Struggling but not struggling enough

My apartment search keeps getting more and more ridiculous. I found a one bedroom apartment in Peoria that was perfect for me. It was in a good area and affordable. It had its own entry way instead of a gloomy and dark hallway that smells funny. It had a washer and dryer hook-up so I would not have to take multiple trips to a Laundromat. The kitchen and carpet was new and it had the biggest bathroom I have ever seen in an apartment. I was ready to sign a lease that day, but there was one little problem with this place. It was not that the rent was too high or I did not have enough credit. It was that my boyfriend and I make too much money to live there. How ridiculous is that? The apartment complex is based on your income and we have to be under a certain amount in order to pay only 579 a month; anything over the cut off then you have to pay 679 a month for the same apartment. The complex asked for our gross income and when you add both of ours it was too much. What makes me so mad is why they would ask for our gross income when that is not what we bring home each month. They told me I could go unemployed for a year and we could have the apartment, but how could I pay for the rent? We do not make enough to pay the higher rent. I do not understand why a complex would turn people away that have jobs, good credit, and would pay the rent every month because they make too much money. Ridiculous!