How do you reconcile those two points though? if rent prices are out of control why is it still reasonable for a landlord to verify affordability? to me it seems they're contributing to the unaffordability (assuming) and then imposing that the tenant then meets this fabricated requirement.
if rent prices are out of control why is it still reasonable for a landlord to verify affordability?
Because you have to verify that someone is not overextending themselves, to try to land in your place, and then being unable to pay the rent because they did overextend.
It depends, in Spain there's a thing called Seguro de Alquiler, (Rental insurance? Not sure the specific name of this service in the US). If the landlord offers a place for rent and has a rental insurance involved, giving them false documents could get you in trouble because of contracts and stuff. But, if the rental is done through a Real State Agency and the realtor (or directly through the lanlord) just asked for it to see but no mention of it in the contract then I think you could get away with it