Tenant Screening Question
Hi Guys,
I am screening tenants now for one of my rental units, and as a fairly new landlord, I have a few questions.
1) SPOUSE NOT ON LEASE: Someone called me recently and said they are interested in the unit, but he wanted to know if his wife had to be on the lease. I said that anyone over age 18 is required to be on the lease. He said that he and his wife recently got married, and his wife has a prior eviction on her record--but it was not her fault. The wife was living with her mom and was required to be on the lease because she was over 18, but her mom defaulted and held her responsible even though it wasn't her fault. I said that I am sorry, but everyone over age 18 is required to be on the lease per our policy, and that we also decline for any evictions within the last 10 years. Does this sound reasonable? Should I have considered this any more? Would would some of the more experienced landlords do?
2) CHILDREN ON LEASE: When it comes to children, should I indeed require EVERYONE over age 18 to be on the lease? What if there are 2 parents and 2 kids (say age 12 and age 18 for example). Even if the kid is a senior in high school, should I still require him to be on the lease? What should I do regarding children over age 18?
3) INCOME REQUIREMENT: I have two applicants who have extremely good credit scores (800+) and all the references check out, etc. However, they aren't able to show proof for 3X the monthly income compared to asking rent. The husband has verifiable income, but the wife is a substitute teacher. Income is pretty regular, but isn't guaranteed. The same goes for waitresses, hairstylists, etc. What do you do for people with these professions where there is no guaranteed income, but you believe they can afford the rent? Require previous tax returns?
Any help would be appreciated, thanks!