Tennent Screening Question

[Koel Gaylord]

Hello BP,

I have heard horror stories from landlords who have had several applicants apply for the same property. While it is in the best interest of the landlord to accept an applicant who has the means to pay the rent on-time and take care of the property while living there, there may be a fine line when turning down an applicant based on race, conflicting information, or first come first served...

As a landlord, do I have anything to worry about when accepting a pre-screening form with SOS numbers AND sensitive information?

Can I be sued for turning down someone that may qualify for the lease because I found a MORE qualified applicant?

Any suggestions would be great!

Thank you,

KEG

[Adam Johnson]

I would recommend you read a little about fair housing laws. As long as your decisions aren't based on any of the protected classes, then you shouldn't have any worries. Develop financial benchmarks so that you are comparing applicants the same way. For example - rent is less than "x"% of household income. Income verification is done the same way. Try to ask the same questions, use a standard application that MUST be filled out by everyone. Doing things the same way every time reduces the risk of future problems due to fair housing laws.

Regarding storage of sensitive information, yes you have some liability. Keep it locked and secure and don't share the information.

Don't let this keep you out of the game, just consider this part of the rules to play.