Section 8 accusing PM of discrimination

[Michael Ernst]

I have a property up for rent and I got a zillow application that I denied for not having 2.5x income to rent ratio as well as not showing any employment history.

This person called my cell and went in a tirade about the denial accusing me of not wanting to rent to her because I don't want section 8 and that its illegal to deny her on income. She claimed she was going to report me to HUD immediately for discrimination.

Being a fairly new property manager, I'm assuming I handled this the right way and just kept reiterating on those 2 facts of 2.5x income to rent ratio and employment history.

Should I have handled this differently?

One suggestion was to keep all applications open/pending until you select a qualified tenant and then just use them as the denial for everyone else. This a better approach?

Thanks!

[Greg Scott]

I can't tell you how many times we've been accused of being racist or discriminatory while doing our best to run the property correctly, accurately following the law, and making a great place for our residents to live. We have good residents of all races, nationality, creeds, abilities, genders, sexual orientation, etc, who appreciate our efforts to provide a quality living environment.

In some jurisdictions, not nationally, Section 8 vouchers are considered a source of income and cannot be excluded as a source of income. If this is the case in your area, she could complain, but HUD would not be the proper authority. It would be some local authority.