general renting questions (Berkeley: renter, credit report, landlords)

[pastry2010]

So I'm trying to move to Berkeley from the south bay, but as a first time renter I'm running into some problems. (I've read california renters rights and other legal stuff) Maybe someone has some inside info on:

Why do landlords need your SSN and what do they do with it, do they share or sell it to anyone, are they legally obligated to safeguard this info and if so do they do this in practice?

How to deal with property management companies that are often faceless and want you to pay fees just to apply. I spoke to various private owners who said those companies are ripping people off when they do this. Is there any way to get around the credit check and fees attached to that?

Thanks!

[que.sera]

The SSN is for the credit check. You can refuse to share it, and they will refuse to do business with you (unlike utility companies, they won't just charge you a larger deposit and move on). They are legally obligated to protect the data, but I've never seen them provide a written privacy policy to an applicant.

The application fee is generally to pay for the credit check (costs them $15 or $20, in bulk), plus their inconvenience of having to deal with human beings (i.e. it's a nuisance filter to prevent people from applying for things they aren't sure they want). Because they can.

Sorry, no good answers.

[mayorhaggar]

Go to one of the many credit score sites and get a copy of your credit report and print out a dozen copies, and bring them with you when you go to look at places, and hand out a copy when you want to apply for a place. Most renters in the Bay Area do this. I've actually seen very few landlords who ask for a check to do a credit check, they usually expect people to bring their own.

[pastry2010]

Almost all of the places I've been trying to rent from are companies that have a set-in-stone process: fill out the application form and pay the money. They don't even want to consider you or look at your info unless you pay the fee first.
But bringing your own credit check is a good idea, will try that.

[sonarrat]

Originally Posted by pastry2010

Almost all of the places I've been trying to rent from are companies that have a set-in-stone process: fill out the application form and pay the money. They don't even want to consider you or look at your info unless you pay the fee first.
But bringing your own credit check is a good idea, will try that.

On the other hand, bringing my own credit report has never worked for me. They always want to run it themselves.