We have a tenant selling their own home (we stay out of those business deals).
The woman applying was at a previous job for only 3 months in an adjoining state. She is moving to Ohio and starting a new job in 8 days. She cannot show proof of income for this new job. Do you ever take applicants who cannot show proof of income at their new job?
What verbage do you use to turn her down?
To add to this she has an “emotional support” Husky.
Use the words “Proof of income is required as part of our application process.”
No proof of income. No home.
The “emotional support” dogs are a hot trend as well. They all tend to be large aggressive breeds as well -conveniently.
To curtail this issue our application process asks specifically if they have emotional support animals, and if so, what breed. So know what you’re getting into ahead of time. Have your manager confirm the breed of animal prior to move in.
Having been in this business for a few years now best advice is to vet tenants really hard- it’ll save you a ton of headaches and money down the road if you do that consistently. Do the income verifications, employment verifications, housing references, credit checks- trust me. It’s worth the extra upfront work.
I would dig deep into her employment past before making a decission. What type of employment does she/has she had. The most important factor is what was her employment history prior to the previous 3 month stint and does she have documented proof. If that was a long term job similar to or the same as the new job she starts in three days that is a plus unless it is a no skill service industry job. The key is how long did she have that previous job. If it was also short term then I would definatly pass on this applicant.
As for the “emotional support” Huskey is concerned it’s a scam. Most support animals are simply a scam to get past park rules. If you don’t want to be scammed it’s easy to reject her for her employment history.
Bottom line is it’s your call but personally I prefer to reject sketchey applicants rather than to have to eventually evict.
Checking with her previous TWO landlords should also be done.
Once you dilligently screen you will have your answer but don’t let her time line effect your screening process.
The job previous to that one was corrections officer at a county jail but she was only there 6 months.
We turned her down.
It’s a tricky situation. I’d recommend verifying income with an offer letter or contacting her new employer. If no documentation is provided, politely inform her of the income verification requirement in your rental application process
I usually stay out of the income verifications when someone is purchasing a TOH in our parks. Depending on what they are spending for the home they may already have bank financing lined up which would address most of that. If it is a cash deal or the home is busted up and selling for close to nothing then move a little slower and get a good look at the application and have a strong lease.
We don’t allow any dogs over 15#s. Emotional support animals are nothing more than pets and have no legal standing or federal recognition. True trained working service animals are different. If your park rules don’t allow dogs… they don’t get to have dogs- emotional support animal or not.
Propboy40
“We don’t allow any dogs over 15#s. Emotional support animals are nothing more than pets and have no legal standing or federal recognition. True trained working service animals are different. If your park rules don’t allow dogs… they don’t get to have dogs- emotional support animal or not.”
You are dead wrong on this one. Emotional Support animals are covered under HUD fair housing and reasonable accommodations rules.
Also, it’s illegal to ask the breed of the dog. The HUD has already established that the species of the emotional support animal is irrelevant. They treat the dog breed similarly to the manufacturer of a wheelchair. They don’t care who made the wheelchair, just as they don’t care about the dog’s breed.
https://www.hud.gov/program_offices/fair_housing_equal_opp/assistance_animals
get a reference letter from the employer with their contact details and then call them to verify. easy enough. it can go deeper, my assumption is you are already doing a background/credit check so with all of it and bank records you can get what you need.
It’s been a while but good decission to reject. Usually when on the surface a applicant does not qualify or in ths case may be running the “emotional support scam” it is far easier to reject without digging. Often digging will only open you up to cries of discrimination.
Better safe than sorry. If they are sketchy on the surface save yourself time and agrivation. If they appear to be a good applicant then put the time and effort into confirming.
Remember you are not providing “affordable housing” you are operating a business with the primary goal of keeping your best interists in mind.
If you can see some good long-term employment history (measured in years), then she may possibly be a good tenant. However, if the best she can offer is that she had a job for three months then quit and starts another one in eight days, that would be a showstopper for me. In my opinion, the most fundamental thing that you need to screen for is income. Job hoppers who work for two months then are out of work for three months, then working for a couple of weeks then out of work again or not good tenants. In my opinion, if somebody can’t hold, at least one job in their life, for at least one year, then they may be terminally unemployable.
What I’m saying by all this, is, to have the same criteria check with this one as you do for everyone else. I use a bullet point list of criteria, if they fall off it, its a no go, but its up to property ownership. This way there are particulars to prove income, income history/job history, and credit / background. Same for everyone = no discrimination.
Always avoid someone who don’t have workproof as Dealing with applicants who can’t provide proof of income for a new job can indeed be tricky. It’s a red flag in terms of financial stability, especially when considering someone for a lease agreement.
In this instance though, wouldn’t HUD permit you to ask for documentation as to the reason for the assistance that the dog provides? At least that’s what the website states, not sure exactly how that works in practice. Is there something akin to a “doctor’s note” that you can request?
I think you can only ask if the disability is not apparent. i.e., someone missing their legs is pretty obvious, but someone with a hearing issue would not be.
You can request proof—for example, a doctor’s note.