I am revising my rental criteria for screening tenants and conflicted about allowing married couple to fill out one application if they can both show a valid driver’s license with the same address for the past two years. Except for married couple all applicants 18 years or older must complete a separate rental application. All applicants must submit to a credit and background check. My question is this discrimination because I allow all married couple to fill out one application and not individuals or unmarried applicants. My application provides for both the primary applicant and co-applicants to fill in employment, income, name, driver’s license, birth, SS# and email address and phone, everything I need to run separate credit checks. I know it would be much easier just to have every applicant over 18 submit a separate application and be done with it, but I would have everything I need to run individual credit checks on everyone and my income requirement is the same for all applicants, combined gross monthly income of 3 ½ times the rent to qualify. --99.12.xx.xx

I do NOT allow a married couple to fill out only one application. I need the separate information and signatures of each. Too often they say, "my wife doesn't work, she's a stay at home mother"! In other words, she's the one with collection accounts, bankruptcy and horrible FICO score. --47.155.xx.xxx

While I was a full-time homemaker, it was MY excellent credit and FICO score that allowed my husband and I to purchase property. His contribution was a good income only. --68.229.xxx.xxx

You have to underwrite them both. He's not saying all home makers are bums. Many married people have an other half that is a credit deadbeat and will bring their partner down w them --174.234.xxx.xx

Two separate applications. Sometimes if one of them has bad credit that person will argue that they aren't the breadwinner so it doesn't matter, but I still DQ if it doesn't fit my criteria. --72.188.xxx.xxx

I agree with the others. I take separate applications. --209.122.xx.xxx

All valid points for having separate applications, both individuals would sign the application and I would run a credit and background check on each, my conflict is if they are married and can show me that they both lived together at the same address for two years, having separate applications seems duplicated, both would list each other as additional occupants, have the same current and previous address for at least 2 years and if kids same thing, same with income, etc. If they meet the combined income qualifications then why not? Either way, would I be discriminating if I were to allow married couple to fill out one application and not unmarried individuals? --99.12.xx.xx

I wouldn't overthink it. Married applicants are used to doing 2 applications. All the PM companies and apartments make them do that. --72.188.xxx.xxx

I believe it would be discrimination to allow a married couple to do 1 application and make roommates or unmarried couples do 2 applicants --72.231.xxx.xxx

--99.12.xx.xx

DJ[VA}. I'm sure you and MOST homemaker wives have excellent credit and are the most responsible party in the marriage. I was only talking about those couples that refuse to provide the wife's separate credit information and say "I'm discriminating on stay at home mom's". --47.155.xx.xxx

I get an application and run credit on both. Only once so far did spouse have high credit card balances not known by the other spouse. --99.23.xxx.x

Dave delete that co applicant section and just put a simple question on the app: "list all people who who would be living in the property and their birthdates" --72.188.xxx.xxx

Look at it as a compliance check. Yes, it’s tedious completing the same info twice but if they complain or skip filling it out completely then it is a glimpse of behavior when they are living there. --75.67.xxx.xxx

YES the wife must fill out her own app. --50.82.xxx.xxx

--99.12.xx.xx