Wages and Proving Income in Order to Rent

I am sorry, but the only way to really prove a steady income is to claim it and pay taxes like the rest of us. If you choose not to follow the rules sometimes it can come back to bite you. I hope everything works out for you.

J.:

I am truly sorry you are in this situation...but I am going to just say what I feel and make no "nice" about it.

If you had been reporting your income as a 1099/contractor - you wouldn't be in this mess. That's why their are rules in place. You break the rules, there are consequences for those actions....hopefully, someone on here doesn't work for the IRS and turn you in as a Tax Evader - that will be an even bigger mess. What have done is wrong...we pay our taxes and "our fair share" what makes you better than the rest of us to NOT pay yours?! URGH!!!

My suggestion is you find a "regular" job to claim your income under or come clean and start anteing up. I'm sorry you are going through a separation and possible divorce...maybe given this situation, you will reconsider the separation and ask HIM to leave so you don't have to prove income to a landlord....if that doesn't work - might I suggest counseling to see if you can work through your issues and then you won't have to come clean about your income right away?

I want to apologize for being blunt but I can't. It just pisses me off that our country is in a HORRIBLE situation and you aren't paying your fair share. I helped out a friend - cashed in our IRA for a friend who had leukemia BEHIND MY HUSBAND"S back (yes, I knew it was wrong but felt compelled to take care of a long time friend) and that $38K we lost (gave away) came back to bite me - I owed an additional $21K in "taxes" and early withdrawal fees. GF died, no life insurance - I was screwed royally. Now no retirement for us as we had planned. Even though it HURT - I PAID MY SHARE!!!!

God Bless you and your predicament....but I have to be like the previous post. WHY havent you been paying taxes to begin with? I have to, my sister, mother, cousin, neighbor AND some guy across the street has to...why not you?
YOU are a contractor. When I was in my 20's and going to school, I threw newspapers...I was a contractor...I had to pay taxes.
Please figure out HOW to pay taxes....it WILL catch up with you if you dont.

I have one rental property and I would be afraid to rent to anyone who doesn't play by the rules. Would you just ignore the lease? Would you move out in the middle of the night without notice?

If I knew you and wanted to help you out, I would tell you your only chance was to bring a letter from each employer stating what they pay you each month plus your bank statements. I would probally require a cosigner and cash for deposit plus first and last month's rent up front.

Don't 'feel bad. House cleaners get paid a very low-income, with no days off, or benefits of any sort. Until we provide better working conditions for house cleaners, you shouldn't have to pay taxes, as it's a barely making a living job --with middle and upper class women exploiting poor women. Until it is regulated better, like other jobs, keep the pocket change in taxes you pay, as you would just get them back from Uncle Sam at tax time anyway!

I think you will need to ask the renter what they require. Sometimes you can also have a co-signer. Do you have a family member that can co-sign for you? When my hubby and I got our first apartment, my brother co-signed for us (my hubby had just moved here from Ireland and was jobless.)

Advise.... start from today claiming your income and pray that you're not caught for cheating on your taxes for the last 2 years. We also have a rental property and would not rent to individuals who could not legally show their income; it just doesn't look good. I see it this way, if they were not responsible enough to legally file thier income, will they a) be responsible with the rent/lease b) will they be responsible with the property.
I would talk to an accountant about how you can file your income from 2010 so that you can have proof of your income. Yes you will have to pay in to uncle sam, but well thats what we all have to do. Best of luck!

You'll want to stay away from corporate housing, meaning any large apartment complex, as they are very strict with job security and credit worthiness, and they will want documentation for both. Although, they may take a co-signer, I'm not sure about this, but call to check. If a co-signer isn't an option, look for places to rent that are owned by individuals, since they will be more relaxed about how you prove your income, but be prepared for credit checks, because they will pull your credit too (hopefully this is Ok for you). Since your income comes from regular clients, I would make a client list with contact info and have cancelled checks and bank statements ready. Good luck!

