Renting to someone without SSN?

[Beth L.]

So I had someone today call in response to my "For Rent" sign. She said that she is looking for a place for her, her boyfriend and his two brothers. She said that she is having a hard time finding a place. The three men are Spanish and another landlord told her that he will not rent to Spanish people.

I told her that it is illegal to discriminate race, so as long as they qualify after the application/background check they could be considered. She said that they don't have social security numbers.

I am not having a good feeling about this. I haven't had anyone apply without a SSN and don't think that I can run the background/credit/criminal check without one. Does anyone else have experience with this type of scenario?

[Bill S.]

Keep this in mind. No SSN no collections. You cannot get their wages garnished if they leave owing you money. If you don't know how the system works in renting to undocumented individuals, I suggest you don't do so until you have some more education.