Ethics of a college student renting to a faculty member

[Noah Carrico]

I live and work in a small town dominated by the local private university. I take classes part-time around my work schedule. There is a very real chance, even without targeted marketing towards them, that I could end up renting my property to a faculty member of my school. If possible, I want to market specifically towards them because of the increased stability over college students. I would never take a class from someone who was my tenant to avoid conflict of interest. Are there any laws or ethical issues that I should consider or take into account?

[Nathan Gesner]

I think the biggest risk would be your fear of enforcing the lease because it may negatively affect your standing as a student. Or maybe you are intimidated by your professor.

when I first started in Property Management, one of my tenants worked the Wendy's drive-thru. Every time I went through the drive-thru, he gave me a discount of several dollars and was extremely friendly. He was a decent tenant so I thought nothing of it. After about 6 months of this, I had complaints against him that resulted in a lease violation. Although I am very professional, I did feel a tinge of guilt enforcing the rules because he had been so kind to me at the drive-thru. By accepting his discounts, I put myself in a position that made it more difficult to enforce the lease and represent my owner. I also found it difficult to go through the drive-thru and face him, which destroyed my ability to purchase a berry salad. And therein lies the true danger.