I prescreen applicants via e-mail before showing my property. This is my first rental which has just been listed yesterday. One applicant asked me first if I accept Section 8, which I do, so I said yes and sent her a prescreening. She replied to the prescreening with what can be inferred as an adverse reference from her current landlord: she said that she has been at her landlord's property for 3 years, but she needs a bigger place with her growing 2 children and her landlord does not accept Section 8.
The crux:
This means her landlord is trying to get rid of her; he must have other larger properties, but the landlord does not want her to stay enough that he will accept a section 8 voucher to allow her into one. I see no other reason for this. If I called the landlord he might lie in order to get rid of her anyway, plus people's time gets wasted that way.
What's the best way to handle a prescreening like this where you can infer that the tenant shot themselves in the foot? Should I just tell her that it appears her landlord has an unfavorable opinion of her tenancy, based on what she said to me?
