Flipper/Rehabber · MD · Member since 2019 · 58 posts · 7 votes
Hi All, I'm getting ready to rent out my first property in Baltimore and have some questions about three scenarios of groups of adults who apply:
Do you require each spouse of a married couple to qualify for income, background check, etc?
If two or more non-married adults apply but less than the total adults who apply qualify (i.e., two out of the three adults qualify), do you reject them all?
Finally, if adult children apply with a parent(s) but the adult child does not qualify for some or all of the criteria, do you reject the family?
Yes, generally speaking we require anyone over 18 to apply and we run all checks. As always exceptions happen but that is the general rule for us. Doesn't matter if they are married or not.
Your last question is a bit vague for me to respond too. It really depends on the situation not only for why you reject 1 person but the strength of the others. So this one is a TBD, not enough info.
You should consider making it standard practice that anyone over 18 years of age living in the house must complete an application. You not only want to know about their credit, but you should be checking their past rental history (someone may be skipping out on another landlord) and criminal records as well. EVERYONE gets the same check. That way, you’re covered and there is a lesser chance for a discrimination lawsuit down the road. If they want to be there, they will all apply. If they make excuses regarding why someone can’t apply, but confirm they will be living there, you should reject them.
Regarding the income requirements, you again need to determine what your set application criteria is and stick to that - do you require income to be 3 X monthly rent, etc.? The primary wage earners should meet your income requirements and if they don’t, and need the other adults’ income to qualify, just consider that you may find yourself getting late rent payments once they are in.