Credit Scoring Landlords - You can send me your rejects

[Ihe O.]

The tenants that many of you turn down because of their credit score (or lack thereof) are my best customers.  I am inviting you to send them to me because I am not interested in what their credit score is.

The current tenant applicant process serves tenants horribly. Perhaps we could have a forum that could act as a clearing house where rejected tenant applicants can short circuit the process of finding another landlord.

[Nathan Gesner]

@Ihe O. it's not as simple as you make it out to be.

I know some Landlords that will not accept a tenant with a score lower than 600. But what if they have a low credit score because they pay everything in cash? What if they have a low score due to a bankruptcy four years ago but they have excellent Landlord references and have been at the same job for eight years and make 4x the rent?

I don't deny tenants based on just their credit score. The details of the credit report are more important to me and solid Landlord references carry even more weight. Landlords need to assess the whole picture before making a decision.

At the same time, Tenants with bad credit scores tend to be bad in other areas of life. It's not a guarantee of trouble, but it should set off your Spidey senses and cause you to investigate further.