What Income Do You Need to Rent an Apartment in Plymouth, MI?

At our Plymouth communities the requirement is gross monthly income of 2.5 to 3 times the monthly rent. On a $1,499 one-bedroom that is $3,748 to $4,497 per month, or roughly $44,970 to $53,964 a year. On a $1,699 two-bedroom it is $4,248 to $5,097 per month, or roughly $50,970 to $61,164 a year.

Gross, not take-home. Here is the full math.

What income do you need at each rent level?

Those figures use starting rents at the time of writing. Rents move, so check the availability page and run the same multiplication against the real number.

Why a range rather than a single multiple? Because the file gets reviewed as a whole. An applicant at 2.6x with clean rental history and strong credit is a different file than one at 2.6x with two collections. The multiple is a screen, not a verdict.

Does the requirement use rent or the all-in monthly cost?

The requirement is measured against monthly rent. Your budget should not be.

A $99 or $135 monthly utility fee and a $26 monthly administrative fee sit on top of rent. That fee covers gas, heat, water, sewer, and trash, and electric is billed to you separately as the only utility you pay directly. We break that down in what's included in your rent. The real recurring number is $1,624 for a one-bedroom and $1,860 for a two-bedroom, before electric. Held to a true 3x standard against what you will actually pay:

That second table is our arithmetic, not our qualification standard. We qualify on rent. We show it because plenty of renters qualify comfortably on paper and then find the month tighter than expected.

What counts as income?

Gross income, before taxes and deductions. A $60,000 salary counts as $5,000 a month even though less than that lands in your account.

Bring documentation that shows the number cleanly. At our communities that means two recent pay stubs and a driver's license. If you are self-employed, bring bank account statements showing deposits in place of the pay stubs. Self-employed applicants are not at a disadvantage here, but you need the paper trail, so gather it before you apply rather than during.

If you have a housing voucher or a subsidy, how does the 3x math work?

This changed in Michigan and it changes the arithmetic above, so read this part even if you skim the rest.

Effective April 2, 2025, source-of-income discrimination by Michigan landlords is prohibited. MCL 554.601c lists ten prohibited landlord acts based on a prospective tenant's source of income. The one that matters most on this page is this: a landlord who imposes a minimum income threshold may not exclude a rent voucher or subsidy when calculating whether the income criteria are met.

In plain terms, the multiple is applied to your income including the voucher, not to your income with the voucher stripped out first.

Here is what that looks like on our own numbers. Take the $1,499 one-bedroom at a 3x standard, which is $4,497 a month. If a voucher or subsidy covers $900 of that rent and you earn $3,700 a month, a landlord may not run the test as "$3,700 against $4,497 and you fail." The subsidy counts in the calculation.

"Source of income" is defined at MCL 554.601(f) and includes housing choice vouchers under 42 USC 1437f, public assistance, veterans' benefits, Social Security, Supplemental Security Income, and other retirement programs.

Two limits worth stating honestly. The law exempts a landlord of fewer than 5 rental units statewide. That exemption does not apply to us, so the rule applies at both of our communities. And enforcement is a private civil action under MCL 554.601d: damages are actual damages or up to three times the monthly rent, whichever is less, plus costs and attorney fees.

This is general information, not legal advice. If you believe a landlord has refused your application over a voucher, talk to an attorney.

How does this work with a roommate?

Two people splitting a $1,699 two-bedroom split a $5,097 target at 3x, roughly $2,549 each in gross monthly income, or about $30,582 a year each. That is a very different bar than one person carrying it alone.

That question, whether the office combines both incomes against a single target or applies the multiple to each applicant separately, is the one that decides most roommate applications. The two approaches produce very different answers when one roommate earns more than the other.

At our communities, roommate incomes are combined against one target. You do not each have to clear 2.5x to 3x independently. If one of you earns $3,200 and the other earns $1,900, we look at $5,100 against the $5,097 target on a two-bedroom, not at each of you separately. Co-signer income is combined the same way.

Pair that with the voucher rule in the previous section and the picture gets more workable than most income pages suggest: incomes are added together, and a voucher or subsidy cannot be stripped out of the total before the multiple is applied.

What is settled:

• Every adult applies separately, at $65 per applicant. Two roommates is $130.
• Both of you are on the lease, and each is responsible for the full rent, not half. If your roommate leaves in month seven, the rent does not drop.
• Parking is one vehicle per tenant, unassigned.

What if you do not meet the income requirement?

Four real options, in rough order of how often they work.

