Introducing the Rooted Renters Program

To verify that your tenants qualify for Rooted Renters, you can follow the same steps we go through. By reviewing the below documents yourself, you can verify your tenants qualify before passing their names and emails onto Placemate for us to send them the online tenant application. Placemate will need employment documents and an application from each tenant (even from tenants that don’t qualify) to ensure the group as a whole qualifies for the program.

Required documents from each tenant 18 years or older:

1. A government-issued ID
2. Employment Documentation (any one of the following 3 options, as applicable):
   1. 2 pay stubs from 90 days of the start of the lease, OR;
   2. A signed employer or offer letter (see example here) that includes the following details:
      1. Employer name, logo, and address
      2. Name of employee
      3. Anticipated start date (if new offer) or when they started originally
      4. Number of hours (ie; full time, 40 hours week / seasonal, 20 hours week)
      5. Pay rate (hourly or salary)
      6. Location of where they are working
      7. Name, signature of manager / HR, and date signed; OR
   3. If self-employed, required documents include:
      1. A business license registered to a local address AND:
      2. If the business has been operational for more than 1 year
         1. Tax returns, OR;
      3. If the business has been operating for less than one year, is off the books, or tenant is self employed via gig work
         1. Internal P&L or
         2. Employer letter or
         3. Recent Contracts that show volume of work/pay

For properties that have 3 or more bedrooms, there is a minimum total household size of 1 fewer residents (including adults and children) than bedrooms in the house. For example, a 3- bedroom house has a minimum household size of 2 residents and a 4-bedroom house has a minimum household size of 3 residents

Each subsequent payment is sent to owners once they have rented their property to a qualified household for a cumulative 12, 24 and 36 months (see schedule above). In order to be issued a subsequent payment, Placemate must collect the following info and documentation from participating owners and their tenants at the 12 and 24 month mark:

• Completed check ins from the qualified household and property owners
• Confirmation that a qualified household will continue living in the house at the 12 and 24 month mark, as documented by:
  • New 12 month signed lease with the existing qualified household, OR;
  • Confirmation that the existing qualified household has stayed in a property on a month-to-month agreement, OR;
  • Confirmation that a qualified household whose makeup changed partially midway through the previous lease term is still residing in the property
• If a qualified household has changed any adult tenant members, application documents from any new adult tenants
• If the qualified household has completely changed from past occupants to a new qualified household, new 12 month signed lease and confirmation of move in

At the 36 month mark, Placemate will collect:

• Completed check ins from qualified household and property owners

If at any point during the lease term, the entire existing household group moves out, they must be replaced with a new qualified household on a new 12 month lease.

If at any point during the lease term a portion of the group moves out, the tenants who moved out must be replaced such that the group as a whole remains qualified. New tenants can be added onto the original lease by drafting an addendum, subleasing from the original tenants, or the whole group may sign a new 12 month lease.

When the qualified household  group changes (partially or fully) and they move out mid lease or at the end of the lease, the property owner has 90 days to replace them with a new qualified household.

If the vacancy of a qualified household group lasts for 90 days or longer, the property owner will need to reapply for the program.  Property owner eligibility for subsequent grant payments and participation are subject to the Program Guidelines and availability of funds.

Each year, Town Council will approve a rent increase schedule for the cohort of participants entering Rooted Renters in that year.

Participants who enter the Program between July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2025 will be considered Cohort #1 and are subject to the rental increases detailed in the table above.

Participants who enter the Program between July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026 will be considered Cohort #2. Rental rates for Cohort #2 will be set by Town Council in the spring of 2025.

The program is fully subscribed and the application period has closed. The next application period will open up in the summer of 2025. 

If you have already submitted a Preliminary Application Form and have not been emailed to schedule a call, you are on the waitlist and we will reach out if/as program funds become available. Once we have reached out to schedule a call, you must adhere to the following timeline. 

• Schedule an intake call within 1 week of our response
• Submit a full program application within 45 days of your intake call

Funds are limited for the Rooted Renters program; applicants who fail to adhere to the above timeline will lose their spot in line and the applicant who next submitted a Preliminary Application Form will be given an opportunity to have an intake call and get started.

Property owners who received grant funds through Lease to Locals are eligible to participate in Rooted Renters if they meet the following criteria:

• The Lease to Locals lease term must have already ended, OR the lease must end within 30 days.
• The Lease to Locals end of lease check in must be complete.
• The property owner must have remained eligible to receive their final Lease to Locals payment – they cannot have been disqualified from the Lease to Locals program.

The Town of Truckee’s building department will review each property and verify their eligibility for the program and unit size.

El Ayuntamiento de Truckee ofrece servicios de traducción para los hispanohablantes que estén interesados en todos sus programas de vivienda, incluyendo Rentando con Raíces. Si tiene preguntas sobre Rentando con Raíces o está interesado en participar como propietario o inquilino y necesita traducción al español, póngase en contacto con isaac@placemate.com con los detalles de su propiedad y sus preguntas. ¡Nosotros le ayudaremos!