Renting an apartment can be a challenge, especially if the renter does not have good information appearing on his rental history report. But when a couple is involved in the renting process, they have options to consider, which might make the rental process easier.
When applying for a new apartment or home to rent, a couple can choose to put one person’s name on the lease or both names. If both members have good credit information appearing on their rental history reports, they should both appear as good candidates to a landlord. If they put both their names on the lease, rental payment history information will be recorded in each report.
However, if one spouse has a bad credit record, it might be a good idea to only have one name attached to the lease. Each person’s rental history report is unique to that person. Individual records like credit reports and criminal records do not cross over to another person’s rental history report. The person with the better report is the better candidate to apply to rent the unit.
One thing couples should keep in mind is the spouse whose name is on the lease will be responsible for all conditions of the lease agreement with the landlord. This includes paying the rent on time, obeying the rules stipulated in the lease agreement and fulfilling all terms of the lease. And only the person with their name on the lease will have information reported to their rental history report.
