One of the most important decisions you can make is who you allow into your life as a tenant. This can be a very long term relationship and in many parts of the country, frankly, the tenant has the upper hand. We know of one tenant that has been in the same unit for almost 25 years and has been to the local rent board dozens of times and small claims court almost as many times. He has made a business out of knowing the law and applying it successfully. The landlord is now so afraid of him that he complies with almost all of his wishes. The file must weigh 10 pounds.
Do not rush into these decisions, Morticia addams costume it is much better to wait for the right person than to be pushed to a decision because you have to cover expenses until its rented. Most of our decisions are based on how we feel. its very important to have a basic set of rules you always apply equally.
This will keep you out of trouble.
Always check the application
1. Time/Date Stamp: It may be helpful to screen your applicants on a first-come, first-served basis, then when you reach qualified applicants who meet your screening criteria you may offer the unit to the first applicant that qualifies. It's a good idea to date and time stamp the applications; then you know the exact order in which you received them.
2. Attach all written commentary to the application.
3. Keep the commentary objective and rules based. Create your own scoring system or use the system provided by many professional credit reporting agencies.
4. Never write on the application itself. A Fair Housing law suit may look at notes or underlines and highlights as code that you use to somehow discriminate.
5. No personal commentary at all (keep that in your head).
6. Be sure to have a proper signature on the application that allows you to look into credit and call prior landlords. Never look into an applicants personals without a completed and signed application.
7. You must have permission to screen.
Fair Housing
What is it?
Membership in one of seven protected classes: race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, and familial status are the protected classes that Fair Housing issues protect.
Federal law prohibits housing discrimination based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status and physical/mental disability.States have added a host of other law. Be sure to know the law in your area. There are professionals who study fair housing and state law and look to catch you in a mistake and sue. Its a living for some.
Some Basics:
1. Avoid using words or phrases that show a preference or discourage anyone because of his or her protected class.
2. Always describe the property itself and not the targeted audience
3. Be careful with your language.
4. Do not make assumptions about the need of a group of people. It is best to objectively describe the property and allow the prospective applicant to determine their needs
5. In a sentence its about differential treatment
Howard Bell for yourpropertypath.com www.yourpropertypath.com
At Your Property Path we believe that knowledge should be free and freely shared.
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