaluated from the date of disposition, regardless of the applicant's or occupant's age at the time such offense was committed. The application will be denied for the following:
These requirements do not guarantee that residents or occupants currently residing in our homes have not been convicted of, or subject to, deferred adjudication for a felony, misdemeanor, or sex offense requiring registration under applicable law. Our ability to verify this information is limited to the information made available to us by the applicant and third party screening service.
The applicant did not meet our qualification requirements. We cannot proceed with your application with this person living in the home with you.
We will verify the identity of the primary leaseholder on the application by first asking a few questions from your credit file provided by TransUnion. Next, we will ask you to take a photo of your government issued ID and scan your face using a mobile device via Plaid, our trusted third-party service provider. To quickly approve your home, we use Bank Connect via Plaid to verify your income from the last 90 days. All leaseholders will be able to add their income into Plaid if needed to prove the required combined gross monthly household income of at least three times the monthly rent.*
*Subject to applicable law.
*If the lease is not executed within the 3 business days of notification, the reservation deposit will be automatically refunded to the Applicant(s) to the original form of payment. Payment will be refunded within five (5) to ten (10) business days depending on the Applicant's bank. Applicant(s) will not receive a refund of any convenience fee (via stripe) that was charged when paying the Reservation Deposit.
The standard lease term is 12 months on all our homes. However, some homes may offer lease terms up to 24 months, depending on availability. Lease terms offered at the time of application are determined by MainStreet Renewal.
Most applicants can move in within 5-21 business days of approval.
For HCV applicants, the move-in date must be within 30 days of final approval. No guaranteed move-in date will be given until:
Before receiving access, the applicant must:
Yes, residents need to complete the Move-in/Move-Out Walk-Through Checklist and upload it to their portal within (14) days of lease start date.
MainStreet Renewal requires that all residents must be a named insured on a renters insurance policy and maintain an active and compliant renters insurance policy throughout their residency that: (i) includes a minimum of $100,000 of personal liability insurance and (ii) lists "MainStreet Renewal, LLC, 3903 South Congress Avenue #40298 Austin, Texas 78704" as an Interested Party. Additionally, each resident must provide a copy of the applicable Declaration Page or Certificate of Insurance by uploading the document onto their Resident Portal by the resident's Move-In Date (collectively, the "Minimum MSR RI Requirements").
MSR Insurance Services, LLC ("MSRIS"), an affiliate of MainStreet Renewal, is a licensed insurance agent in your area. MSRIS has partnered with Assurant Insurance Services to provide all residents the opportunity to select a policy that meets Minimum MSR RI Requirements ("Assurant Coverage"). This policy includes $100,000 in personal liability coverage and $20,000 in personal property coverage. Residents are provided an option to purchase the Assurant Coverage Policy from MSRIS as part of the application process. For additional details please refer to the Resident Renters Insurance Selection form and the Renters Insurance Addendum to Lease Agreement.
Any resident who does not make a selection to opt in/out, fails to pay their Assurant Coverage premium and/or provide proof of a compliant third-party policy by their Move-In Date is non-compliant and does not meet the Minimum MSR RI Requirements. Any resident that is found to be non-compliant is subject to a non-refundable non-compliance charge of $25 and is subject to auto-enrollment into a Post Verification Insurance Policy ("PVI Policy") with an insurance carrier within the Assurant group that meets the Minimum MSR RI Requirements. This PVI Policy is different from the Opt-In Policy and may not adequately address your insurance needs. It does not provide any coverage for your personal property.
MainStreet Renewal allows a maximum of four pets (including aquariums) per property, subject to HOA rules. The combined weight cannot exceed 300lbs. Approval is required for each animal and will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Some breeds are restricted, and charges may apply. Service or assistance animals are exempt from restrictions and charges. Learn more about our policies regarding pets.
A $250 non-refundable pet deposit is required per pet; however, aquariums and terrariums have no pet deposit. Pet rent and deposit requirements may vary and are subject to local laws. Please see specific property page(s) for more information.
Service animals, Assistance Animals and Emotional Support Animals (as defined by HUD, the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Fair Housing Act, respectively) are not pets but rather are animals that work, provide assistance or support, and/or perform tasks for the benefit of individuals with disabilities. MainStreet Renewal refers to Service, Assistance and Emotional Support Animals jointly as "Service Animals" and does NOT distinguish between these three types. By law, the Landlord must allow a Service Animal for residents who have an apparent or verified need that they require the Service Animal in order to afford a disabled resident fair use and enjoyment of a leased premises.
Breed, size, and weight limitations do not apply, and pet charges are not required. The Landlord does require that the animal be housebroken, and the Resident is responsible for cleaning up after the animal. Resident is also responsible for ensuring that while outside on the Lease Premises the animal is always under the control of a mature and responsible individual and harnessed, leashed, or tethered unless these devices interfere with the animal's work or the Resident's disability prevents using these devices (in which case the Resident must maintain control of the animal by voice, signal, or other effective controls). Resident is also responsible for any damage done to the Leased Premises beyond reasonable wear and tear. Service animals must meet local and state laws for vaccinations and, to the extent permissible by applicable state or local law, the Landlord requires that the animal be spayed/neutered.
The following breeds are not permitted in the home or on the property whether full or mixed breeds.
$300 per lease.
Agents will need to provide us with their W9, brokerage information, and client credentials to our local leasing office. Lockbox codes will be provided, which allows your client to view the homes with you or independently.
Click on the Commission Request form link here. Complete the form by entering your information. Attach the following documents: Broker W-9 (dated in the same year as resident move-in) Complete the form by entering your information. For any inquiries regarding the payment process or payment status, feel free to reach out to our Leasing Customer Service Team at (855) 206-8983.
They are available 7 days a week, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. CT. All email communications related to our Broker Portal will be sent from the address: AmherstServiceDesk@amherst.com
We value your business and look forward to working with you in the future to assist more families in finding the perfect house to call home!
*All payments are processed after the Resident moves into the home and pays the first full month's rent and all applicable advance payments, security deposits and pet deposits (if any) called for in the Lease. Payment will be sent to the Broker address listed on the W-9 within 30 days of the Resident moving into the home and paying all required amounts. Please allow an additional 5-10 business days from the check issue date for delivery via USPS. If you select ACH as a payment method, ACH payments are processed faster than paper checks, typically within 3-5 business days. ACH requires a one-time setup fee and setup is facilitated by our Leasing team. Please select your preferred payment method on the Commission Request form.