Quote from @Steve K.:
Quote from @David Spurlock:
Hey @Fareen E.,
You've gotten a lot of feedback here saying you are in the clear to decline them. However, I would disagree. I do the majority of my leasing on Facebook and Zillow and I never ask for an ID. You need to think about this from the tenant's perspective. While Facebook Marketplace isn't the sketchiest site (craigslist), I personally would never give my ID across it. If the only indication that he is difficult is not wanting to send his ID to a stranger on Facebook, I wouldn't blame him.
You are more than welcome to decline a showing because he is not comfortable with your requirements, but you are not allowed to discourage someone from applying to your apartment. That is an easy way to get a Fair Housing Violation case.
Lastly, why do you care who is looking at the property? When they apply is when you should confirm their identity.
Asking for ID as a requirement to show a rental is not a fair housing violation, and there are plenty of reasons why a landlord should care who is looking at their property, theft and their own personal safety being the first 2 that spring to mind, followed closely by not wanting to waster their time. If someone isn’t willing to provide ID, they are not a serious applicant and possibly a scammer, so it’s a good screening tool to weed out the tire-kickers and sketch balls. My PM asks for ID as step #1 for these reasons.
@Steve K. Please take a minute to reread what I wrote. You can deny a showing, but you cannot prevent/discourage someone from applying. That would be a fair housing violation.
"there are plenty of reasons why a landlord should care who is looking at their property, theft and their own personal safety being the first 2 that spring to mind, followed closely by not wanting to waste their time" These are valid reasons but depend greatly on your market and who is showing the property.
Theft - No one is going to steal while you are there. Someone planning on stealing anything of worth is going to do it while you are gone. You could argue that they are using the tour to scope out the building. However, a simple security system would deter this.
Personal Safety - I assume you are using their ID to run a background check and deciding if their history affects your safety, correct?
Wasting Time - @Fareen E. I've found this to be super helpful: When someone inquires about the property Thank them and Send them the pre-requirements (Income, credit, no evictions) and ask if they meet them. The vast majority of them will out themselves and you can decline to show the property.
