Tenant wants to add his ex wife to lease (who won't live there)

[Pria H.]

Hi all,

I rent out an apartment with 4 roommates who've been there over a year. Yesterday, we got an email from one of the guys asking if his ex wife that he is separated from, but "doesn't plan to divorce any time soon" can be added to the lease. The purpose is to have a shared legal address "for taxes and other paperwork". I didn't even know he had been married or separated. She won't be living there. 

Ordinarily the answer would be an easy "no", since the lease is limited to residents of the apartment, but I'm starting to wonder if their married status makes a difference.

I'm hoping that many of you experienced landlords out there have faced issues around married/separated tenants, and could share some insights.

Thanks so much!

Pria

[Shaun Patterson]

I would give you another eye to look at. He stated a few things that came off as red flags for me. One he has a wife. That means that she may end up staying at that apartment at some time or another. No matter if he says they aren't living together. I never fully believe what tenants say because in my experience its never the full truth. What happens if they suddenly get back together and she moves in without you knowing? Even if you see her he can use the same excuse that was used before, that she is the wife that is living somewhere else and just stopped by for a few days. If this situation happens and she decides not to leave the apartment even after the lease is up you then have to deal with a squatter that has no signed lease but has emails stating that she wanted to be on the lease and was denied. Also I would agree with @Account Closed the background screening was kind of lax here. When we screen our tenants we check county records and ask question about being married. if you asked that question and they said no then they lied of the application and could be in breach of contract.