Renting to tenants without a SSN

[Puthy Pan]

Hello everyone.  I have a house that I'm trying to rent in Seattle and I've gotten many family that does not have SSN wanting to rent the place.  Are they considered illegals if they don't have a SSN?  I've never rented to anyone without a SSN before.  I did some research and it sounds like it varies from state to state.  In some states, they are a protected class.  In others, it's illegal to rent to illegal immigrant (assuming that someone without a SSN is illegal).  Here are some questions I have:

Should I rent to them?  (My conscious is saying "why shouldn't you rent to them if they are good people?")

What is the law in Washington regarding renting to someone without a SSN (possibly illegal immigrant)?

How do you do background check on someone without a SSN?

Is there something else you would do to protect yourself/property if you cannot run background check?

What other steps can I take?

Thanks in advance for any advice I can get.

Puthy

[Marc Winter]

Why even consider renting to someone without a social security number?  

If they are 'good people', they will either have a social security number, a tax id number, a 'green card' or some form of federally issued work permit.  Without proof, they are illegal.  Would you rent to a known criminal-at-large--a fugitive?

Write down your qualification requirements to accept an application for tenancy and make sure you stick to those written guidelines. Otherwise, you may actually be discriminating one class against another, which is a big NO-NO when it comes to Fair Housing and other federal laws.