All Forum Posts by: Account Closed

Thank you again for all the responses! I have a small update to the scenario. As it turns out, the person I thought was a minor is actually over 18, so my plan is to just have both of the new applicants apply and be screened as normal. This leads me to another issue of how do you screen someone who is just over 18? Obviously they will not meet the requirements I have set for credit score, previous landlord referrals, income, etc., but I probably can’t hold that against them.  Am I really just screening for criminal history then?

Additionally, I happen to be doing a routine walkthrough of the property tomorrow. I hope everything is in order, but if I find that is it damaged/not being maintained, can I deny the addition of additional tenants based on the grounds that the property is not being maintained in accordance with the lease?

Thanks for the replies!

Rich, that all makes sense to me about how to handle it going forward. I guess my question would be that if I was concerned about having more people living in the house, would I have any grounds to deny the request on the basis of them not being on the lease already? Or do I have to accept the minor and at least accept an application from the adult to make sure I’m not breaking any discrimination laws?

House is currently at four people, and with 5 BR the addition of two more wouldn’t put it over capacity.

Also, the minor may soon turn 18, making it an issue of what to do if he doesn’t move out in June and then is no longer a minor.

I have a SFR rental in WA (not in the Seattle area) that I've been renting for a couple months now with a tenant who thus far has seemed pretty good. Good communication, pays on time. no issues thus far. The tenant and his three minors live in the 5 BR house. He had good referrals from his previous two landlords when we accepted him, however, we recently learned from his most recent landlord that his children left a decent bit of damage to their home that they discovered upon his move out.

Coincidentally, this tenant recently contacted me asking if he can add one more minor (a friend of his kids who has a family situation going on) and his adult nephew to the lease for the next three months. The explanation was that the minor will live with them until he graduates high school in June, and then move out. The nephew has a temporary job in the area, and would like to stay there until the job is complete out of convenience, also leaving in June.

My question is do I even have a choice in accepting the addition of the minor to the lease? I know I cannot discriminate against minors or upon the basis of familial relation, and since his addition wouldn’t put them over or even near the 2 person/ bedroom limit, do I have any grounds to say no? Or do these criteria only apply to applications, and since we have a signed lease in place, I can say no since it is not part of our lease agreement?

As far as the adult nephew goes, since he isn’t a minor, it seems more cut and dry. I can have him submit an application for a background check and then go from there about adding him to the lease or not.

I do appreciate that he contacted me and asked to add them to the lease, as it shows that he is trying to adhere to the lease requirements regarding guests. My concern is that these persons would be added to the lease and then stay in the home indefinitely even if the original agreement was for them to remain only until June. The more minors/occupants that are in the home, the higher the likelihood of damage/issues. When he initially applied, I thought his family would be a good fit for the home, and his income, background check, and referrals were all good. Now I am concerned about the addition of more occupants to the home in the light of the recent information from his previous landlord about the damage to their home. However, I want to be careful not to violate any laws regarding protected classes. Any advice is appreciated.