Applicants with undisclosed significant other

[Rick Bassett]

Maybe it's the way that the housing authority in our area works or our local culture but it seems that the vast majority of the applicants that we get who are on public assistance almost always fail to disclose that their spouse or significant other will be living with them and we generally find out that they aren't being truthful during the screening process.

Our application process is straight forward; all adults (18 or over) who will be living at the property must fill out an application and be on the lease. This helps us to hold everyone responsible later on if something goes wrong and it allows us to expedite the eviction process if need be.

This happens so much that it adds a lot of time and due diligence to our screening process.

Is this something that many other landlords are encountering as well? If so, I'd be interested if hearing creative suggestions for dealing with it.

Rick