Real Estate Investor · Huntington Beach, CA · Member since 2008 · 221 posts · 9 votes
I have been looking at properties in a largely hispanic apartment area. I'm curious how would the landlords here screen their tenants? Since most of the tenants here are illegal immigrants they probably have no credit, no public records at all. What gives?
Investor · Paradise Valley, AZ · Member since 2012 · 361 posts · 214 votes
13y
I agree with Uwe, most illegal Hispanic immigrants I have run across (landscapers, housekeepers, nannies) have been hard working, decent folks. I would rent to them over US born white trash any day.
Investor · Merritt, BC · Member since 2013 · 7 posts · 2 votes
13y
Imagine this conversation:
"Can you pay the rent every month?"
"Yes. Here is some money"
"Okay. Good. Here are the keys. I'll be back next month for more money"
"Okay. Thank you. See you next month"
You can check on things like who they are, where they work, and those other meaningless things later...
Rental Property Investor · Oklahoma City, OK · Member since 2013 · 1k+ posts · 412 votes
13y
Mark Hu - you might be stereotyping. We get a lot of non-english speaking hispanic applicants and most of them have good jobs and some form of ID including social security numbers.
Rental Property Investor · Mercer Island, WA · Member since 2008 · 22k+ posts · 14k+ votes
13y
That's quite a leap from "largely hispanic apartment" to "most of the tenants here are illegal immigrants". Is there something more you're leaving out?
Court records are based on name and date of birth, not SSN. So, criminal and eviction checks can work without SSN.
I usually verify employment and previous tenancy directly with employers and previous landlords. So, that still works, too. I always try to independently verify this information anyway. For example, by googling employers or by checking public records for property ownership.
Real Estate Investor · Huntington Beach, CA · Member since 2008 · 221 posts · 9 votes
13y
Thank you Jon, your info is very helpful.
As for my statement that they are all illegal, that is an assumption. I do not know the exact truth of what is going on. But I would think if one bought a place there, one should be prepared for the worst case scenario.
Rental Property Investor · Mercer Island, WA · Member since 2008 · 22k+ posts · 14k+ votes
13y
I'd recommend avoiding making a stereotypical assumption such as "a Hispanic tenant base equates to illegal immigrants". Stereotypes come about because they're true often enough they help our brains make decisions with limited information. I don't think this one works, so it won't help you make valid decisions.
Gang members are not a protected class anywhere, as far as I know. Certainly you should be sure you understand local laws because governmental entities smaller than the fed can define protected classes. Assuming "gang member" isn't a protected class you could reject an applicant because they appear to belong to a gang.
Milwaukee, WI · Member since 2009 · 203 posts · 50 votes
13y
On the other hand:
If they are illegal, they are likely trying to avoid any kind of trouble and pay you rent on time every time.
Just another "stereotype about illegal immigrants" that I would apply :)
Honestly, I think if I had only illegal immigrants as tenants, I would have way less problems than with my current low-income, US born, "I am deserving this"-attitude tenant pool.
For most of my BG checks I don't use SSNs anyway, and the rest is based on other info they give you.
Have them take their shirt off, count the tattoos:
None: Honest guy
1-9: Further investigation needed
10+ = gang member :)
Investor · Paradise Valley, AZ · Member since 2012 · 361 posts · 214 votes
13y
I agree with Uwe, most illegal Hispanic immigrants I have run across (landscapers, housekeepers, nannies) have been hard working, decent folks. I would rent to them over US born white trash any day.
Charles Town, WV · Member since 2012 · 38 posts · 6 votes
13y
Renting to illegal aliens can be risky, due to the fact that a lot of times they may or may not use their real names or they might be using a stolen identy. Since they sometimes have no real roots in the area, you run the risk that they might just up and leave... Good luck trying to track down a Juan Fulano De Tal. Another thing to consider is, what if they are picked up and deported by the government? Good luck getting any money from your Uncle especially after admitting that you new they were illegals. I'm not saying to descriminate against non english speakers. Just do your homework before you turn over the keys.
Rental Property Investor · Seattle, WA · Member since 2013 · 2k+ posts · 1k+ votes
13y
This thread is hilarious. We inherited Spanish-only speaking tenants with an aquisition. We always got paid on the first. Not much regard for rules or maintenance needs, though, so I'd suggest more frequent inspections.
Franklin, TN · Member since 2013 · 39 posts · 15 votes
13y
Wow hate to burst peoples bubble and certainly don't want to stereotype or jump on a possibly racist topic here, but I will give true real life experience here. If they are illegal, or more importantly if you think they are, they may not be.
My last job was a contractor/translator where it was pretty much me, my boss the superintendent, and about 45 non English speaking workers doing a 22 story high rise. I got a call from my companies office stating that my best worker, we will call him "Steve for this discussions sake" has a non valid social security number.......it had two zero's in the middle which I guess isn't right. I approached "Steve and he told me he would have it fixed that night. Sure enough, next morning, "Steve" had a brand new drivers license and social security card. I called the office and no I won't give up the name of the company but they pretty much just said " I don't want the details just give me the info."
Moral of the story. If you think they are legal they may not be, but more importantly if they are hard working and not legal they will pay and do anything to not get in trouble. I have chatted with these guys a lot and they come from very hard places and will do anything to make it here like many of your fathers and grandfathers did.
