Denying Tenants Based on Social Media

[Mia G.]

Can I deny a tenant based on things I find on their social media pages? For example, I visited the Facebook page of one applicant and her most recent post is asking where she can get fake pay stubs made. On another applicants page, I came across some very hateful comments about a certain subset of our population. So what I'm asking is, can I use these things in particular to deny the tenant or would it technically have to be based on credit or income?

[Kyle J.]

@Mia G.  I have the opposite opinion of everyone above. 

If I'm doing the preliminary screening on an applicant (which for me does include looking at their social media page), and I see things like you described (i.e. them trying to acquire fake paycheck stubs, hateful comments about a class of people, etc), then we don't need to go any further in the application process.  Period.

There's no legitimate/good reason for them to be making those posts, and I already know enough to know I don't want that person as my tenant.  (Those sort of things tell a lot about their character.)  So why waste my time or their money having them formally apply or go any further in the application process?

Seems pointless to me, and personally I would not do it.  I don't want someone like that as my tenant, and I get to make that decision as the landlord.