Add a roommate. Splitting a two-bedroom is the most common path, and the per-person income needed drops substantially.

Use a guarantor. A guarantor, or co-signer, signs the lease and becomes legally responsible for the rent if you do not pay. It is the standard route for students, recent graduates, and people relocating before a job starts. We accept guarantors and co-signers at both communities, and we hold them to the same 2.5x to 3x standard we apply to applicants, not a higher one. Their income is combined with yours rather than tested on its own.

Offer a larger security deposit. Our standard deposit is one month's rent, and a higher deposit is already how we handle applicants with challenged credit. Ask whether the same applies to an income shortfall. Michigan caps any security deposit at one and a half months' rent, so there is a ceiling on how far that lever goes.

One caution if credit is also part of your file: qualified applicants with lower credit scores are charged a credit risk fee of $50 per month at our communities, which takes the all-in monthly from $1,624 to $1,674 on a one-bedroom and from $1,860 to $1,910 on a two-bedroom. That is $600 a year. The 2.5x to 3x test is applied to rent, so the fee does not change the multiple, but it does change what leaves your account every month. Budget against the higher figure if you expect it to apply. The detail is in our credit score guide.

Rent less apartment. The $200 gap between $1,499 and $1,699 moves your required income by $7,200 a year at 3x. A one-bedroom you comfortably afford beats a two-bedroom you barely qualify for.

What is the honest downside of the 2.5x to 3x rule?

It is a blunt instrument, and we will say so.

It does not see your debt. Someone earning $54,000 with no obligations and someone earning $54,000 with a car note and student loans clear the same screen, and they are not in the same position. The rule protects the landlord against non-payment risk. It does not tell you whether the apartment is a good idea for you.

It is also harder to clear in Plymouth than in much of Wayne County. Zillow put the Plymouth average rent at $1,699 in September 2026, and at 3x that is a shade over $61,000 a year for the average unit in town. Inventory is thin enough, roughly 65 active listings citywide, that shopping around within Plymouth does not always produce a cheaper option. See our rent breakdown.

Frequently asked questions

What income do you need to rent an apartment in Plymouth, MI?

Our communities require gross monthly income of 2.5 to 3 times the monthly rent. At $1,499 for a one-bedroom that is $3,748 to $4,497 per month, about $44,970 to $53,964 annually. At $1,699 for a two-bedroom it is $4,248 to $5,097 per month, about $50,970 to $61,164 annually.

Is the 3x rent rule based on gross or net income?

Gross income, before taxes and deductions. A $60,000 salary counts as $5,000 in gross monthly income even though take-home pay is lower. Bring two recent pay stubs and a driver's license, or bank statements showing deposits if you are self-employed.

Can roommates combine income to qualify?

Yes. At our communities, roommate incomes are combined against a single target rather than tested separately, so neither applicant has to clear 2.5x to 3x alone. Two people splitting a $1,699 two-bedroom face a combined 3x target of $5,097 per month. Co-signer income is combined the same way.

Do you accept a guarantor or co-signer?

Yes, at both communities. A guarantor or co-signer is held to the same 2.5x to 3x income standard applied to applicants, not a higher multiple, and that income is combined with the applicant's rather than tested on its own. It is a common route for students, recent graduates, and people relocating before a job starts.

What if you make less than 2.5 times the rent?

Options include adding a roommate, using a guarantor, offering a larger security deposit within the 1.5 month statutory cap, or renting a lower-priced unit. We review applications individually rather than rejecting automatically on one number, so it is worth a conversation with the leasing office before you pay an application fee.

Can a Michigan landlord refuse to count a housing voucher toward the income requirement?

No. Source-of-income discrimination has been prohibited in Michigan since April 2, 2025. Under MCL 554.601c, a landlord imposing a minimum income threshold may not exclude a rent voucher or subsidy when calculating whether the income criteria are met. The law exempts landlords with fewer than 5 rental units statewide.

Does the income requirement include the monthly fees?

The 2.5x to 3x requirement is measured against monthly rent, not the all-in cost. Your actual recurring cost is higher, $1,624 for a one-bedroom and $1,860 for a two-bedroom once the utility and administrative fees are added, plus electric.

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Not sure where you land? Schedule a tour and we will walk through the numbers with you before you pay an application fee.

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Last verified: September 2026

Sources: MCL 554.601c and 554.601d, Act 348 of 1972 · Z on Plymouth · Z on Coolidge · Zillow Rental Manager, Plymouth MI