🐾 Seven Mistakes You Can Catch Before You Submit
You’ve already pictured your couch in the living room. Your roommate is picking a bedroom. Then you open the application and realize your income documents are somewhere in your downloads folder. We get it: paperwork isn’t the part of apartment hunting anyone looks forward to.
Let's keep the application from turning into a scavenger hunt. These seven checks can help you send complete information and cut down on extra back-and-forth with our Putnam Properties team. Start by touring the home. Our application fee is $30 and nonrefundable, so check that the place works for you before you pay.
✨ 1 Skipping a Required Answer
One empty box can leave us with a question you’ve already answered in your head. Review your name, contact information, address history, and every required section before submitting.
Quick Fix: Don’t invent an answer to get past a question. If it doesn’t apply, use the form’s allowed response or ask our office what to enter. Check your email address twice; one missing letter can send a follow-up to the wrong place.
Fill out your application when you have a few quiet minutes, not in a rush. Before you submit, scroll back through the whole form once to catch any box you missed.
💸 2 Hunting for Income Records After You Start
Your income records may be in a payroll app, an email, or several different places. If you're starting a job or fitting shifts around classes, ask us what to gather before uploading files. Finding the right paperwork first beats finding out later that you sent the wrong thing.
Quick Fix: Get your paperwork ready before scheduling your tour: we need a copy of your ID and four weeks’ worth of proof of income, such as pay stubs, bank statements, or an award letter. Ask our office how to provide them. If your parents are helping pay rent, contact us for details and next steps. We prequalify tours so you spend your time looking at homes within your budget.
🐾 3 Picking the Wrong PetScreening Profile
No pets? There’s a profile for that, too. At Putnam Properties, every applicant completes PetScreening. Household pets, assistance-animal requests, and households without animals have different profile options.
Quick Fix: Use the Putnam Properties PetScreening site and choose the option that matches your household. For a pet, gather a recent photo and the requested records. Our PetScreening guide explains the steps. Check pet rules and charges for the actual home rather than borrowing numbers from another listing.
✨ 4 Uploading a Document You Cannot Read
Open each file before attaching it. Can you read the whole page, including the corners and last few lines? If you have to squint, retake it. Our team shouldn't need detective equipment to read a pay stub.
Quick Fix: Use good light, include every requested page, and check that you picked the right file. Follow our office’s secure submission instructions. If a link or request looks unfamiliar, call us before sharing private records.
✨ 5 Forgetting to Check Your Messages
Once you hit submit, keep an eye on your messages. We may need to ask about a document, your household, or your move-in date. Paying the fee doesn't tell you that the application is complete or the home is reserved, so check what's next with us.
Quick Fix: Save your submission confirmation and check your email, spam folder, and phone messages. If you’re unsure what happens next, ask us what remains to be done.
👯 6 Assuming Your Roommate Has Finished
“I thought you did it” is a familiar roommate conversation. Keep it out of the application process by checking what each person needs to submit before either of you starts.
Quick Fix: Each person over 18 who will live in the home needs to complete an application. Co-applicants must live at the property, so agree on when you’ll finish your parts. If a parent is helping pay rent but won’t live there, contact the Putnam Properties office for instructions rather than adding that parent as a co-applicant.
📝 7 Rushing Through the Lease
An approval is exciting, especially when you've already picked a spot for the couch. Give the lease your attention before planning move-in day. You should understand the costs and responsibilities you're agreeing to, not just where to sign.
Quick Fix: Check the lease dates, rent due date, deposits, utilities, pet terms, and move-out notice. Write down anything unclear and ask before signing. Need a starting list? Try our 10 questions to ask before signing a lease in Cookeville. Keep a copy you can find later, not just an email you hope you’ll remember.
✅ Your Before Submit Checklist
- ☐I toured the home and checked that it fits my needs.
- ☐My contact information and address history are accurate.
- ☐My requested documents are complete and readable.
- ☐My resident co-applicants know what to submit.
- ☐I chose the correct PetScreening profile.
- ☐I understand the $30 application fee is nonrefundable.
- ☐I am using the application channel our office confirmed.
- ☐I know where to look for follow-up messages.
🏠 Ready to Find Your Next Home
Browse available homes on our site, then schedule your tour. If a question is holding up your application, call Putnam Properties at 931-520-0859. We'll talk through the next step so you can get back to planning the move.
