Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Say you put your unit up for rent and you get multiple suitable applicants (ie. everything checks out, they are all perfect tenents etc etc.)
How do you choose which applicant gets the unit? Knowing full well the laws which doesn't allow a landlord to discriminate between applicants based on multiple criteria (race, sex, marital status etc), how do you ensure you make a fair choice and what would you tell the remaining applicants why they were rejected to make sure you don't get sued.
Just trying not to get wrongfully sued here ....
If you are renting a single unit as a small landlord and dont use a realtor the fair housing laws do not apply to you.
When I rent out my place as a small landlord I do it myself to ensure I get good tenants. I also do not take applications nor have an application process.
What I do have is I am looking for someone who inquiries to have a digital footprint. Meaning, your name links to something like Linkedin, Facebook, etc. You have a lan line maybe, a real physical address, a real email not a junk email. Then I use some on-line background tools and then I call you up.
I am looking for Bob Smith, who gives a real address with a real phone number who says to contact him at Bobsmith@IBM.com his work address and gives me his work number. I know you never get all.
But I have folks who gmail or hotmail me with a cell phone number only. And an extremely common name tough to search on and it gives me pause
When I rent out my place as a small landlord I do it myself to ensure I get good tenants. I also do not take applications nor have an application process.
What do you mean you don't take applications or have a process? How do you screen applicants for background checks for their income, previous rental history, credit, etc?
What I do have is I am looking for someone who inquiries to have a digital footprint. Meaning, your name links to something like Linkedin, Facebook, etc. You have a lan line maybe, a real physical address, a real email not a junk email. Then I use some on-line background tools and then I call you up.
And what is the purpose for someone having a "digital footprint" as you put it? Is that your actual background check process as opposed to the applicant completing an actual application?
I am looking for Bob Smith, who gives a real address with a real phone number who says to contact him at Bobsmith@IBM.com his work address and gives me his work number. I know you never get all.
But I have folks who gmail or hotmail me with a cell phone number only. And an extremely common name tough to search on and it gives me pause
Why? If they were to complete an application you wouldn't need to jump through these hoops(?)
I am definitely not following your process above (in bold) or your logic
When I rent out my place as a small landlord I do it myself to ensure I get good tenants. I also do not take applications nor have an application process.
What I do have is I am looking for someone who inquiries to have a digital footprint. Meaning, your name links to something like Linkedin, Facebook, etc. You have a lan line maybe, a real physical address, a real email not a junk email. Then I use some on-line background tools and then I call you up.
I am looking for Bob Smith, who gives a real address with a real phone number who says to contact him at Bobsmith@IBM.com his work address and gives me his work number. I know you never get all.
But I have folks who gmail or hotmail me with a cell phone number only. And an extremely common name tough to search on and it gives me pause
So interesting that you require an "online" footprint. I have tons of cash, steady employment, and great credit. If I was interested in your property, I would only use my personal email (work email is for work related items) and would give you my cell number, because that is the EASIEST way to reach me. (I do still have a landline, but I don"t know anyone else who does.)
But, if you tried to search me on the internet (and I don't have a common name), the ONLY thing you will find is a years old newspaper article on my grandfather's death and burial. I am not on Facebook, Twitter, LinkdIn, or any other social media.
Not sure why that would preclude me from living in your rental.
So interesting that you require an "online" footprint. I have tons of cash, steady employment, and great credit. If I was interested in your property, I would only use my personal email (work email is for work related items) and would give you my cell number, because that is the EASIEST way to reach me. (I do still have a landline, but I don"t know anyone else who does.)
But, if you tried to search me on the internet (and I don't have a common name), the ONLY thing you will find is a years old newspaper article on my grandfather's death and burial. I am not on Facebook, Twitter, LinkdIn, or any other social media.
Not sure why that would preclude me from living in your rental.
Totally agree. I am anxious to see how they respond to both of our posts. It is very rare that anyone who emails us uses a work email and I also don't know what LinkedIn or any other social media sites is really going to tell you especially if they don't have an 'online footprint'. That criteria would eliminate a lot of good tenants so it doesn't make sense to me. I could understand possibly using that criteria as a final check on an applicant after everything else is checked out from an actual application, but surely not it being the only process they use. But also, the poster only has one house that they rent out. If they had multiple units I would think that would be a nightmare process to use, especially if they don't even take applications.