Funny side note.....after the incident with "Steve" I just went up and asked him how much it cost him to get the new SS card and license and he told me about a hundred bucks.
Contractor · Anchorage, AK · Member since 2012 · 351 posts · 196 votes
13y
Yeah... Isnt it hilarious that an illegal can get a fake SS card so easily!! And sure, rent to every illegal you can find! Thumb your nose at the Rule of Law! You're a great American!
Miami, FL · Member since 2013 · 98 posts · 27 votes
13y
A few observations, and perhaps inevitably some stereotypes - i'm an immigrant myself, and a stereotype of another kind, i supose:
1. Most hispanic gang members are US citizens. But you wouldn't want to rent to them for obvious reasons. They are easy enough to spot by their tattoos - neck, head and arms (if you can't see their chest, hopefully), as tattoos are a right of passage. gang members are very area specific and would never rent an apartment outside their neighborhood, so do a quick google search on prevalent gangs on your corner - LA after all is the gang capital of the world - and you'll have a decent idea what tattoos (usually 3-letter abbreviations) to avoid
2. Most illegal immigrants wouldn't be gang members, by definition - since they have to actually work in some had labor and not be a lazy gang-banger who'll generally trade some dope for pocket money, will live off of his family's welfare check and then kick back the rest of the time
3. You may have a hard time getting the right insurance on your rental property, or collecting on it if something goes wrong and, say, police report states that involved parties were undocumented
4. Plenty of hispanics are documented and still barely speak English. either way it's more prudent to find a good salt-of-the-earth hardworking immigrant family, do a hard series of checks on them and rent to those. Best thing all-around
5. when you state in your lease something like "only the signee and his/her immediate family are allowed to be on premises", be very specific about number ;)
Also I would prefer not to rent to gang members :(
Ok... Lets see a show of hands!
Who would rent to a gang member?
Who would rent to an illegal gang member?
Who would rent to an illegal who isnt a gang member?
Who would rent to your average every day criminal?
If you only raised your hand for the illegal, you may want to consider that the only choice that might possibly not be a criminal is the gang member! Maybe.
Franklin, TN · Member since 2013 · 39 posts · 15 votes
13y
I agree with you totally Randy. The whole point of my post was really just to let everyone know that an illegal is not going to ask you if you will rent to an illegal. My point was, most here would be scared to know the percentage of illegals they do rent to. For very little money they can show you enough proof to make you think you are renting to a legal citizen.
Also I would prefer not to rent to gang members :(
Ok... Lets see a show of hands!
Who would rent to a gang member?
Who would rent to an illegal gang member?
Who would rent to an illegal who isnt a gang member?
Who would rent to your average every day criminal?
If you only raised your hand for the illegal, you may want to consider that the only choice that might possibly not be a criminal is the gang member! Maybe.
Most, if not all states have definitions in the statutes for gang and gang members, and they pretty much all include some pattern of criminal activity in the definition. The chances of your gang member tenant not being a criminal are pretty darn slim.
Brooklyn, NY · Member since 2013 · 10 posts · 1 vote
13y
As an Immigration Officer, I can say first hand that just being illegally present in the United States is not enough to warrant any action. just hope they pay on time.
As an Immigration Officer, I can say first hand that just being illegally present in the United States is not enough to warrant any action. just hope they pay on time.
I agree! Just being illegally present in the US does NOT warrant action... Such as RENTING to them. Just because the federal gubmint chooses to ignore immigration law currently on the books, doesnt mean we have to!!
Wholesaler · Saint Louis, MO · Member since 2013 · 336 posts · 54 votes
12y
@CHRISTOPHER MIDDLETON My hat off to you because you have a tough job... I was surprise to read this post because this is going to be my niche. I am currently learning Spanish to rent to the population and also to work with an immigration lawyer to provide "best product best price" for the Latino population. No, I would not rent to a gang member but I also don't have a gang problem in the STL. Most of our latin population are very hard working but have the same problem of getting people to rent to them. Illegal or not, we are all still human and deserve the dignity of somewhere to stay if we are making an honest wage.
Rental Property Investor · Oakland, CA · Member since 2011 · 3k+ posts · 2k+ votes
12y
Well said William T, and good luck in your niche.
I rent to some latino families in Richmond, CA. One 3br unit is a multi-generational latino family w/ 4 working adults that moved to get more space and pay less than they were in San Francisco. A family lowering their expenses and working hard to save up money is someone I'm happy to rent to. I got a normal deposit and told them up front I need some form of legal ID for all adults that were going to live in the unit, but they didn't necessarily need to be issued by the US. Pays on the 1st, unit good condition, no problems or unnecessary calls, and so far, so good. Look at the circumstances, and not the race or citizen status IMHO. Like William T is probably seeing, there may also be a niche to make some money since some owners are apparently unwilling to rent to them.
And no, I'm not aware of anything that makes it illegal to rent to non-US citizens.
And no, I'm not aware of anything that makes it illegal to rent to non-US citizens.
To be in the U.S. without proper documentation is a civil offense - not a criminal one. Even though some people are trying really hard to will it be criminal.
Dallas, TX · Member since 2013 · 4k+ posts · 744 votes
12y
You will have racist anywhere you go. The American people should be glad the Latinos are here to work the fields from sun up to sun down and never complain because you will not get a lazy American to do the job.