Independent Living Home Resident Intake and Move-In Checklist

A good intake process fills beds with residents who fit the house, and gives every applicant the same clear, fair experience. This guide walks through a five-stage intake and move-in checklist for an independent living home or shared housing, and where the legal lines sit in California.

A note on scope. An independent living home rents rooms or beds to adults who live on their own, with no care. In California, many, if not most, such homes do not need a state license. Intake should stay on the housing side of that line.

Run every applicant through the same stages, in the same order, and write down the date each one is completed. Consistency is what makes intake fair, and it also tells you where applicants drop out.

Intake questions should be about shared living: budget, move-in date, house rules, quiet hours, guests and chores. Do not collect diagnoses or medical history, and do not promise help with bathing, dressing or medication. Homes that provide care and supervision are a different business that needs a state care license, such as an adult residential facility.

If, during the fit conversation, an applicant says they need daily help with personal care or medication, the honest answer is that an independent living home is not the right setting, and to point them or their case manager toward licensed options.

Write your criteria down before you take inquiries: rent amount, move-in costs, the house rules and how you verify that an applicant can pay. Apply them in the same order to every applicant, and keep a dated note of each decision.

Reasonable accommodations

The Fair Housing Act protects people with disabilities in housing, and federal guidance explains that housing providers and cities may have to make reasonable accommodations to their rules. Keep a short written request form, answer each request in writing, and record what was agreed. Get legal advice before adding questions about disability to intake forms.

Under California Civil Code Section 1950.5, a residential security deposit is generally capped at one month's rent in addition to first month's rent, with a narrow exception allowing up to two months for certain small landlords. Deposits can only be used for unpaid rent, damage beyond ordinary wear and tear, and cleaning back to the move-in condition.

Within 21 days after a resident moves out, you must return the deposit or send an itemized statement of deductions, with the receipts and photos the law requires. A dated move-in walk-through with photos is the simplest way to support any deduction later.

• Walk the room together and photograph its condition, then both sign and date the record.
• Hand over keys and note which keys were issued.
• Review the house rules and give the resident their daily chore checklist.
• Confirm emergency contacts and how to report a repair.
• Record the move-in date and first rent against the bed.

Explain how room checks work, too. In California, Civil Code Section 1954 requires reasonable written notice before a housing provider enters a resident's unit, except in an emergency. Our guide to house rules and daily chores covers what to put in the rules themselves.

Many residents arrive through case managers, discharge planners and community organizations. Record the referring partner at the inquiry stage and carry it through to the bed that was filled, so you can see which partners actually produce move-ins.

Never pay or accept anything of value per referral. For recovery housing, paying for referrals can be a federal crime under 18 U.S.C. 220 when services are covered by a health care benefit program. Build referral relationships on a reliable, clean house and quick, honest answers about open beds.

Intake works best when inquiries, open beds and rent live in the same place. Royalty Group Homes tracks inquiries, which referral partner sent each one, the live bed board and a rent ledger for each resident, so you can see where every applicant is and which bed they will fill.

Your first house is free with every feature; two or three houses are $99 a month, and four or more are $199 a month. It does not score or rank applicants, and it has no medication or care-plan module, which fits a home that stays independent living.