Do you ask for your tenant's SSN?

[Matt Schelberg]

It surprises me how little pushback I receive from rental applicants when I ask for their social security number on my rental application. While I take care to safeguard their information and destroy it when I'm done, they don't know that.  And they don't ask.

I prefer to have my tenants' SSN in case I have to evict them, but I question if that is necessary or helpful.  And for tenant screening purposes, many online background check vendors now allow the applicant to provide their SSN via a secure website...without disclosing this sensitive personal information to the landlord.

So questions for the community:

• Are you asking your applicants for their SSNs?
• How are you retaining this information so it is secure?
• Given the risk of identity theft, is it ethical for us landlords to be asking for this information? 

[Lucas Hall]

Hi Matt,

After ten years of landlording, I've learned that it's not necessary for a landlord to collect a SSN for screening, because you can still get full credit reports and background checks through soft inquiry companies (like Cozy, or even every credit bureau provides their own online tool that helps landlords order reports without SSN). There's really no need to collect a SSN on an application.

Further, you don't need a SSN to evict someone.  In fact, most courts don't even ask for it. A SSN is not printed on the judgement record because those are public documents, and if they did, they would be encouraging ID theft. 

However, YOU WILL need a SSN if you try to garnish wages, garnish a tax refund, or send the debt to collections.  For this reason, I always require my tenants to include their SSN when signing the lease (I add a space for the SSN near the signature block). That way, I only have the SSN of actual tenants, rather than everyone who has every applied to my place.  

I keep copies of my leases in PDF, secured on my computer, behind multiple passwords, and paper copies in a safe, behind a locked door. 

I hope that helps. 

[George P.]

we used to. now, with Smartmove, we dont have to and i love that.

[Mitchell L.]

Yes, I prefer to have any and all necessary information on a tenant in the event of an eviction, garnishment of wages, lawsuits, etc... I have never had 1 who denied giving it to me. 

[Alex Hamilton]

You need to protect your assets, so you should certainly obtain the SSN as part of the tenant screening process for the reasons that others mentioned above. Not only should you ask for the SSN, you should also obtain proof (SS Card) that the SSN belongs to the person in front of you. This helps prevent identity theft and people sharing SSN's. An applicant that is doing their part to keep their information secure, will request proof of your identity and ownership/management of the property. 

Once you obtain a Rental Application (and SSN), it's your responsibility to secure it for at least 25 months. You can be seriously fined if your tenant disputes a credit inquiry and you can't produce the SIGNED authorization on the Rental Application within the 25 month period. Your consumer reporting agency can offer suggestions on how to do this properly. 

Yes, it's ethical for you to ask for SSN. It would be unethical to use the information for a purpose other than screening the applicant. You should protect their information properly and make sure you are compliant with FCRA regulations. When obtaining credit reports, the Bureaus require an inspection of your office to confirm your ability to view/store/destroy the documents properly.

Tenant Screening is my specialty, so feel free to contact me directly with questions about any of these topics!