If you keep finding yourself scouring rental listing and filling out applications only to get denied again and again, it might be time to change your strategy. Landlords establish tenant screening criteria to find themselves a qualified renter who will pay rent on time and take care of the property.
Here are the top 10 reasons your rental application is getting denied.
1. You didn’t act fast enough
While it might seem advantageous to look at as many available properties as possible, make a list of pros and cons and then submit an application to only your favorite, this strategy can waste valuable time. In a competitive rental market, an apartment may only be available for a couple hours. Renters should be ready to submit an application as soon as they find a place they like and are qualified for. Once you find a suitable rental property be ready to submit your application and have all the move-in fees available that day.
2. You didn’t act professional
It is important to remember that your landlord is running a business and your interactions with him should be professional. Even before you submit a rental application, your future landlord or property manager will treat all interactions with you as a pre-screening process, from emails, phone calls, and appointments. Always act courteous, professional and show up on time. If you are late, rude or sloppy, the landlord may choose not to rent to you because he has reason to believe you will not treat the property appropriately or your rental relationship with respect.
3. You didn’t follow directions
Did the rental advertisement ask you to call to set up an appointment, but instead you knocked on the door and disturbed the current tenants? Did the landlord ask for a copy of your driver’s license but didn’t submit one?
If you can’t follow the directions on a rental advertisement, your landlord has reason to believe that you will not follow the directions or rules outlined in a lease agreement. For this reason, your landlord can legally deny your rental application. Make sure to read directions carefully and show your respect for the landlord’s requests right away to set yourself up for a great landlord-tenant relationship.
4. You lied on your application
Never lie to your landlord about income, references, or your criminal background. Landlords and property managers have access to tools to check your employment, credit and criminal history. If you lie about anything on your rental application, a property manager or landlord will find out and deny you. Some lease agreements even state that a landlord has grounds to terminate a lease and move forward with an eviction if they discover that any information on a rental application was untrue after you were approved and moved in.
If you are worried that your criminal background or credit score will not get you approved for a rental house, you should be upfront with the landlord before they waste their time processing an application that will get denied. They may allow you to have a co-signer and still live in the rental home, but if they find out you lied, you are bound to get denied.
5. Your credit score is bad
Rental housing providers use your credit score as a major part of their tenant screening process to determine your financial responsibility and evaluate whether you will pay your rent on time. They look at your debt-to income ratio and if you have any outstanding bills. To a landlord, if you did not pay your power bill and it went to collections, that could mean you won’t pay your rent in the future.
If you credit score is bad, start taking steps to improve it now. You can also ask any future landlords if they will approve a co-signer or accept a higher security deposit.
6. You were convicted of a dangerous crime
It is illegal for a property manager or landlord to deny you rental housing for having a criminal record or simply for being arrested. However, you can be denied rental housing if you have been convicted of a dangerous crime that would put the property, community or other tenants at risk.
7. Your references didn’t check out
Landlords and property managers rely on references to verify your employment and rental background. If you provide your landlord with your employer’s name and phone number, they may Google the company and call the number listed online to double check the validity of the information you provided. If it turns out that you or the “reference” you listed to do not work, it will be a red flag that you lied and you will get denied.
Your future landlord will also call your past landlords or property managers to find out what you were like to rent to. They are looking for information on whether you paid rent on time, if you damaged or maintained the property, and if you ever caused any problems in general. If your past landlord give less than stellar references, there is a chance you will get your rental application denied.
8. You don’t make enough money
This requirements seems pretty straightforward, however, some renters still find themselves stretching a paycheck and applying for properties they cannot afford. While some landlords will list the income requirements on the rental advertisement, others just assume that renters will not apply for properties out of their price range.
The industry standard for income requirements is typically that a tenant needs to make 3x the asking rental price. While you may think your $3,000/monthly paycheck can completely cover your $1,200/monthly rent, your landlord will not and you will most likely get denied. To figure out how much you should be spending on rent, divide your monthly take-home paycheck by 3. Don’t forget to include utilities in this figure.
9. You have pets
Despite the fact that over 70% of renters have pets, the majority of rental properties do not allow pets in the property. If you have a pet, you rental application may get denied. Savvy landlords will look at your clothes to see if their is any pet hair on it or even request a home inspection of your current rental to double check that you do not have any pets. Never try to sneak in a pet, because you will get discovered and face an eviction.
Save pet ownership for when you own your own home, or only apply to properties that have a pet-friendly policy.
10. Your car is messy
Taking a casual peek in your car is a trick that some landlords employ to see how messy you are. If your car is full of clothes, fast food containers, toys, etc. it will tip off the landlord that you might be a very messy tenant and cause potential damage to the property, whether from excessive wear and tear, or an unintentional infestation from garbage accumulation. Remember to always present yourself in the best and most professional light possible and clean up your car before heading to an apartment showing.
Landlords want to get their property rented fast so they can start collecting rental income right away. But they will not do so at the risk of approving an unqualified renter. Make sure you stand out to your future landlord or property manager by taking steps to avoid all the rental application denial reasons above.
To learn more about how your landlord decides if you will be a qualified tenant check out this article on tenant screening red flags.