Tenants combined income or each must qualify?

[Shane Ward]

I am marketing a couple of rental properties and have several people interested. The problem is that the people I would like to rent to do not qualify individually but do qualify as a couple. Should I keep looking for better qualified candidates or would you take them as a couple? They have a 9 year old together but are not married.

[Nathan Gesner]

Income should be qualified, married or not.

However...I have higher standards for three or more unrelated people. If this were three friends, I would require each individual to make 2x the rent. Why? Because one of them is going to leave and I want the remaining tenants to easily afford the rent. If each one makes 2x the rent, two of them would make a combined income of 4x the rent.