It is a policy that only adult tenants will sign a lease agreement. Anyone staying in the property who is 18 years old and above is subjected to background checks. If the tenants belong in one family, the children’s obligations are not the same as their parent’s. But what happens if a child turns 18 and becomes a legal adult during the duration of their lease? Does it automatically mean that the landlord will make him sign a contract?

Having a child turn into an adult is a common occurrence since most tenants will stay for several years in a property rental. It will raise some concerns regarding the changes in the tenant’s responsibilities. Landlords and lease agents must know the protocols to follow once this happens.

• Identifying Tenant Profiles and Avoiding Discrimination

Tenants are protected by the Fair Housing Act. It states that landlords are not allowed to discriminate based on age, gender, religion, and familial status. But landlords are allowed to extract information from the renters, including their age, because this will determine if they are adults or not.

It is normal and acceptable for the landlord to perform background checks on every adult occupying the property. Having a record of all their birthdays will also help the landlord determine if the child is about to turn 18.

• What happens when they turn 18?

In normal circumstances, if an 18-year-old applies for tenancy, the landlord will perform the usual process of screening tenants. For children who turned 18 who are already living in the property, it is a bit different.

For one, the child will still be in high school and is not earning yet. Since they are not financially independent, they are not expected to pay a share in the rent. Some stay with their parents while they go to college and will live there as their dependents. They will also not have a credit history.

• Lease Addendum

Some landlords will allow the new adult to stay in the property as dependents. Nonetheless, some landlords wish to make sure that the new adults are also liable. A co-tenant addendum would work in this situation. It is better to know that the parents will agree to the conditions once their child becomes an adult.

The co-tenant addendum will include rules once the renter turns 18. They are going to be subjected to the tenant screening process and are expected to submit their documents to the landlord. It can also state that the new adult is obligated to pay the rent if the main renter is unable to and will follow the rules found in the lease agreement.

However, the new adult is not going to receive the security deposit once the lease ends because he was not a legal adult upon the payment of the deposit. Once they sign a new contract, the only way the landlord is going to kick out the tenant is through eviction, but the must be a valid reason.

A few weeks before a child turns 18, the landlord must notify the tenants to remind them that they must submit the required documents.

It is important to remember that the landlords must check the local state laws before putting an addendum to the contract. After posting a listing on Padleads and screening applicants, make sure to let the landlord know the profile of the tenants and those who will occupy their property. If there’s a dependent who will turn 18 before the lease expires, let the landlord know.

Try to keep in touch with the main tenant so that if one of their dependents turns 18 and decides to get a place on their own, you can show them the other vacancies you published on Padleads so that they easily browse through them.