@Mark B., tattoos are not something that should be a deciding factor on a tenant by any means, even if visible. There's plenty of people with tattoos who are very successful and great tenants, as many people on this post have said. It's just a form of art, really. It's becoming a lot more common also. Not to say that 20 years from now that everyone will be covered in tattoos, but I do believe that in that time, the younger crowd will be surprised that people in our time and in the past have been denied jobs simply for having tattoos on their arms. Of course there's some instances where it makes sense to not have a bunch of visible tattoos from a career perspective, but denying a tenant over it is a bad decision. Makes the landlord look judgemental to some. Now if a person has "racist" tattooed across their forehead, that's obviously a whole different story. Although there's probably some sort of loophole around fair housing when it comes to tattoos, I wouldn't avoid that crowd. Even if they don't have the nicest tattoos, you can't make out how well the art is from a neighbor's POV. Had to throw in my two cents being that I have a sleeve that represents my mother being a breast cancer survivor. Credit, employment history/pay, and rental history. All that matters!
