Hello all. My partner and I just purchased our first duplex in NJ and completed renovating each unit. Now that we are ready to rent, is it illegal to ask prospective tenants to provide proof of previous rent payments from the last 12 months?
Yes. Get the name of their previous landlord as a reference and ask both the prospective tenant and their landlord why they are moving. Also when you talk to the landlord make a small error in the address of the unit they rented and see if they correct you...on the off chance the 'landlord' isn't really their landlord but a friend providing a fake reference. You can also ask for the name of their employer to verify they are working.