Maintaining annonymity from your renters

[Kelly M.]

I have a weird question.  My renters are about to end their lease and they are responsible for damage to the house.  I suspect they are  not going to be happy when I withhold money from their security deposit to pay for those damages.  I also have a business (non real estate related) that is on Yelp.  My concern is that the renter might wish to retaliate against me by posting a false negative review about my business on Yelp.  While I dont have any specific concerns about this occuring with this renter, the idea did cross my mind that it could happen either now or in the future.  This concern got me thinking about creating a buffer between myself and future renters with respect to personal information about myself.  It wouldnt be too difficult for any renter to Google me and learn that I own my business so not voluntarily telling them that I have a business is not enough of a barrier.  Is it possible to use a fictitious name when renting a house so as to keep my personal information private from a renter?  How would such a thing occur if I am entering into a legally binding contract with someone and have to sign documents?  If it wasnt for my business I wouldnt really care but negative reviews on Yelp are a real issue.

[Nathan Gesner]

@Steve Vaughan well played, sir! Well played!

You can't live your life worrying about what a tenant might do. Treat your Tenants honestly and fairly and then walk away.

If they give a fake review on Yelp or Google, flag it and request that it be removed. Then post a professional response stating it is a fake review and should be ignored.