rent to a 90 year old tenant

[Lucy Smi]

One of my tenants wants to move his 90 year old mom into another unit of ours near him. She will pay her monthly rent out of her trust. What are the things we should consider or ask or note when renting to a very senior tenant? Should we ask him to co-sign or guarantee? He mentioned his mom might pass away there. 

[Greg M.]

You cannot do or ask anything different just because of the age of the tenant. This would violate FHA laws. Therefore, if you would rent to this tenant without a cosigner if they were 40 years old, you can't ask for a cosigner just because they are 90 years old.

Given her age and the close proximity of her son, she probably won't be a bothersome tenant at all. Yes, she might die in the unit tomorrow. So could a 20 year old tenant. If you're worried about that, only around 20% of people actually die in their home. The rest mainly die in the hospital or nursing home. And when it comes to rentals, there is no need to inform the next tenant of the death in the unit (unless your area has a specific law on it).