Does my husband have to be on the VA loan?
This is often a question asked when one spouse has good credit and the other, well, not so good. In fact, if one of the borrowers has bad credit it can derail a VA approval, regardless of the credit score of the other party. But there can be instances where the loan may still be approved when one of the borrowers has bad credit.
If the veteran has good credit but the spouse has bad, try qualifying with just the veteran on the loan and leaving the spouse off the application entirely. There is a bit of additional evaluation in such an instance but it can be done. The qualifying veteran must be able to afford not just her monthly debts but any monthly obligations the other spouse might have in his own name.
There are other issues based upon whether or not the property resides in a community property state and the spouse not on the loan will still be listed on title, but yes, one spouse doesn’t have to be on the loan application as long as the veteran can qualify individually.
