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Housing is a human need – so why limit your tenant pool to the United States? Most landlords do this simply because they don’t know how to screen someone without a social security number (SSN), though many live in internationally popular cities like Washington, D.C., and Miami. This article outlines what you need to know to screen international tenants, including what to evaluate when you can’t pull a background check.
As Benjamin Franklin once said, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” In this context, that means you need to hone your tenant screening process before opening the applicant floodgates. Don’t risk making avoidable fair housing mistakes that can cost up to \$16,000 for your first offense – no matter how good your intentions are. If your first reaction is to say that you’ll sidestep any trouble by denying applications from international leads, grab your wallet. Such a move would violate the Fair Housing Act.
That’s why you need to:
Just because someone doesn’t have a social security number doesn’t mean you can’t make sure they’ll be a good fit for your rental unit. To learn more about any prospective tenant without an SSN, we recommend that you require:
Regardless of where your lead was born, they’re entitled to protections under the Fair Housing Act – including protection against being denied housing simply because they weren’t born in the United States. That said, you’re well within your rights to have specific tenant screening criteria that leads must meet to qualify for your rental unit.
Typically, tenants must meet specific income requirements, provide documentation to prove their ability to make payments on time, and interact cordially with those involved in the screening process. If an international lead doesn’t meet one or more of your screening requirements, you can deny their application just as you would any other prospective tenant.
Pro Tip:
If you run a credit report to evaluate a potential tenant and deny them, you must let them know that they have the right to request a copy of their file for free by contacting the consumer reporting agency that pulled the report.
It’s best to let the applicant know that they will not be moving forward in the process with a kind but vague message. For example, you could say, “Thank you for your interest. Unfortunately, we’ve decided not to move forward with your application.”
Good luck with your international tenant screening!
4 min read
TurboTenant is currently made up of over 80 full-time employees, most of whom are based in Colorado near either our Fort Collins...
5 min read
TurboTenant is currently made up of over 80 full-time employees, most of whom are based in Colorado near either our Fort Collins...
4 min read
TurboTenant is currently made up of over 80 full-time employees, most of whom are based in Colorado near either our Fort Collins...
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