You’ve found the perfect apartment. The location is ideal, the rent is manageable, and you can already picture your furniture in the living room. You fill out the application, meet the landlord, and feel confident that you’re a strong candidate. Then, you get the rejection email, with no clear explanation. You’re left wondering what went wrong. Was it your credit? Your income? Or was it something you said?
In the competitive world of rentals, landlords and property managers are looking for any reason to say no. They’re searching for the ideal, low-risk tenant. In doing so, they often read between the lines of your conversations and applications, and certain innocent phrases can raise giant red flags you never intended. Here are the comments that can secretly disqualify you from housing.
1. ‘I’m Just Waiting on My New Job to Start.’
To you, this sounds responsible. You’ve secured a new position and are proactively looking for a place to live. To a landlord, it sounds like “I am currently unemployed.” Their primary concern is your ability to pay rent on time, every time. An offer letter is good, but it’s not the same as a history of steady pay stubs.
This phrase signals potential instability. If the job start date gets pushed back or the offer is rescinded, they are left with a tenant who has no income. They will almost always choose a candidate who is already securely employed.
2. ‘My Current Landlord Is So Unreasonable.’
You might say this to build rapport, sharing a common frustration. But the person you’re talking to is a future landlord, and they immediately put themselves in your current landlord’s shoes. They don’t hear about a difficult situation; they hear that you are a tenant who complains and might be difficult to please.
This phrase paints you as a potential problem. Landlords want tenants who pay rent and don’t cause trouble. Criticizing your past landlords, even if justified, makes you seem like a risk.
3. ‘We’re a Little Flexible on the Move-in Date.’
You think you’re being accommodating and easygoing. The landlord hears that you don’t have an urgent need for housing, which means you might back out if a better option comes along. Vacancy is a landlord’s biggest enemy, costing them money every day the unit is empty.
They want a tenant who is committed and ready to sign a lease for a specific start date. Your flexibility can be misinterpreted as a lack of seriousness, and they’ll favor a candidate with a firm timeline.
4. ‘Can We Pay the Security Deposit in a Couple of Weeks?’
Asking to delay the security deposit, even for a short time, is one of the biggest financial red flags. The deposit and first month’s rent are the basic financial hurdles for any rental. If you can’t clear this first, low bar, it raises serious doubts about your ability to pay rent consistently for the next 12 months.
This question, no matter how politely phrased, immediately signals a cash-flow problem and will almost certainly move your application to the bottom of the pile.
5. ‘I Work from Home, So I’ll Be Here All the Time.’
In the age of remote work, this seems like a neutral statement. But to some landlords, it’s a negative. They may worry about increased wear and tear on the property since you’ll be there 24/7. They might also be concerned about higher utility usage (in all-bills-paid units) or potential business-related traffic.
While discriminating based on this is a gray area, it can subconsciously bias a landlord against you. They might envision more noise complaints or a higher maintenance burden compared to a tenant who is out of the house for eight to ten hours a day.
6. ‘Do You Run a Credit Check?’
This is a perfectly reasonable question, but the timing and tone matter. If it’s one of the first things you ask, it can sound like you’re worried about what they will find. It implies you know there might be issues with your credit history.
A better approach is to assume they will run one. You can proactively say, “I know you’ll be running a credit check, and I’m happy to explain the medical debt that caused my score to drop a bit last year.” This shows honesty and preparedness, not fear.
7. ‘It’s Just Me and My Emotional Support Animal.’
Under the Fair Housing Act (FHA), landlords must provide reasonable accommodation for assistance animals, including emotional support animals (ESAs). However, this is a highly contentious area. Many landlords have had negative experiences with tenants misrepresenting pets as ESAs to avoid pet fees or policies.
While it is illegal for them to deny you solely for having a valid ESA, this phrase can cause them to scrutinize every other part of your application more heavily, looking for a legal reason to reject you. It’s a sad reality that this legitimate need can put you at a disadvantage.
8. ‘My Roommate Will Be on the Application Soon.’
This suggests that your application is incomplete and possibly disorganized. Landlords want to evaluate all prospective tenants at once. An application that is contingent on a missing person is an administrative headache and a risk.
What if the roommate never applies? What if their application is terrible? The landlord will always prefer a complete application from a group that is organized and ready to proceed.
9. ‘Is the Rent Negotiable?’
In a hot rental market, this question can be an instant disqualifier. It suggests you might not be able to comfortably afford the apartment, and it can come across as entitled. The landlord has a dozen other applicants willing to pay the asking price without haggling.
Unless you are in a very slow market with lots of vacancies, questioning the price before you’ve even been approved is a surefire way to have your application denied.
Choose Your Words as Carefully as Your Apartment
Navigating the rental market requires more than just good credit and a steady income; it requires social awareness. Landlords are making a business decision, and your words provide the data they use to assess risk. By being mindful of these innocent but loaded phrases, you can present yourself as the stable, reliable tenant they are looking for, increasing your chances of landing the home you want.
Is asking a potential tenant for their full credit history and bank statements a necessary business practice or an invasion of privacy? Where do you think the line should be drawn? Let’s discuss in the comments.
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The post 9 Innocent Phrases That Can Secretly Disqualify You From Housing appeared first on Budget and the Bees.
