Legal Question in Real Estate Law in California

Re: Rental Applications for Apts/Condos

Yes, the prospective tenant may be rejected for any or no reason, except for discriminatory reasons.

There are credit check services to which many landlords subscribe. You might check with the local board of realtors to get a referral to such a service.

Re: Rental Applications for Apts/Condos

Yes, as attorney Cohen correctly points out, you can be denied a rental for any reason, so long as it is not discriminatory. As for the "checks" a landlord can make, there is a company which is a subsidiary of First American Financial (First American Title Company, etc...) which has a tenant screening service. As a landlord, you can subscribe directly to their service. It will check not only credit score and history, but it also checks public record for any evictions filed against the tenant (traditional credit reports only reflect evictions that have gone to judgment), and any judgments against them. Also, prior landlords, if subscribers to the system, can post the equivalent of a credit report item - reporting on their rent payment history, etc... Its a good service if you are in the business of renting apartments, and it even allows you to screen criminal history (with tenant's permission, of course). Their website is www . residentscreening . net.

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Re: Rental Applications for Apts/Condos

The landlord has the right to do a proper credit check, with approval of the tenant using the ID info supplied. If the tenant refuses to cooperate, reject them. Any landlord that doesn't do such background check is quite foolish.