Date Posted: 2012-09-25 02:27:54
Site Posted: Myproperty.ph
When meeting with a landlord, you should expect a lot of questions during the interview; after all, they’re deciding to rent out their property to a complete stranger. Some of the things they might ask you about to determine your suitability as a tenant are your income, your credit history and your references.
However, whether a lender means to or not, he might ask some questions that seem to cross the line. In this situation, not only will you feel uncomfortable, this might also be a sign that you will have problems with the landlord if he accepts you as a renter. Beware of the landlord of an apartment or condo for rent who asks the following questions:
“What is your religious affiliation?”
A question like this indicates that the landlord may have strong feelings regarding his own faith and would prefer a renter who shares his belief. While everyone is free to choose the religion that he wants to practice, you have to be wary of landlords who might discriminate against everyone else. He may appear to be fine with your affiliation when things start out, but be sure that he doesn’t give you a hard time with things like creating a prayer room or hanging up Christmas decorations in the rental later on.
“Are you physically disabled?”
Your landlord should not ask you questions connected to any condition or disability you have, like how you lost a limb or if you’re taking any type of medication, as this is a violation of your privacy. If he questions your need for a seeing-eye dog, this could be his attempt to get you to pay more money if he has a no-pets policy. A question regarding certain requirements such as installing handrails in the bathroom or ramps for your wheelchair might indicate that any changes, no matter how necessary, will still be taken from your security deposit.
“Do you have children?”
The landlord is allowed to find out how many people will be moving into the rental property. What they shouldn’t have to ask is if there will be children or babies staying with you, or if you’re pregnant. If they do allow you to rent the property and something goes wrong, they might suddenly reason out that your children are making too much noise or are destroying the rental, and then use this as an excuse to evict you.
Finding an apartment or condo to rent is hard enough, but if you have to deal with certain probes that are a bit uncomfortable, it can be downright stressful. Think twice about moving into a rental run by a landlord that asks these questions.
Jillian Cariola, Writer
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