Help! Criminal Background

[Lori Elaine Hernandez]

I have a tenant that the wife has a clear back ground, but her husband has a felony for a misuse of debit card for $32?! They make more than enough and have 3 kids.. They are good people and make 3 times the rent.. both have stable jobs and don’t seem to be an issue.. should I approve?! 

[Erik W.]

A $32 felony? In my state (Missouri), the amount has to be over $500 or it's considered a Class A Misdemeanor.  Not saying that shouldn't concern you, but just making sure we've got everything straight.  If his record was otherwise clean, credit was decent, income and background good, and if his story was plausible (i.e. He was dating a girl and she said he could use her card to buy a tank of gas, then they broke up, she got mad at him and filed a stolen card charge) and he owned up to his mistake I would not be concerned.  

People sometimes do dumb stuff and get nailed, then they wise up and go on to lead good lives.  A one-off issue with a reasonable explanation passed my scrutiny.  If it's a pattern of bad behavior, if he makes excuses and tries to cast blame, or if the story is sketchy, then no.