Is Saying "Not Interested" Discriminatory? (renter, claim, deal)

[Scooby Snacks]

So many landlords and homeowners want to have their cake and eat it too. They want the money from the rent or sale of their properties, but they don't want anyone to touch their stuff, walk, breathe, or otherwise inhabit their homes in order to make that money. You can't have it both ways, OP. Either take the rent money along with the risk of a renter damaging your home, or keep it empty and use it as your personal storage shed/museum while paying a boatload of taxes on a house you don't live in.

[bohunak]

Originally Posted by Scooby Snacks

So many landlords and homeowners want to have their cake and eat it too. They want the money from the rent or sale of their properties, but they don't want anyone to touch their stuff, walk, breathe, or otherwise inhabit their homes in order to make that money. You can't have it both ways, OP. Either take the rent money along with the risk of a renter damaging your home, or keep it empty and use it as your personal storage shed/museum while paying a boatload of taxes on a house you don't live in.

You talking extreme here. I would rent to people, but they can't damage the property. You can look at that from other side too. Yes, I invested and I want return, nothing's wrong with it. Sure, accidents happen, things break , rental gets older etc. But no one should damage intentionally, or not care for it, just because it's not theirs.

If I rent to somebody, I have a right to choose who it will be. It's my property, it's me, who's taking responsibilities and choice is one of them.

[oregonwoodsmoke]

Originally Posted by thrillobyte

So I have a house listed "For Rent" on one of these free websites and I immediately get an inquiry from someone involved in showbiz. ........

Is it illegal discrimination? Maybe it is and maybe it isn't. It depends upon which state you live in. There are several states where source of income is a protected class by state law. If you are in one of those states, income from show biz is a protected class and you can not refuse for that reason alone. If you want to reject the stripper or the DJ, you must do your research and find a legal reason to reject that has nothing to do with their source of income.

I believe that there are also some cities where source of income is protected. You really need to keep up with your local law as well as federal law if you want to be a landlord who doesn't get sued for discrimination.

[Steve McDonald]

Around here, there doesn't seem to be much action in foreclosing on rentals for illegal activity. There's been two hard-core drug houses in my neighborhood, that kept going for years and the landlords lost nothing. In one case, a regional drug chieftain and his son were busted on major trafficking charges and sent away for 20+ years and nothing happened to the house. Later, there was another drug bust for cooking meth at the same house, which resulted in no foreclosure. The next tenants cooked and used it there for years, with no interference.

However, about 20 years ago, before I came here, a large, old house was court-ordered to be demolished, because it had been used by many successive tenants for drug sales and usage on site. But it took about two decades, before they got around to doing it.

[pittsflyer]

Originally Posted by JanND

Just sell it. End of

Yep thats what I would do if I found myself in a socialist police state that shat on private property rights. Sell it can buy in somewhere else where your entire life can not be confiscated because some tenant had a pot plant. Let me guess your in the peoples republic of California or Illinois?

[kat in aiken]

I really sounds like the OP isn't cut out to be a landlord. If the risks involved are too much to deal with, then, I would suggest that the house not be a rental. Live in it, use it for a weekend place, sell it... but, don't rent it. It will be a crazy-maker the whole time.

[LifeIsGood01]

Originally Posted by Steve McDonald

Around here, there doesn't seem to be much action in foreclosing on rentals for illegal activity. There's been two hard-core drug houses in my neighborhood, that kept going for years and the landlords lost nothing. In one case, a regional drug chieftain and his son were busted on major trafficking charges and sent away for 20+ years and nothing happened to the house. Later, there was another drug bust for cooking meth at the same house, which resulted in no foreclosure. The next tenants cooked and used it there for years, with no interference.

However, about 20 years ago, before I came here, a large, old house was court-ordered to be demolished, because it had been used by many successive tenants for drug sales and usage on site. But it took about two decades, before they got around to doing it.

What people should do now is check the online property records to get the mailing address of the owner, and send them the info about possibly losing their home, if they are law abiding and smart they will kick out the druggies.

[jswanstr]

Originally Posted by thrillobyte

Is that discriminatory in any way?

https://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/94-8729.ZO.html

Yes, but there is "discriminatory" and there is "illegal discrimination of a protected class".

These are the federal protected classes:

Race – Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Color – Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Religion – Civil Rights Act of 1964.
National origin – Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Age (40 and over) – Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967.

None of them have anything to do with being a celebrity. People like to throw the term "discrimination" around like it has to be a bad thing. Discrimination simply means you are treating two different things differently. Having "discriminating taste" is supposed to be good because you can tell the difference between good food and junk. You probably also discriminate based on credit history or criminal history. Don't get hung up on the term. Just don't break the law.

[Aquitaine]

Hi! I work in show biz! And I'm a landlord, so it's a good thing I don't scare the bejesus out of myself with my impending cocaine problem I didn't even know I had!

Most folks in showbiz can't afford thinking about developing an expensive habit like cocaine. If they can afford it, they probably have their pick of whom they'd like to rent from. I guess if your prospective tenant pulls up in a giant blinged-out SUV and checks all the other stereotypical showbiz boxes, then maybe you could worry, but otherwise I'd be more concerned about consistent income than about drug abuse!

[lae60]

I have a neighbor that has numerous rentals. He was contacted by the POLICE department that one of his rentals was being used to sell drugs. They advised him that the house would be seized if the drug selling continued. He evicted the renters and sold the property.

And he stayed in contact with the police department and the DA the whole time--he told them that he offered them money to leave immediately and they refused, then that he gave the tenants the notice, court date, etc. for each step of the process.

He likely would NOT have rented to another drug dealer---by careful screening ---but he was not going to take that chance. The risk was losing the house. Much better to sell that one and buy another and start fresh.

I always wondered why the police did not just keep arresting the sellers, but guess they had enough "employees' that the arrests and release did not impact business enough that the tenants wanted to move on....

At least his police department gave him a chance to fix the problem rather than just seize the property. But this was LA and they are nutty with rent control and evictions And using the house as a drug sell does let you evict the person! Once you have proof