How to pick the right tenants

[David Elefant]

Hi All!

My partners and I are investing in rental real estate in the city of Syracuse and I have a question regarding the legality of selecting certain tenants over others from a tenant pool. Specifically, how can I go about making sure I select the best tenants without breaking any laws relating to discrimination by race, gender, age, etc.? Because I heard there was a particular law that states you have to accept the first qualified tenants who apply, but I have also heard there are ways around that so that you can pick and choose your tenants from a group of qualified applicants. Can anyone add some clarity/knowledge about my situation?