Can you not rent to someone because of their job?

People often wrongly assume that any discrimination by a landlord is illegal. Thus, in deciding to whom to rent, a landlord may lawfully reject someone with a bad rental, credit or employment record or whose income suggests that s/he will be unable to pay the rent. …

How to get help paying rent if you lose a job?

In order to qualify, typically you must have lost your job through no fault of your own. So if you were fired for failing to meet your requirements or if you left the job of your own volition, you might not qualify. You must also have worked a specific amount of time, often full time for a year.

What should I do if my tenant is late on rent?

You want to give your landlord as much lead time as possible, too. The sooner you bring up the issue, the better. “If the tenant doesn’t have a history of late payments and gives me a week or two notice that they’re going to be late, it doesn’t bother me at all,” Catania says.

What happens if you don’t pay rent by the due date?

If you have not paid rent by when it is due, you are in rent arrears. This is a breach of your tenancy agreement. You do not have to pay more than 2 weeks rent in advance. If the landlord/agent tells you that you are behind in your rent, do not ignore it.

What should I do if I lost my job due to the recession?

If you’re out of work, one of your first steps should be filing for unemployment benefits. And even if you haven’t completely lost your job but have seen your hours significantly reduced, you can still qualify.

Can you delay paying rent if you are unemployed?

Many unemployed Americans were able to delay paying rent this fall under eviction moratoriums. But those protections end soon, and landlords and utilities are eager to get paid, because they have their own bills and taxes to pay. Economists warn low-income families won’t be able to suddenly pay back three to six months of rent at once.

Who is going to be evicted for being behind on rent?

Nashville mother Nikki Cornwell is $4,000 behind on rent and fears she will be evicted right after Christmas. Her water was shut off on Monday. Her landlord filed the paperwork already, and her court date is set for Jan. 5 — just after the federal eviction moratorium is set to expire.

You want to give your landlord as much lead time as possible, too. The sooner you bring up the issue, the better. “If the tenant doesn’t have a history of late payments and gives me a week or two notice that they’re going to be late, it doesn’t bother me at all,” Catania says.

What to do if you can’t pay your rent?

Talk to your landlord Landlords can sometimes be forgiving if you fall on temporary hard times. If you are a good tenant and have a good relationship with your landlord, they may be willing to work with you. Ask if they will accept a late payment or if you can pay your rent in installments.