Can we tell applicant that income must be 3x the rent?

[Danny Chan]

Hello,

I was looking up fair housing laws in Chicago because I am trying to rent out a unit, and I came across an article online that said we are not permitted to say that income must be three times the rent, because it is considered income discrimination. I was wondering if this is true? 

This is the link I found, and it describes the issue close to the bottom of the article.
Illinois Landlord’s Guide to Source of Income Discrimination — Enterprise Esquire

Thanks!

[Crystal Smith]

Originally posted by @Danny Chan:

Hello,

I was looking up fair housing laws in Chicago because I am trying to rent out a unit, and I came across an article online that said we are not permitted to say that income must be three times the rent, because it is considered income discrimination. I was wondering if this is true? 

This is the link I found, and it describes the issue close to the bottom of the article.
Illinois Landlord’s Guide to Source of Income Discrimination — Enterprise Esquire

Thanks!

Whomever wrote that article is wrong. You can establish a minimum income, credit, debt to income....  criteria to rent your property. What you cannot do is change that criteria for different applicants. Everyone should be treated the same. You should document in writing your minimum requirements & provide it to all applicants.