Tenant Applicant Has Felony Domestic Violence cases - too high a risk?

[Tricia O'Brien]

 Hello Fellow BP Folks! 

I have an unusual applicant that I am considering, and I would like the input of other investors / landlords.  This is for a 3 bedroom single family rental home ... C home in a D neighborhood in Indiana.

He has an old domestic violence conviction (2012). He has a current domestic violence case (felony domestic battery) that is pending, and it has been working its way through the court system since Nov 2021.   I don't believe he was taken to jail on this current case.  These have been a few court dates since Nov 2021, and he has attended these with a public defender.

I want to know if folks have rented to applicants like this, and did you have any problems...such as acts of violence against any realtor/PM or handymen that you sent out to the property? Any other problems?

The reason I have given his application a second look is that he has relatively high income (5.5x the rent), a skilled blue-collar job (machinist), and he said he is willing to pay a double security deposit due to his credit score being less than 600 if he were approved.  He has been at his current job for 3.5 months. 

The house has been advertised on Zillow now for about 20 days. The minimum qualifications listed are:  Income 3.5x the rent; credit score at least 600; no evictions. 

I've gotten about 9-10 applications.  Some are incomplete.   Only 2 of the applications meet the credit score requirements, and both of these families don't want to move until around Dec 1.  

I'm an out of state landlord and have a realtor that does tasks for me on an "a la carte" basis and I use local handymen.

I have not approved or declined his application yet...   I've not yet called his landlord references or employer references yet.  I am in the middle of processing it.  

But I'm a little freaked out by his criminal record.  

What would you do?  

Would you give him a denial based on his credit score of 526 (Experian) 

Or would you continue to process his application? 

He wants to rent the house with his current girlfriend.  I don't yet have an application yet on her, but he says she could do an application as well.  

Thanks in advance for your input!