Since the birth of this country, people have been coming here seeking freedom and second chances. We say we welcome immigrants with open arms, but should we be wary to lease property to those who have little credit history and personal references here?
When doing tenant screening on someone who is a fairly new immigrant to this country, verifying employment is the first crucial step. You need to make sure they have a qualified income and will be able to make rent. Ask specifically for credit references rather than just previous landlords and personal references.
Don’t avoid tenant screening because you assume the applicants won’t have credit or references. If on the application you notice their SIN does not start with 9, then they have been in the country more than two years — and the claim that they are recent immigrants may be a lie to hide a bad credit history.
If after the tenant screening process you’re still unsure about their abiity to pay, you can ask for a guarantor — a co-signor on the lease who will pay in the event the tenant fails to pay the rent or causes damage to the property. The guarantor will need to be someone with a positive credit report and an established presence in this country so you can collect against their assets if you need to.
One final note: While a landlord does have the right to screen tenants, it’s important to treat all applicants the same. Denying a rental application on the basis of one’s immigration status is discrimination. Similarly, it’s important that you require other applicants without credit or a landlord reference to provide a guarantor, to avoid discrimination claims.
Did you know previous eviction notices don’t show up on credit reports? Don’t be duped into thinking a credit check is all you need to be assured you don’t have a problem tenant. Get a professional tenant screening!
Tags: credit check, credit history, credit report, guarantor, previous eviction, tenant screening
