Does Greystar Accept Evictions?

Greystar, based in Charleston, South Carolina, calls itself the largest apartment manager in the U.S., and it’s one of the biggest in Texas. Its Texas properties run from Class A luxury high rises in downtown Austin to mid market garden style properties in Katy and Oak Cliff. So does Greystar accept evictions? From what we’ve seen, the answer depends on which Greystar property you apply to.

How current this is: these notes come from our own placements at individual Greystar properties, and any of them can change its policy at any time.

Many Greystar properties seem to make their own calls

At the properties we work with, Greystar leaves a lot of eviction decisions to each property. We’ve seen individual property managers:

• Set their own eviction age cutoffs (2 years at one, 5 years at another)
• Require a paid balance, or accept an open one
• Waive risk fees for strong files
• Accept approval programs like OneApp, or not
• Pull an application the system would have denied and read it by hand

One Greystar property in Katy might approve you, and another in West Houston might turn you down. Same application, same day.

A denial at one Greystar property tends to follow you

Each property may make its own call, but the next Greystar property you try often pulls the same screening data. From what we see, it usually lands on the same answer. So applying at several Greystar properties after a denial rarely works. You’re not starting over. After a Greystar denial, we usually point clients to other managers like RPM Living or Willow Bridge, or to independent owners.

Which Greystar properties we find most flexible

Mid market Greystar (Class B properties): from what we see, these properties have more room to work with you. They’ll often read your file by hand when the eviction is 2+ years old and the balance is paid.

Class A luxury Greystar (downtown Austin, downtown Dallas, Uptown Houston): usually stricter in our placements. Most of the ones we see screen through SafeRent, and many of them deny automatically.

Greystar away from downtown, in Katy (Houston area), Oak Cliff (Dallas), and Round Rock and Pflugerville (Austin area): often the most flexible group. Property managers we’ve worked with there tend to read your file by hand.

Greystar near campus at UT Austin and the University of Houston: often flexible on income that isn’t a regular paycheck. The ones we’ve worked with read each eviction on its own.

Eviction patterns we see at Greystar properties

Rough patterns only, since every property is a little different:

Most flexible (some suburban mid market): we’ve seen these approve paid evictions 1+ years old when income is strong. They’ve read dismissed cases by hand and taken approval programs.

Standard (most Greystar mid market we see): these have approved paid evictions 2+ years old when income is 3 times the rent. Expect a risk fee, and some accept an approval program.

Strict (Class A luxury): the ones we’ve worked with usually want a paid eviction that’s at least 3 to 5 years old, plus income of 4 times the rent. They often ask for a guarantor, and the screening software may still deny you.

Guarantor programs we’ve seen at Greystar properties

Here’s what we’ve seen some Greystar properties in Texas accept:

• OneApp: at more Greystar properties each year, from what we see
• Liberty Rent: at some mid market Greystar, case by case
• TheGuarantors: mostly at Class A luxury Greystar
• Greenlight Rent (formerly Rhino) / Jetty: deposit alternatives we see at many properties

OneApp and Liberty Rent work by referral after you apply. We may contact the property to find out which ones it works with before you pay an application fee.

How we approach Greystar properties

1. Start with mid market or suburban Greystar, not Class A luxury
2. Look for properties that take OneApp or Liberty Rent if the eviction is recent or has an open balance
3. Bring all of your paperwork. The Greystar reviewers we’ve worked with do read it
4. Find out who makes the eviction call: the property manager, or screening software that denies it automatically. We may contact the property to find out
5. Don’t apply at 3 Greystar properties in a row after a denial. Move on to properties Greystar doesn’t run

Which screening company we see at Greystar properties

Most of the Greystar properties we work with screen through SafeRent Solutions, Class A especially. Some mid market properties set up their screening so the property gets more say. If a Greystar property denied you through SafeRent, our SafeRent guide walks you through the next steps.

Where to look instead of Greystar

Greystar not working out? Here’s where we usually look next:

• RPM Living: from what we see, many of its properties in DFW and Houston make their own calls
• Willow Bridge: a big Texas manager. In our placements, many of its properties look at each file
• Independent owners: usually the most flexible of all

Our property management company guide covers the other options.

How we help with Greystar properties

We keep notes on which Greystar properties in Texas have approved eviction cases lately, which ones take approval programs, and which ones let SafeRent deny you automatically. It won’t cost you anything. For a search focused on Greystar, fill out the form on our home page or call 888-846-7541.

How current this is: this is the latest information we have, and it may be out of date. Greystar properties can change their rules from one month to the next, so we may contact the property about its current rules before you apply.