What a Fake Pay Stub Actually Costs a Landlord

A convincing fake pay stub costs a fraudster a few dollars and five minutes. The mistake it can lead you into costs a great deal more — which is why spotting one before you sign pays for itself many times over. Here’s the math landlords rarely run until it’s too late.

The rent you never collect

A tenant who faked their income to get in usually can’t actually afford the place. When the rent stops, you’re not out one month — you’re out every month it takes to get them out. In many areas the eviction process runs three to six months, and it can stretch longer.

The eviction itself

Filing fees, service costs, attorney time, court dates, and the sheriff’s lockout add up quickly — commonly a few thousand dollars before you count the lost rent. And you can’t start until you’ve got grounds and given the required notice.

Turnover and damage

Once you finally have the unit back, there’s cleaning, repairs, re-listing, and the vacancy while you find a real tenant. A single bad placement often runs a landlord well past $5,000, and $10,000-plus is not unusual once every line item is counted.

Why the numbers matter

Set that against the cost of checking the income before you sign. A single verification is a rounding error next to one month of unpaid rent — let alone a full eviction. The asymmetry is the whole point: the downside of a bad tenant is measured in thousands and months; the cost of catching one is measured in dollars and minutes.

That’s the case for verifying income properly — not just glancing at a stub, but confirming the employer is real. ProofSweep runs the document forensics, the pay math, and the real-world employer checks in one report, within 24 hours, for less than the cost of a single late-rent notice.