I see responses on the tax situation ranging from helpful to resentful... and in a way I understand both types of comments. However I think that what you need to be considering here is the impact that not paying taxes on this income is now making on you. If there is a way you can re-construct all the income you've made and go ahead and file for those years, I think it will be in your best interest. I'm not sure what all that will entail for the people who hired you though, in relation to them perhaps having to file something regarding what they've paid you, or perhaps even putting in to social security for you, etc. - so it would be best if you seek out some expert advice, a CPA or other person who knows the laws regarding taxes. I wish you the best in resolving this dilemma.

I think the question is about how to rent an apt not wether or not any of us approve of getting paid under the table so I will actually answer your question instead of scolding you. No it does depend on the apt complex or landlord. Try to preferably look for a small compex that is not run by a big corporation. They are usually more flexible than the large massive complexes who have stringent rules. You can usually save time and ask over the phone if they would be willing to accept bank statements or canceled checks before bothering to apply and pay a fee. Landlords aren't really in the position to be as picky as they used to be. You can also ask if they will accept your own credit report you can print out online for way less than they charge you to run it. When my husband and I first rented he was getting paid cash and we found a great place that let us do both of the above. It may take some time, but eventually you will find the right place. The government gets enough of our money anyway, Good luck!

You need to talk to the apartment complex manager first and let them know that you are a self-employed and see what its take from there...good luck ...
About the taxes .... even if you are a selfemployed if you file taxes and you have kids, you're able to get the child credit and get a refund....

Talk to the landlord, you might be able to just show your bank statements. When my husband and I bought our house, we were both self employed and all of our write offs showed a loss, therefore we didn't owe any taxes so our statements would've proved nothing. We were able to just show bank statements to get our home loan.

I don't blame you for not wanting to pay taxes, as much of our money that is wasted, is ridiculous. You really should consider at least filing something because it more than likely, will come back on you. You are self employed and have lots of write offs and will most likely not owe anything. You could possibly even get a refund. My mother has a cleaning business and because of the tax codes has not owed anything in years and has even sometimes gotten a refund! I don't see how it's possible, but thanks to our screwed up tax system, people who don't pay in sometimes even get refunds (it's even happened to me!). It's time for a consumption tax, so we all pay in equally!!

I think your best bet is to see if you have any friends who know someone who is a landlord and establish a personal connection.

We have a rental and not only do we check to make sure they are employed but we do a credit check. Anyone who has been in this business long enough, is also smart enough to to a though background check before handing the keys to someone.

Is there anyway, your husband can move instead?

Proof of income is usually obtained by W2 statements, a tax return, or payroll stubs. Depending on the landlord, they may accept other forms such as a letter from your employer or canceled checks. Bank statements, in most cases, will be worthless as they do not show where the money is coming from.

Your best bet may be to obtain a co-signer on the lease agreement.

I think it depends on the apartment, BUT I have lived in many different apartment complexes and they all either wanted paycheck stubs OR a letter from your employer saying how many hours you work a week and your hourly rate. To be honest with you I think it's going to be really hard to prove that. I'm sure you have the bank statements and the clients...but the landlord wants to be sure you have STEADY income. You might have so many "regular" clients one month but you may not have those same clients next month. I hope I'm not sounding too negative I'm just trying to make sure you know what they might ask for. If I were you...call around to some apartments you might be interested in living in and just be honest with them and tell them your situation and see what they say??? Good luck!

Here is an idea....maybe you can get all of your steady clients to write up something saying how often you work for them and what they pay you? I'm sure they would except that. I know what you're going through and I wish you the best!!!

Make sure you deposit your pay (even if cash) to create a papertrail. The bank statements deposits can be "seen" and averaged out to figure what you make monthly. This might be good enough for a landlord if your credit rating is good. Letters that your employment will continue wouldnt hurt. Also, if you start claiming your income and filing tax returns,you might find you get tax refunds( money) back at the end of year if you have deductions for all your supplies, mileage etc. People that dont make a lot of money dont have to pay a lot of taxes (but at least they're legal and you dont have to worry about it) Another option could be to rent a room for a while in another household or have a roommate, but if you are going to be on your own you probably need to start doing business the right way or just go to a housekeeping agency that'll take care of your taxes and insurance. Maybe if you took all your clients with you , you could get better pay at the agency or referral bonus for bringing in the new clients. Good luck.

And those that are so judgmental, give her some credit for working such a hard job instead of b-lining it to the welfare system.