Our income qualification is that NET income monthly should be 3x the rent...you can't pay bills with what you don't bring home. Our scoring matrix allows for a lower rent/income ratio, as low as 2.5x, with a suitable cosigner and decent credit/rental history. We also accept student loans/financial aid in excess of tuition as income, for those residents who are current students. Thankfully, we are not a tax-credit property, so we can utilize bank statements showing direct deposit (must be easily identifiable as originating from employer listed on app) instead of actual paystubs. Our self-employed applicants, and those who work for tips, can be challenging...tax returns must be provided.
It's not exactly outside-the-box thinking, but there you have it.