Say you put your unit up for rent and you get multiple suitable applicants (ie. everything checks out, they are all perfect tenents etc etc.)
How do you choose which applicant gets the unit? Knowing full well the laws which doesn't allow a landlord to discriminate between applicants based on multiple criteria (race, sex, marital status etc), how do you ensure you make a fair choice and what would you tell the remaining applicants why they were rejected to make sure you don't get sued.
Just trying not to get wrongfully sued here ....
e. everything checks out, they are all perfect tenants etc etc.)will never happen do worry about it
Just to chime in here, it is very clear that the FHA does not apply to single family homes if you are renting out three or less...
As far as time stamping the applications and picking the first one in that is "qualified", this seems ludicrous, for me anyway. You are basically leaving up to chance who how gets the rental. I have a single home and I take applications on the first day of an open house, run them all and chose from them. I do charge a fee. If a prospective renter doesn't want to pay, that is up to him/her. I look at it as a show that the applicant is truly interested - otherwise pretty much anyone with throw in an application, and that becomes a waste of my time
If it doesn't work out I show the house again or have another open house. Just processing one application at a time is risky. I did that in the past and 3-4 days pass (do check, offer, wait for them to get back, they decline) and by that time others who applied may have found something else as well, so you risk losing good applicants. In the past it took my an extra 10 days to find someone becasue this happened. I lost 2 good applicants in the process.
I have set criteria, but since it is my only rental, I do feel free to talk to each applicant and factor that into my decision. All things being equal, income/rent ratio wins.
I am definitely not following your process above (in bold) or your logic
I don't take applications. Simple as that. And yes digital footprints are even for folks not online.
For instance my last tenant was a corporate lawyer. Gave me her name and home address and phone number.
Ok, go to State website and yes she is a licensed lawyer with no issues, go to home address, yep follow trail to zillow she owns unit, in her name and follow it to state website that records mortgages and such so she is current, follow that to another website that told me where she works which led me to Linked in. Trail led me to her Mom and followed her trail. Lots of stuff is online. With a home address, name, phone number I can run a criminal background search, bankruptcy, divorce etc.
I rented to her no problem. She also was pretty smart. I called her on cell to confirm and I was having connection issues and she said can I call you back on your home number. I was home at time as I mentioned it was almost dinner time. She ran that home number, which led to white pages home address and my name.
Even folks who live in a sublet and dont have a phone I follow trail starting at parents house.
On short term rentals under two months I ask for 100% payment up front. Longer rentals I do a reference check too. But no credit check or SS stuff.
I have a slightly different variation on this question. I understand the legal ramifications of violating Fair Housing standards, and I believe in the importance of these standards.
But what if you receive several excellent applications for a unit that you live next door to, and you just don't like the character of the person who is best qualified on an impartial basis? This situation involves more than 4 separate units and is located in a rural area of California. Say the person comes off as loud, pushy, nitpicky, insulting, or whatever. Someone you just don't want to live next door to.
Furthermore, what happens if the qualified applicant whose character you just don't like is a member of a protected class due to race, religion, sexual orientation, etc.?
The question is actually way more complicated than just "take the first qualified applicant." Every landlord knows this, and it's quite a bit more important when you may be living right next door to the prospective tenant.
But what if you receive several excellent applications for a unit that you live next door to,
and you just don't like the character of the person who is best qualified on an impartial basis?
tough noogies. If you don't like the new neighbor... move.
Quote:
...and it's quite a bit more important when you may be living right next door
to the prospective tenant.
It's more important to YOU personally ...but that really doesn't count for anything.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
It is very rare that anyone who emails us uses a work email and I also don't know what LinkedIn or any other social media sites is really going to tell you especially if they don't have an 'online footprint'. That criteria would eliminate a lot of good tenants so it doesn't make sense to me. I could understand possibly using that criteria as a final check on an applicant after everything else is checked out from an actual application, but surely not it being the only process they use. But also, the poster only has one house that they rent out. If they had multiple units I would think that would be a nightmare process to use, especially if they don't even take applications. 
