Employment and Income

Landlords generally want to have some verification of your income or employment status to make sure that you can afford the rent. They may ask for copies of pay stubs or your employer's phone number. You can decide what information you are comfortable giving them. For example, if you are comfortable you can show them a copy of your rent pay stubs and black out private information.  If you have a voucher or housing subsidy and your income doesn’t cover the rent, make sure the landlord knows you have help with your rent and this should be taken into account when the landlord looks at your income and determines whether it is adequate to pay the rent. Note, if a landlord tells you that they require a minimum income for an apartment and you have a subsidy this may be illegal discrimination. Also, if you have benefits and are not employed, a landlord that requires proof of earned income like wages may also be engaging in discrimination if you can afford the rent either with or without a subsidy.³⁸