Another Reason NOT to Be a Landlord in Phila (apartment, renter)

[selhars]

Approved by Council...

-- landlords can't deny potential renters just because of past evictions or eviction filings.
(Let's see, you were evicted from the last two places you rented. Of course I'd love to have a tenant who's had trouble paying their rent.)

-- landlords will have to give potential renters their written screening criteria used to evaluate applicants
-- they'll have to tell people in writing why they were rejected
(more things to put on landlords to do)

-- AND they'll have to give potential renters the chance to explain and show how their circumstances have changed.
(It's not the landlord's issue what a potential renters personal problems have been)

I knew there was a reason I'd decided that if I looked for rental property to do in in a neighboring county.
And that was before this latest move by Council.

We sold my mom's rental property years ago. And thank God we did.

[Urban Peasant]

Wow, that does sound lopsided. So how can a Philly landlord reject a renter then?

[selhars]

They can't reject based on a "protected class." We all get that.

But past eviction history and credit score? Come on. That's ridiculous. At the crux of the lease agreement is the renters' ABILITY TO PAY!!

Just be creative about HOW you do it, I guess. And IF I thought of a couple of ways or ideas, I'd never say them here and give others a chance to think of a way to stop those also. Everyone needs to think outside the box on their own.

So why can other businesses use credit scores to decide on loans or credit cards or rates?

-- AND, LLs want to get people into unoccupied units as quickly as possible.
a) If the LL has four or more applicants, and two "have eviction issues," how long is the LL supposed to wait to give those two "the opportunity to explain and show how their circumstances have changed?"

In the meantime the unit is empty.

b) If the LL wants to pick one of the other two, I suppose he can't until he gives the others a chance to explain? OK, so the LL WRITES back to them, suppose the applicant never answers and just "ghosts" the LL because they found another apartment they wanted more anyway? We all know that most people never call or write back to certain requests or notices. (Applied for a job lately? You MIGHT get a "Thank you for your application." After that most of the time it's "ghost town." )

c) Can the LL say in the request for information you have 10 days to explain the circumstances regarding your previous evictions and how your circumstances have changed?

Besides, why is the LL prying into the applicant's life.....that's not the LL's concern OR business to know. AND, is the LL supposed to take the person's word for it...or can they in the letter ask for supporting documentation of what the person is saying? How much more time will it take for the person to get that? IF they even answer.

In the meantime the unit is empty.

Really, people? Really?

[BeerGeek40]

Originally Posted by selhars

Approved by Council...

-- landlords can't deny potential renters just because of past evictions or eviction filings.
(Let's see, you were evicted from the last two places you rented. Of course I'd love to have a tenant who's had trouble paying their rent.)

-- landlords will have to give potential renters their written screening criteria used to evaluate applicants
-- they'll have to tell people in writing why they were rejected
(more things to put on landlords to do)

-- AND they'll have to give potential renters the chance to explain and show how their circumstances have changed.
(It's not the landlord's issue what a potential renters personal problems have been)

I knew there was a reason I'd decided that if I looked for rental property to do in in a neighboring county.
And that was before this latest move by Council.

We sold my mom's rental property years ago. And thank God we did.

Unbelievable.
I have a friend who is a realtor who tried to get me to buy investment property several times in the past and of course, made it sound like easy money. it's anything but.

[Angus215]

If you do business in a progressive liberal city, you do so at your own risk.

[ilovephilly79]

Absolutely absurd. I sold my rental property early last year and I could not be happier to have it gone. Even during the pandemic, landlords were getting railroaded. These cities are treating landlords as though they don't have families, bills, and homes of their own.

Owning a property and then being expected to lend your property to someone else that has a history of evictions is ridiculous. Even the good tenants are a pain in the butt, can you imagine having to lend your property to someone who may have been evicted for not paying their bills or destroying the interior of the home?

[Muinteoir]

My politics are quite progressive and left, and to me some of this just seems silly. Mostly the first bit about eviction filings. I certainly agree that everyone deserves to get back on their feet if they hit financial hardship, but landlords of course need the discretion about whether a tenant did their best to meet their commitments, or if they were being simply negligent to the property or paying rent. If the latter is the case, there is no reason a landlord should have to accept a tenant. If someone were previously negligent to their commitments as a tenant, I certainly think there should be a chance for them to show their good faith desire to change their behavior, but that chance shouldn't fall on the shoulders of small business type landlords.

When I first got started renting, I was rejected a couple times, probably for the lower income I had when I was younger. I really didn't need a whole letter on why that happened. We all know the rental market can be tough, so sometimes the landlord has got to just choose the most overqualified tenant. And yeah, I really don't want to go into personal details about my life with my landlord, lol. That all just seems excessive.

I don't think it's so bad for landlords to be more transparent about their criteria -- it could surely save people time in applying if they aren't a good fit.