tilario t1_ja18hmb wrote on February 26, 2023 at 2:08 AM

Reply to comment by PeachesFromTulsa in Help us take down slumlords! by MrArkAngel11

do you get that from an eviction history? not trying to be difficult. just thinking of it like a hiring. eg, 15 people come see your apartment, you choose your top 3 candidates and do background checks and previous landlord references for them.

PeachesFromTulsa t1_ja19rd0 wrote on February 26, 2023 at 2:19 AM

The system I use gives a comprehensive criminal background check and eviction history. I personally do not rely on references because some property owners will give favorable references to problem tenants in order to get them out. Also, just like hiring for a job, a lot of people feel they open themselves up to potential litigation if they give any more information beyond rental dates. There is no perfect process but I feel more comfortable having the facts that a $35 background check provides.

anxiousinfotech t1_ja54ayl wrote on February 26, 2023 at 10:28 PM

I feel that it is perfectly fair for you to charge an application fee to cover your expenses.

The issue is both slumlords and large commercial landlords alike will take in application fees for potential tenants that they have no intention of renting to. In hot markets they may take in 100 applications or more for a single unit with fees of ~$75 per person (not per application) and pocket a large chunk of change. If you as an individual landlord get charged $35 for a background check a high volume landlord is going to have a much better deal negotiated.

I think allowing actual costs with a limit of how many can be charged the fee on a given unit would be fair to all sides. Costs are covered, no one gets gouged, and no one pays an application fee for an application that's never going to get processed anyway.

PeachesFromTulsa t1_ja56i1m wrote on February 26, 2023 at 10:43 PM

This is completely valid and understandable. I think my point in commenting here is to show that blanket demands about things like application fees hurt some of people that they aren’t meant to target. Many of my neighbors are in the same boat as me — owner-occupied 2+ family homes with good people who care about our tenants and the neighborhood. There are a lot of corporate investors in the city but there are also a lot of property owners that are not getting rich off our tenants, and are simply trying to find a sustainable way to own property. I cannot afford to own a single family home in the city, I rely on my tenants to help me pay my mortgage and I pay that back with reasonable rents and a safe, clean space. I don’t think it’s too much to ask to have my tenants cover the cost of a background check when we share a living space together.

anxiousinfotech t1_ja5wvvv wrote on February 27, 2023 at 1:59 AM

If more landlords were like you these changes would never need to be proposed.

Also, with any legislation you have to try for more than what you actually want, as everything will almost always be weakened before any passable legislation makes its way through the system. A proposal prohibiting application fees should wind up becoming a fair compromise in the end.