OUR CRITERIA:- No previous evictions- No felonies- Credit score minimum 650- Documented Income of at least 3 times rent amount- No current or pending lawsuits (check civil and criminal court records)- Must obtain renter's insurance prior to move-in- Rental application must be complete, no blank spaces, and no lies (we check every piece of information they give us)WHAT WE REQUIRE TO COMPLETE THE APPLICATION- Completed rental application- $100 non-refundable application fee ($150 per couple)- 1 month rent as money order to hold property (refundable if application is denied)- 3 most recent paychecks / pay stubs- 3 most recent bank statements reflecting paychecks deposited- contact information for current employer(s)- contact information for previous 2-3 landlords- Copy of driver's license

Almost all tenants I've met initially deny responsibility for any damages.  

Deny them the lease renewal

It's one thing to expect your tenants to have documented and IRS reported income (you're totally right that many tip based jobs don't report a substantial amount), it's another to state that anyone receiving disability payments will be denied.  

If the seller denies us that we send a letter the day before closing and stop by the day of closing and try to hand deliver it.  

Been there...done that:)  BTW--their attitude is admit nothing, demand proof, deny everything.

By example would it benefit Landlord's to include a list of reasons an application will be denied without exception so long as all of those reasons conform to Fair Housing? 

I denied applicants who weren't truthful or who didn't complete the application completely, after being told it must be completely filled out. 

Feel free to borrow ideas from them or modify them to meet your needs.The applicants you describe would not meet our minimum criteria to rent, so we would deny them and send them a denial letter, which in our state is called the "Adverse Action Notice."  

And because you would be renting to another family, you can't be seen as someone who won't rent to families.If fair housing comes knocking, all you have to do is show that you denied them based on credit.