> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.rentsmart.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# How RentSmart profiles & households work

> The Reusable RentSmart Profile, the one-time $60 fee, and how prospective tenants come together as a household.

RentSmart is built around two concepts on the tenant side: the **Reusable RentSmart Profile** (one per person) and the **Household** (one per group submitting to a property).

## The Reusable RentSmart Profile

Each adult prospective tenant builds **one** Profile that contains their full identity, financial, employment, housing history, and screening data. That same Profile is reused for every property they ever submit to — they don't rebuild it each time.

A Profile includes:

* Personal information (name, DOB, SSN, ID verification)
* Contact information
* Employment and income (multiple types supported — full-time, part-time, self-employed, freelance, retired, student, etc.)
* Bank statements (3 most recent)
* Current and previous housing
* Eviction history
* Criminal background

## The one-time fee

When a prospective tenant **creates** their RentSmart Profile, they pay a **one-time \$60 fee**.

<Note>
  **Prospective tenants do not pay an application fee.** They pay a one-time fee to create their Reusable RentSmart Profile — once, ever — and that Profile is reused across every property they submit to.
</Note>

A few things to know about the fee:

* It's **per person**, not per property
* A prospective tenant who submits to **five** different RentSmart properties still pays \$60 total — they reuse the same Profile
* A three-adult household means **three Profiles × $60 = $180**
* **You are never charged.** The entire fee comes from the tenant side; it's how RentSmart funds the platform for property managers

## What a Household is

A **Household** is one or more prospective tenants tied together for one specific property. Each adult in the Household has their own Profile; the Profiles are linked into one Household record and screened together.

A Household can include:

* A single adult (themselves)
* A couple or two roommates
* A family with multiple adults and minor children
* A co-signer (added later if you [request one](/households/decisions))

The Household has its own status (Pending, Approved, etc.) — see [Household statuses](/reference/household-statuses).

## How a prospective tenant becomes a Household

There are several paths from showing-interest to forming a Household:

* **Self-initiated** — they go to [rentsmart.com/application](https://rentsmart.com/application) any time, pick your property, and submit
* **Application QR Code flyer** — scanned from the printable QR flyer inside a property
* **Send Application Link** — you click this button on a completed-showing lead in [All Leads](/showings/manage-leads) (one-shot per lead)
* **Invite to Apply** — Dashboard → Quick Actions → email anyone a link to start the flow

Each path triggers the [validation and screening pipeline](/households/ai-validation).

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Receiving a household" icon="inbox" href="/households/receiving">
    What happens once a household submits.
  </Card>

  <Card title="AI document validation" icon="shield-check" href="/households/ai-validation">
    How RentSmart verifies profile data and documents.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>