preferences for Veterans

[Ed McIver]

I just had a veteran contact me to rent an apartment. Is it legal to give veterans preferential treatment?  The application process would be the same. I don't want deadbeats and I would insist on credit checks and back round checks. I am not asking if it is wise. Just asking if it is legal.

[Nathan Gesner]

Are you saying Veterans are never deadbeats? As a Veteran of 21 years, I would argue that Veteran status is not an indicator of quality.

I'm also not sure what you mean by "preference" towards Veterans. Do you have two applications that are exactly the same but one is a Veteran? I've processed thousands of applications and there's almost always one that stands out. Choose the better applicant.

I waive application fees for Veterans. There's nothing illegal about that. If you had two applications that were exactly the same, you could pick the Veteran but I would be very careful to ensure the other applicant was not a member of a protected class first (single parent, disabled, minority, etc.)