No Social security (by jenn [MA]) Aug 7, 2014 7:30 AM
No Social security (by Vee [OH]) Aug 7, 2014 8:51 AM
No Social security (by tryan [MA]) Aug 7, 2014 1:20 PM
No Social security (by Barb [MO]) Aug 7, 2014 1:52 PM
No Social security (by Rrents [PA]) Aug 7, 2014 7:32 PM
No Social security (by Barb [MO]) Aug 7, 2014 8:42 PM
No Social security (by Jenn [MA]) Aug 8, 2014 6:14 AM
No Social security (by RentsDue [MA]) Aug 8, 2014 7:05 AM
No Social security (by Ken [NY]) Aug 8, 2014 2:46 PM
No Social security (by jenn [MA]) Aug 8, 2014 9:09 PM
No Social security (by RentsDue [MA]) Aug 9, 2014 5:54 AM
No Social security (by jenn [MA]) Posted on: Aug 7, 2014 7:30 AM Message:
State Specific Question About: MASSACHUSETTS (MA)
I am getting many students that would like to rent, however, most of them don't have a social security or they don't want to provide one. I understand that many are international students, but how does one do a background/credit check without a social? They are giving me their school acceptance letter, passport and such but no social. --173.0.x.xxx |
No Social security (by Vee [OH]) Posted on: Aug 7, 2014 8:51 AM Message:
Be cautious with a passport, copying is a federal offense, bestway with students is prepaid over 6 months. There is a sponsor family for them to arrive here, contact them for more info. --75.94.xxx.xxx |
No Social security (by tryan [MA]) Posted on: Aug 7, 2014 1:20 PM Message:
I get the parents to co-sign ... students rarely have the assests to qualify. Or get the years rent upfront (like the university does). --24.147.xx.xxx |
No Social security (by Barb [MO]) Posted on: Aug 7, 2014 1:52 PM Message:
I rent to a lot of students, and have done many foreign students. If they are a US Citizen, I simply state that there is no exception to the rule, that I am required by the rules of the company to get the Social Security numbers for all tenants who have them. If they choose not provide it, they are not considered for tenancy. It is a box on my form. If they do not complete the form, they go into the PENDING file.
For non-citizens who do not have Social Security numbers, I use other criteria. First, are they are sponsored student? If so, who is their sponsor? What is the housing allowance provided by that sponsor? They should be able to provide documentation as to a living stipend if they are a sponsored student. These students may or may not be able to provide 6 months or a year up front. They may be able to, but only by using a credit card, or only by having their sponsor cut you a check. At that point, you are a vendor to the company, need to provide them with a W-9 and you will get a 1099 at the end of the year if they file in the US. If they are sponsored by a foreign government, they may do it this way as well. If they have a housing allowance, they may either provide you with the monthly rent, or may ask you to charge it monthly to a card, or the sponsor might cut a check or do a direct transfer to you monthly.
A non-sponsored student may be different. Look at the local university. What are the requirements for non-US students? Do they have to provide proof of means to be accepted (mine does for non-sponsored students). If that is the case, ask to see the same proof they provided to the university. If they cannot provide it (because those documents are back home) they can get you a copy of their acceptance letter or schedule, showing acceptance, plus you know they have the means because the university likely did make them provide proof.
Some student have a combination situation. They have some means from back home, and they are being sponsored partly by the department via an assistant position. In this case, they often receive a monthly or bi-weekly salary or wage, and can pay out of that.
You may not be able to run your usual background checks. It IS legal to photocopy their passport information page for your records if they are a tenant applicant, particularly if that is the only ID they have (likely). You are copying it to put in your files that they are who they say they are. They are likely use to that.
There may not be a sponsor family. Most at my university do not have sponsor families. Foreign students often have an office in the university devoted to helping they arrange things. They may be working with a faculty member, or even just a guy on the phone in another state (especially if they work for an oil company). You can also ask for a copy of the information page from the Student Information System at their campus, possibly called Banner or PeopleSoft, or something else, but it is where they see their bill and their schedule. --131.151.xx.xxx |
No Social security (by Rrents [PA]) Posted on: Aug 7, 2014 7:32 PM Message:
I still don't think Jenn's question of how do you do a background check without a SSN has been answered? Should a LL just "assume" since a University admits an International student (without a SSN) than that student "must" have a clean background?
