Mobile Home Park Tenant Affordability Calculator

Why income-to-rent isn't always 3x

The standard 3x-gross rule was designed for W-2 apartment applicants. It excludes meaningful slices of the MHP applicant pool — fixed-income retirees who can absolutely afford $400/month lot rent on $1,800/month Social Security, and 1099 contractors whose income is lumpier. Apply the right ratio for the income source.

Recommended thresholds

• W-2 employees: 3x gross monthly income
• 1099 / self-employed: 3.5x gross (lumpier income, larger safety margin)
• Fixed-income: 2.5x net (income is stable but won't grow)
• Cash-economy: 3.5x verified net via 3 months of bank statements

What about asset depth?

For older applicants on fixed income, savings depth often matters more than current income. A 70-year-old with $80,000 in savings and $1,800/month Social Security is a stronger applicant than the income-to-rent rule alone suggests. Build an exceptions framework into your written criteria.

For more, see our income-to-rent guide or the glossary entry.

This calculator is informational only and is not legal, financial, or tenant-screening advice. Several states and localities cap security deposits and restrict conditional-approval terms — check your state's limits before requiring an additional deposit. Apply your own written screening criteria consistently to every applicant and comply with the federal Fair Housing Act, state and local fair-housing laws, source-of-income protections, FCRA adverse-action requirements, and any rental-application laws (such as application-fee caps or screening-criteria-disclosure rules) that apply where your property is located. Verify your screening criteria with qualified counsel.