Questions You Can't Ask In Park City Property Management
As a landlord in Park City property management you want to know a good deal of information about a prospective tenant before you allow them to move in to your long term rentals in Park City. Things like rental history, credit score, occupation, etc. are great indicators of how a prospective tenant will perform in your rental property. It is natural for a landlord to ask a lot of questions when determining the suitability of a person. Over the course of touring a property I usually ask prospective tenants how long they have been in the area, what they do for work, and what they are looking for in a rental property. Some of these questions are duplicates of what I ask for on an application but it is good to get some back story on each situation. If you would like some more information on handling prospective tenants check out "Tenant Screening Tips For Park City Property Management". It will give you some tips on how to set up a process for your property management business.
But there are certain questions you should never ask a prospective tenant. These may seem like reasonable questions but can in interpreted as a form of discrimination that will run you afoul of Fair Housing laws. Let's take a look at a few examples.
- Race: Do you speak Spanish? What Asian restaurants do you like around here?
- Religion: Have you been to the new Jewish temple in town? What holidays do you like to celebrate?
- Color: We have a lot of Hispanic families here, are you okay with that? You have beautiful features, where are you from?
- Disability: Why do you need a handicap parking spot? What does your service animal help you with? Are you sure you want to live on the third floor with your disability?
- Familial Status: We only rent first floor properties to families with children, are you okay with that? Have you had complaints on your children's behavior at previous properties?
- Sex: We don't have many single female tenants, are you sure you want to rent here? I can't remember the last time a male tenant asked me that, are you sure you can't figure out the thermostat?
- National Origin: What country is your family from? Your English is amazing; did you study it growing up?
These are example questions for all the protected classes that are covered in Fair Housing law. Some of these protected classes may be new to you so I would recommend a little test you can use to determine if a question is discriminatory. For example if you were asking someone if they would like a "kid-friendly" property try replacing "kid" with "black" or "Muslim" and then assess the question. If you for example substitute a race or religion into the question and it seems discriminatory then chances are your original question is also discriminatory to another protected class. The last thing you want in Park City property management is to get in trouble with any type of discrimination in your property management business.
If you would like more information or tips on questions you can't ask, or further information about Park City property management in general click the link below for a free consultation. You will receive valuable information specific to your property that will help you make an informed decision. You will also receive a free, no-obligation quote on our property management services. At CC Realty we specialize in making investment property ownership a trouble free experience. Please contact us today for your free consultation.
