Questions About A Rental Application

[LadyKay]

Honestly, I have never had to fill out a rental application before. The first 2 places I ever rented all I had to do was talk to the landlord, put up the deposit and first month's rent and agree to the less. So I am not use to filling out a rental application and am unsure about what should be on them. So anyway, I was out yesterday looking at a house for rent and the landlord gave me a rental application to fill out. I took it home with me and started looking it over. The application wants to know the name of my bank and all of my account numbers. It wants to know the name of my credit cards and all of the account numbers on them. Also it ask for my SS number. I do not feel comfortable giving out that kind of information. I mean someone gets your SS number along with bank numbers and credit card numbers and your kind of screwed if they are dishonest. I can see giving out info on your income and if you have a checking account but not the numbers on that account. Is this the way it is on all rental applications? Do they really need to ask for bank numbers and credit card numbers?

[torn asunder]

Honestly, I have never had to fill out a rental application before. The first 2 places I ever rented all I had to do was talk to the landlord, put up the deposit and first month's rent and agree to the less. So I am not use to filling out a rental application and am unsure about what should be on them. So anyway, I was out yesterday looking at a house for rent and the landlord gave me a rental application to fill out. I took it home with me and started looking it over. The application wants to know the name of my bank and all of my account numbers. It wants to know the name of my credit cards and all of the account numbers on them. Also it ask for my SS number. I do not feel comfortable giving out that kind of information. I mean someone gets your SS number along with bank numbers and credit card numbers and your kind of screwed if they are dishonest. I can see giving out info on your income and if you have a checking account but not the numbers on that account. Is this the way it is on all rental applications? Do they really need to ask for bank numbers and credit card numbers?

Oh. Hell. No.

no way i'm giving out all that info. no way in hell.

of course, i haven't had to rent in ages either... my suggestion would be to go to a couple more places & see if their applications are similar. if so, i have no suggestions for you, but if they're not, tell this jerkwad to shove off!

[Shaun]

Doesn't even make sense that they would need all that. SSN I can see, so they can run a credit check, but I would try and avoid giving even that out.

[Vater Araignee]

I don't think you would have any legal recourse if you denied him information and got refused housing because of it.

If I remember correctly the only monetary rule a landlord is prohibited from making is based on source of income a good attorney may be able to make a case of the CC# requirement as a source of income violation. So the best thing you can do is to try and find a fair housing attorney who will give you a cheap consult.

READ:

Fair Housing Laws and Presidential Executive Orders

Public Act No. 112 Michigan's Fair Housing Act of 1968

It may be possible for you to find county and local municipality laws also.

[Ryle Hira]

The last time I rented, the only thing the landlord asked for was my SSN to run a basic credit report and criminal background check. She gave all the information to me the day I signed the lease agreement which contained a paragraph regarding this information being secured during processing and returned in full.

I would NOT (having working in the collection industry and ID theft anaylist for years) EVER give that information to anyone without something in writing stating the information is secured and will not be misused.

[taysteewonderbunny]

No, no, no. They shouldn't have the account numbers. I don't even think it's legal for them to ask. The social security number is, though, because they can use that to generate a credit report--HOWEVER, they should have a legal waiver which you must sign first acknowledging that they plan on making the credit inquiry because those inquiries (and potential subsequent rejection based upon that inquiry) can affect your score.

From what you said was on the application sounds to me more like this is a scam. NEVER give bank account information and credit card numbers to your landlord or employer. They have no legal reason to obtain them.

[Destroit]

I've been a landlord for a few years now and know the law. We can only ask you to sign certain things: rental agreement, disclosures, drug-free (or smoke-free even) policies (if applicable), and we can ask you for your SSN for both a credit check and criminal background check. We can also ask the name of your bank, and under certain government housing projects, they can ask for specific account information (it's to make sure you are as low-income as you say you are, and not sitting on a fat bank account full of cash and are just trying to get cheap rent). If you're not trying to rent government-subsidized housing and they're asking for any specific account information, that is illegal. I'd check local area laws and maybe ask the police department or court, they might not be able to give you specific advice but can present you with the actual law as it stands on paper, just in case there's maybe some variance in your local law I don't know about. But like with everyone else, it sounds like this is either a scam or the guy is completely clueless, whatever the intent, I wouldn't do it if I were you.

I've been a landlord for a few years now and know the law. We can only ask you to sign certain things: rental agreement, disclosures, drug-free (or smoke-free even) policies (if applicable), and we can ask you for your SSN for both a credit check and criminal background check. We can also ask the name of your bank, and under certain government housing projects, they can ask for specific account information (it's to make sure you are as low-income as you say you are, and not sitting on a fat bank account full of cash and are just trying to get cheap rent). If you're not trying to rent government-subsidized housing and they're asking for any specific account information, that is illegal. I'd check local area laws and maybe ask the police department or court, they might not be able to give you specific advice but can present you with the actual law as it stands on paper, just in case there's maybe some variance in your local law I don't know about. But like with everyone else, it sounds like this is either a scam or the guy is completely clueless, whatever the intent, I wouldn't do it if I were you.

[LadyKay]

I've been a landlord for a few years now and know the law. We can only ask you to sign certain things: rental agreement, disclosures, drug-free (or smoke-free even) policies (if applicable), and we can ask you for your SSN for both a credit check and criminal background check. We can also ask the name of your bank, and under certain government housing projects, they can ask for specific account information (it's to make sure you are as low-income as you say you are, and not sitting on a fat bank account full of cash and are just trying to get cheap rent). If you're not trying to rent government-subsidized housing and they're asking for any specific account information, that is illegal. I'd check local area laws and maybe ask the police department or court, they might not be able to give you specific advice but can present you with the actual law as it stands on paper, just in case there's maybe some variance in your local law I don't know about. But like with everyone else, it sounds like this is either a scam or the guy is completely clueless, whatever the intent, I wouldn't do it if I were you.

Nope no government housing. Just a local person who was renting out a house. Anyway we decided to go someplace else. Thanks for the feedback.