Don’t measure up to 3x the rent

[Quinton Stacy]

so in my case I live in an area where the cost of living relatively cheap yet I’m able to afford my rent which 975 however I do not make three times my rent in monthly income my question is what are people who are similar situations do when everyone is asking for 3x the rent and you don’t make the cut but you have a family that needs a place to stay

[Erik W.]

First step is realize your need for a home for your family doesn't negate what land lords/PMs require to rent to you.

Second step and a possible solution is to the problem is put yourself in the LL/PMs shoes so you can understand why they have that requirement.  It's not just an arbitrary number we pull out of thin air.  It's based on past experience of having tenants fail to have a successful lease.

Yes, today you are making your $975/month rent payment with no problem, and my assumption is your month income is below $2,925/month since that would be 3x the rent, and your post is all about not making 3x the rent.

So life if going fine today, but tomorrow your transmission may fall out of your car and need $2000 worth of work.  Uh oh.  It's going to hard to choose if you want to eat, pay your rent, or fix your car...because adding all three up means you go over budget.

LLs/PMs are looking for STABLE tenants, period.  We don't like drama.  There's always "something" that comes up:  Life happens.  Bad luck.  Unexpected emergencies (aren't all emergencies unexpected?).  It all creates the opposite of stability.

Evictions cost a lot more than many tenants realize.  Not only do we get no rent for a month or two, we also have to pay legal fees, and frequently there are damages to the property as no one likes getting kicked out of a house and sometimes folks take revenge on the property owner/manager.  This amount can quickly eat up the deposit and start digging deeply into our pockets.  We don't want evictions regardless of the reason, and our experience teaches us that people who make less than 3x the monthly rent are the most likely to get into trouble when "something" happens.

So what you need to do is provide something to reassure the land lord.  How about a double security deposit or two months rent paid in advance?  Some states allow that: others do not.  Perhaps you need to increase your income to more than 3x the rent or look for a less expensive unit where your income meets the 3x the rent test.  I don't know the answer, but the goal here is not to complain online about LL requirements: the goal is to find a home for your family.  I've given you a few thoughts.  There are others.