The table below summarizes the information that was on the tenant applications.

\begin{tabular}{|l|c|c|}
\hline
\multicolumn{2}{|c|}{Application Information} \\
\hline
\multicolumn{1}{|c|}{Questions} & Jaina & Tomas \\
\hline
How many years have you had your job? & 5 & 2 \\
\hline
What is your monthly salary? & [tex]$\$[/tex] 1,850[tex]$ & $[/tex]\[tex]$ 2,500$[/tex] \\
\hline
How many credit cards do you have? & 4 & 1 \\
\hline
How much debt do you have? & [tex]$\$[/tex] 13,000[tex]$ & $[/tex]\[tex]$ 7,000$[/tex] \\
\hline
\begin{tabular}{l}
How many times were you late with payments on credit \\
cards in the past year?
\end{tabular} & 5 & 1 \\
\hline
\end{tabular}

Who will the landlord decide to be more creditworthy and why?

A. Tomas, because the ratio of his debt to income is less.
B. Jaina, because she has had her job longer, which makes her look more stable.
C. Jaina, because she has more credit cards available to her.
D. Tomas, because he makes more money per month.



Answer :

To determine who the landlord will decide to be more creditworthy, we need to evaluate several factors from their applications. However, the key metric here is the debt-to-income ratio, which provides a clear picture of their financial stability by comparing their debt level to their income. Let's analyze both Jaina and Tomas step-by-step.

1. Years at Job:
- Jaina: 5 years
- Tomas: 2 years

While Jaina has been employed for a longer period, which might suggest job stability, it's not the most critical factor in determining creditworthiness.

2. Monthly Salary:
- Jaina: [tex]$1,850 - Tomas: $[/tex]2,500

Tomas earns more per month, which could be beneficial, but again, this alone doesn't provide a complete picture.

3. Number of Credit Cards:
- Jaina: 4
- Tomas: 1

Having more credit cards indicates Jaina possibly has more available credit, but it also comes with the risk of potentially higher debt.

4. Total Debt:
- Jaina: [tex]$13,000 - Tomas: $[/tex]7,000

Jaina has significantly more debt than Tomas.

5. Late Payments in Past Year:
- Jaina: 5
- Tomas: 1

Tomas has been more punctual with his payments compared to Jaina.

The decisive factor is the debt-to-income ratio. Let’s calculate it:

- Debt-to-Income Ratio for Jaina:
[tex]\[ \text{Ratio}_\text{Jaina} = \frac{\text{Debt}_\text{Jaina}}{\text{Monthly Salary}_\text{Jaina}} = \frac{13,000}{1,850} \approx 7.03 \][/tex]

- Debt-to-Income Ratio for Tomas:
[tex]\[ \text{Ratio}_\text{Tomas} = \frac{\text{Debt}_\text{Tomas}}{\text{Monthly Salary}_\text{Tomas}} = \frac{7,000}{2,500} = 2.8 \][/tex]

Given these ratios, Jaina’s debt-to-income ratio is approximately 7.03, whereas Tomas’s debt-to-income ratio is 2.8.

The lower the debt-to-income ratio, the better the financial position of a tenant, indicating that they are better capable of managing and repaying debt relative to their income.

Conclusion:
The landlord will decide that Tomas is more creditworthy because the ratio of his debt to income (2.8) is significantly less than Jaina's debt-to-income ratio (7.03). This suggests that Tomas is more likely to manage his financial obligations effectively and pay rent on time.