Asking how long prospects hope to rent?

[Nick Brubaker]

Hi everyone,

Quick question:  Is it ok to ask in a rental application how long a prospective tenant expects/plans/hopes to live/rent at the property?  While no one can predict the future, their reply would still offer some value in getting a sense of how desirable they would be as tenants from a purely business (non-discriminatory) perspective.  All else being equal, the applicant that said she would hope to stay indefinitely (if the landlord allows through lease renewals) would be favorable to the applicant who plans to move after graduation or something.