Power Engineer · Grand Forks, ND · Member since 2014 · 13 posts · 5 votes
I sometimes accept multiple adults in an apartment, where only one of them is financially able (or has decent credit history) to make the rent payments. Should I still put all adults on the lease? My concern is that the primary payer will move out mid-lease and I have to finish out the lease with the other party if on the lease, but if only the primary payer is on the lease, I can make them finish out the lease, and when the primary payer leaves, everyone has to go.
Right now I have an applicant who is a lady with an unemployed 22-yr old son. Do I want him on the lease?
Specialist · Houston, TX · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
8y
For safety and security reasons anyone over 18 we put
On our lease. If they do and damage or crime (ie registered sex offender) and they were living in your property and something happens you could be held liable and it could be a slippery slope that we don’t want to go down. Be safe put anyone over 18 years old on the lease and do a background check
Specialist · Houston, TX · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
8y
For safety and security reasons anyone over 18 we put
On our lease. If they do and damage or crime (ie registered sex offender) and they were living in your property and something happens you could be held liable and it could be a slippery slope that we don’t want to go down. Be safe put anyone over 18 years old on the lease and do a background check
Rockaway, NJ · Member since 2016 · 2k+ posts · 2k+ votes
8y
anyone over 18 is on lease. your lease should also state that all tenants are jointly and separately liable for rent payments. that means each individual is responsible for entire rent, as is the group as a whole. this means if one person gets up and leaves, and rent stops coming in he is still liable and ends up with eviction on his record. this makes him pay up or force other people out.
in your case, if mom moves out and son refuses to pay rent, she has to pay or end up with eviction on her record, exactly the same as though she was still living there
Rental Property Investor · Huntsville, AL · Member since 2013 · 419 posts · 323 votes
8y
Everyone 18 or over is on the lease, period. Do you want someone in your property who has not agreed to your terms, your right of entry, your rights in general, but who, by allowing them, has all the rights of a tenant? You want someone who may require separate eviction proceedings and/or higher costs to evict when you can serve notice and evict as one?
Rental Property Investor · Northern, CA · Member since 2012 · 5k+ posts · 5k+ votes
8y
It's not accurate that - by not putting them on the lease - you can just make them move out when the primary payer leaves. They still have rights if they've been living there. So if you're going to allow them to live there, you should put them on the lease. There's really no downside to it, and it gives you someone else to hold accountable in the event rent is not paid or they leave damages/money owed when they move out.
It is a mistake on your part to rent to adults that are not married unless each can afford the unit on their own. You should be tightening up your screening standards before you get badly burned.
You should never accept a tenant with bad credit or one that can not afford the rent unless it is a student rental.
Power Engineer · Grand Forks, ND · Member since 2014 · 13 posts · 5 votes
8y
This is good education for me. Thanks. Most times I feel like I'm being TOO cautious, but on this point, it sounds like I've taken some extra risk. So far, all the tenants that I was concerned about turned out great.