Tenants in Washington, D.C., are more likely than not to have their rental applications approved. According to RENTCafé, the District ranks in fourth place for cities with the highest percentage of tenant applications accepted, being 90.4 percent.
The top three cities with the highest application approval rates in 2017 are Seattle, San Diego, and Portland, Oregon, in order from first to third.
The Washington Post further reported that the average income of approved renters in Washington, D.C., is $73,000, while the average income of rejected renters is $62,000.
Across the nation, the number of applications that are approved has increased from 81.7 percent in 2014 to 83.2 percent in 2017. RENTCafé attributes this rise to more high-income renters coming to the market. The average credit score of applicants has also improved from 612 in 2014 to 628 in 2017.
When it comes to which generation has the hardest time gaining approval, it’s Gen Xers with a 77.5 percent approval rate. The highest acceptance rates are found in Gen Z applicants, otherwise known as Centennials, who have a 91.8 percent acceptance rate.
RENTCafé compiled this data from lease applications submitted between January 2014 and June 2017 to RentGrow, an online tenant screening system. Only the 100 largest U.S. cities were analyzed.
For a full list of the U.S. cities with the highest application approval rates this year, check out RENTCafé’s graph below.
• Rental Application Approvals Are Up – Active Millennial Hubs Seattle, Portland Have the Highest Approval Rates [RENTCafé]
• Trying to rent an apartment? Find out if applications in your city are more likely to be approved or rejected. [The Washington Post]