I have struggled with this situation as well with International students. I know they can provide proof of a stipend from their government for living allowances "as long as they maintain good standing." In most cases, I have received the rent payments on time but I have also been burned with a trashed apartment when they moved out and damages exceeding the normal security deposit.
I don't know what the right answer is but still looking to improve the process and protect our assets without discriminating.
--71.182.xxx.xx |
No Social security (by Barb [MO]) Posted on: Aug 7, 2014 8:42 PM Message:
My biggest problems with foreign students are:
1) I tell them the rent and they want to negotiate. When I get a call now from a student with an accent, I add $50 to what I expect so that I can negotiate down to what I really want.
2) The single males often refuse to clean. Many of them have maids at home and consider it beneath them. The last time I rented to a middle eastern male, I charged a double deposit, plus I assisted him in finding a cleaning service to come in every other week.
3)Many of the students from Asia (including India and China) think nothing of cramming 5 people onto a one bedroom apartment. I make sure they understand and initial that the apartment is only for those listed on the lease, and that if we discover more people living there, the additional rent is $ XXXX per month, retroactive to the first day of the lease. Also, plan to do major cleaning when they leave and lots of Kilz. There tends to be a lot of grease.
The issue is that without a SSN, it is very difficult to run any kind of background check.
I don't consider any of this discrimination, just recognition of cultural norms. I'm happy to rent to them, but they have to follow the same rules as everyone else. --216.229.xx.xxx |
No Social security (by Jenn [MA]) Posted on: Aug 8, 2014 6:14 AM Message:
Thanks for the replies everyone, they are helpful.
I don't know, I guess its best to avoid them if one can, but that is based on not being able to do a background check. I think that certain international males think that its someone else's job to clean, but I think this may apply to females as well.
What I am noticing now, is that even people with a social security are not giving it out easily. So, a landlord can just put in the ad "no social, no stay", and do things that way to avoid such tenants but I don't know if this a good way to go about it. Also, more and more people are coming over from far away that are not citizens, so this issue with social security is going to continue for landlords.
--173.0.x.xxx |
No Social security (by RentsDue [MA]) Posted on: Aug 8, 2014 7:05 AM Message:
Just a thought here. If we say "no" to the applicants who refuse to give a Ss# ( and we should say "no"), and then say yes to an international student or even an illegal who does not have a SS#.....aren't we then technically desciminating against the applicant who refused to give out the SS#? Argument could go both ways because an applicant who refuses to reveal any information may be doing it to hide something and the applicant who does not have a number can't give you what he does not have, but that doesn't mean he is better qualified than the applicant who refused. Either way you do not have the infomation to follow your screening criteria without that SS#. So is an exception for one an exception for all? Just curious how that would play out if challenged. --24.177.xxx.xx |
No Social security (by Ken [NY]) Posted on: Aug 8, 2014 2:46 PM Message:
Any American kid has a social security number nowdays otherwise there parents can't use them as a tax writeoff so I would believe every american kid has one with the exception of maybe amish or something like that --24.92.xx.xx |
No Social security (by jenn [MA]) Posted on: Aug 8, 2014 9:09 PM Message:
RentsDue: Well, the other problem is that lets just say that the international student goes and obtains a social security. What good is that besides establishing identity? Its not going to have any background or credit information on it since it just got made and the student just arrived. I suppose it maybe useful in court or during eviction, but as far as background and credit goes, I don't see any advantage in it. Also, since the school has already established the identity through acceptance letters, passport and such, then the social is even less useful.
American kids may even be less likely to give their social since they are taught from birth to protect it. --173.0.x.xxx |
No Social security (by RentsDue [MA]) Posted on: Aug 9, 2014 5:54 AM Message:
My point was that if you deny an applicant who has a SS# but refuses to give it to you- you are denying because applicant does not meet your screeing criteria . You can do that and should.If you then approve an international student with no SS#, you are not using the same screening criteria and that could be a problem. Maybe not, because the student can't give you what he doesn't have. I've been to enough Fair Housing lectures to make me not very likely to do this. What if that applicant who refuses to give the SS# is a protected class. If they claim discrimination for any reason and you say it was because of no SS.... You will need to show that every other applicant had a SS#. If you have other approved applicants with no SS#- the rejected applicant does have a case and probably a free lawyer. Might be paranoid......but those Fair Housing lectures made me this way. --24.177.xxx.xx |
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