Uneasy about applicant - Landlord Forum thread 332427

Uneasy about applicant by J (FL) on March 21, 2015 @16:57

I had someone come wanting to get an application for his sister...then he came back the next day with a completed application for himself, saying his sister was no longer interested, but now he wanted the place...

He is mid 30s and has no rental history. I was a bit thrown since I will take someone very young (like 20 or 21) with no rental history if everything else checks out good...but I've never had someone this old with no history. He lives with his sister now, and his mom before then...but he wants to move within a few days if approved, which has me concerned because why would he have such a hard date if he was living with his sister? Unless they are both about to be kicked out of somewhere? He asked me yesterday when he took the application if it was okay if his sister had an arrest in 2011...I said I couldn't tell that until I ran the criminal check and found out what she was arrested for. But now the sister is not the one applying.

Also this person acts a bit...well, odd. He doesn't seem to want to leave the rental when visiting, asks a lot of questions about weeds, if there snakes in the yard. And then sat for a very long time in the vehicle before leaving today.

I ran the credit and it meets my requirements. I haven't been able to find any evictions for this person.

If the employment checks out, should I offer to rent to this person for double the deposit for no rental history, on a month to month lease? I feel like there is something off here but so far I have no legal way of proving it, in case I am challenged legally by him. Thanks.

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Re: Uneasy about applicant by Anonymous on March 21, 2015 @17:54	[ Reply ]

Run a criminal background check, see if there is a cross reference to the sister. Maybe dealing drugs or something. If alls ok, double deposit and month to month sounds good.

Re: Uneasy about applicant by Anonymous on March 21, 2015 @18:44	[ Reply ]

What was this person's FICO score? Is his employment stable for at least three years and his verified income over 3X the rent? Did you verify his sister's address and ownership and the mothers address? You might want to visit where he lives now, just drop in uninvited to give him a paper or something. His story has changed dramatically mid-stream. His behavior is odd. Maybe he does not actually have the money. Require a holding fee of one months rent up front and see if he actually has the cash. You do not have to rent to someone you don't feel comfortable with. The fact he asked about weeds and snakes may mean he will be a PITA. Go slow and careful with this guy.

Got it! by J (FL) on March 21, 2015 @18:49	[ Reply ]

ran a mugshot search in google -- charge for theft and drug dealing in another Florida county from four years ago...his photo is right there.

Re: Got it!

Re: Uneasy about applicant by John Brayton (Massachusetts) on March 21, 2015 @20:12	[ Reply ]

If he was living with his sister and his sister does not own the property, there should have been a landlord. Ask the applicant for the landlord's contact information, and contact that landlord as you would any other. If the story is true and the living arrangement was above board with regard to the prior landlord, the landlord should have known he was living there. If you do get contact information for that landlord and the story matches up, be sure to confirm that the landlord is he is who he says he is. Confirm that he owns the property in question, and that he rented to the applicant and to his sister. Drive by the property late at night to confirm that his car is there. I suspect that the above will give you plenty of justification for turning down the application. You will either catch him lying, or find that he is not forthcoming with the landlord's contact information. That will give you solid justification for declining the application. I may be wrong, but I believe that an arrest in which charges were dropped is a legally questionable reason to decline the application. Also, while declining based on a lack of rental history might be valid, including his age in that justification might be questionable. Be careful about what your reason is for declining the application. John

Re: Uneasy about applicant

The above post is mine.

Re: Uneasy about applicant

Re: Uneasy about applicant by CCRider (CA) on March 22, 2015 @01:30	[ Reply ]

I had a rule that I did not accept references from family or friends. But, I would take someone who had ONLY lived with their parents prior to applying with me (students, usually). This way, I couldn't be accused of age discrimination, and it's legal to discriminate against someone with no landlord references. Even fair housing isn't going to say I have to rent to some 30 year old who only has relatives for landlord references - when I do have a rule that allows for an 18 year old to apply, as long as he's only ever lived at home prior to applying with me. Legally, I could have said I don't rent to anyone with only relatives as references - but I made the exception for people who were looking for their first rental away from their parents, because that could have been considered age discrimination, and fair housing was very active where I managed apartments in the SF Bay Area. Anyway, good thing you caught the guy's info on Google. I also used Google in addition to credit and eviction checks. Sometimes you find amazing things.

Re: Uneasy about applicant

sec dep

Re: sec dep

Re: Uneasy about applicant by Katiekate (New York) on March 22, 2015 @10:32	[ Reply ]

J, If I am uneasy about an applicant..for any reason...I just refuse them Best advice? Listen to your gut. As soon as I heard he had no rental history, I would give him back hist application money and tell him he can't qualify. Never mind all the rest of the stuff. Actually, as soon as he showed up "for his sister" I would have refused to show the place. Applicant must show up. No exceptions.

Re: Uneasy about applicant