What makes your rental application unappealing?

Especially with renting condominiums, there are certain aspects of your rental application that can be unappealing to owners when trying to decide whether to have you as a tenant. If at all possible, try to eliminate these:

1. Pets- Many owners refuse to have any sort of pet in their property just to eliminate any risk of pet damages. Especially in Arlington, Virginia where most rentals are in condominium buildings, many buildings have restrictions on pets such as weight and number allowed in one unit. So first your pet needs to meet the requirements of the building, then the pet needs to meet the requirements of the owner. So if you're thinking about getting a pet and wanting to move to Arlington, don't. Your options will be cut in half.

2. Too many roommates- Specifically in 2 or 3 bedroom condos or townhomes, owners don't usually like a group of people living together. For example, if there is a 3 bedroom townhouse, the owner would be more willing to take a family of 4 than 3 unrelated roommates. Also, multiple roommates usually happen with the young professionals, so many owners are worried about the condition they will keep their property in. So, if you're thinking about living with a large group of friends, you might want to break up into smaller groupings of 2, because many owners will turn down an application if there are going to be too many people living in the property.

3. Date of move in- If you are wanting to move in 3 months out, and a property is vacant, the owner will more than likely pass on your application. Rentals turn over so quickly in Arlington, Virginia, that the owners know that they will be able to find someone who will be willing to move in sooner. I always recommend people looking about a month and a half at most out of their desired move in date to make sure the property will still be available then.

4. Credit Score- You need a good credit score. Rentals are quite pricey in Arlington, VA, so if an owner even has the slightest worry that you won't pay your rent on time or be able to pay at all, they will pass on your application.

Arlington has a very competitive rental market, so anything you can do to make your application more desirable, try to do it!