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With times being hard for peoples on a fix income why are landlord's asking for app. Fees & then you get a letter saying you where not approve . Why are they telling people's you need to make 3* the rent when you are on a fix income.
With times being hard for peoples on a fix income why are landlord's asking for app. Fees & then you get a letter saying you where not approve . Why are they telling people's you need to make 3* the rent when you are on a fix income.
Landlords have to run a background and credit check and it costs them money to do that. If the credit check comes back showing that your history shows that you need a higher income to cover your rent, that's what they tell you.
With times being hard for peoples on a fix income why are landlord's asking for app. Fees & then you get a letter saying you where not approve . Why are they telling people's you need to make 3* the rent when you are on a fix income.
Because people before you are the ones that spoiled it for everyone else. People that didn't want to pay the rent and then fight eviction, people that trash houses. This has all led to what the majority of landlords are doing.
Background checks can be quite expensive depending on the service and the depth. A very basic check can still be $40 and some can top $100 easily. If we ate that cost on every applicant we wouldn't last long as a landlord, especially when I normally see 4+ applicants for every property.
Most landlords are upfront about income requirements. Most I've dealt with tell you before even completing an application that your income needs to be 3x the monthly rent. Before I ever complete an application, I always ask about requirements.
Honestly, I only did a criminal check when I rented out my townhouse. However, I asked for two-months rent up-front and got it.
The OP might want to deal with Section 8 land lords only. Once you've been Section 8 approved, the land lord list in your area should be provided to you. Depending on your county, a set rent amount can be charged based on the number of bedrooms you seek. However, you must have enough occupants to justify the number of bedrooms. 1 person can only have a 1 bedroom for example unless there is a visiting child or a medical need (in which an adult medical provider has to use that 2nd bedroom).
Some people try to avoid government assisted living, but IMO that's plain silly if you truly need the help. Back when my funds were low, I did it. It's not so bad if you can find a well-kept neighborhood with trust-worthy neighbors.
OP, you need to make 3X the rent so that you have enough income to pay for the rent and all your other living expenses EASILY. If you are cutting it too close, there is a big possibility that you won't be able to pay and the landlord will be stuck. Remember, landlords have to make payments on the property, taxes on the property, insurance on the property, repairs and upkeep on the property, etc.
Every landlord has different requirements, but if you have something specific you are being declined over and over on, then don't spend the application fee until you have asked what the requirement is.
Most landlords do have a minimum income requirement, because people who make less than that will be MUCH more likely to have trouble paying the rent. Some will have figured it out, so if you have not enough income, but EXCELLENT (over 750) credit, some landlords will understand that you have it figured out, and waive the income requirement. Or if you can show you have sufficient reserves in the bank, like retirees, who don't have verifiable income, but have plenty of money.
But otherwise, the landlord is doing themselves a disservice by not having an income requirement. Landlording is all about risk avoidance, which means you don't knowingly put yourself into a situation where you are likely going to end up evicting or suing. That means you don't rent to people who trashed their prior rental (rental verifications), you don't rent to people who have been evicted (background check), you don't rent to people who don't pay their bills (credit report) and you don't rent to people who don't make enough money to pay the rent (income requirement).
As for charging an application fee, it costs money in the form of both labor and membership/usage fees in order to check all of those things. If you are marginal, you should ask first.
With times being hard for peoples on a fix income why are landlord's asking for app. Fees & then you get a letter saying you where not approve . Why are they telling people's you need to make 3* the rent when you are on a fix income.
Because it is not the landlord's job to provide nice housing to people who can not afford to pay the rent. If it is difficult for you to come up with application fees, ask what the requirements are to be approved before you pay the fee. If a landlord requires 3 times the rent, and you do not have that much income, don't apply and save your application fee.
It appears that you have been applying for places you can't afford. Try looking at places where the rent is lower. Take your income and divide that amount by three and that will tell you what price range you should be looking for.
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