To reject potential tenants before I've met them, based on their Facebook profile?

[GunpowderGelatine]

I'm a private landlord and my flat will be available to rent again next month. Like I always do when I get a new tenant, I've advertised it on a local Facebook page. I've had quite a lot of enquiries, as it's fully furnished and a low price. I've checked out the Facebook profiles of the people enquiring and they include people who have the following on their profiles (I haven't friended any, this is what I can see publicly)

• An intro saying "If you don't like me then simple fuck off"
• A cover picture of a marijuana plant
• Shared memes like the attached

WIBU to say no upfront to these people?

Absolutely. I am also a landlord and we vet tenants ourselves. In 10 years its worked - I choose people that I feel will make a good tenant. So we have rejected the couple with the high paid jobs at the big local employer who had a very snooty attitude and chose the couple that did unreliable shift work for minimum wage but were friendly, open about their situation.
Looking at what their public fb posts say is an extension of going with your gut feel - and I'm a big believer in that...
This assumes though that you have more than enough tenants to choose from - I'm a big advocate of being £50pm cheaper than equivalent properties - we get a big pool of people to pick from...

To all of you Landlord on here can I ask a genuine question? Would you reject me on the following:

I'm disabled (34) with a 3yr old child. My income from long term Disability Benefits (inc High Rate PIP) is just over £25k and is awarded for 5 year periods.
I have been privately renting for 16 years with perfect references from previous & current Letting Agents (well known & highly regarded in the area). Never missed a payment or been late on a payment in 16 years and never once had a single complaint.
However, my credit rating was destroyed by my daughter's father who hid debts he put in my name which led to 4 CCJs as I moved house - totally unaware of any debts & subsequent County Court Hearings! (These total around £5k and I'm currently battling to have them sorted).
I only have my mother as a Guarantor who owns her home outright, however she is a Pensioner with nowhere near the income required these days by Agents for Guarantors (30x Rent).

I paid 6 months upfront for this house but was still only accepted as I was with my Daughter's Father who worked full time.
I have since been told that despite all the above AND offering 6 months rent in advance, that I'm unlikely to be accepted for anywhere as I'm not working!
I can't work, I have MS, Hypermobility Syndrome & Fibro. It's just not possible, despite my multiple attempts at doing so!

I desperately need a bungalow as I can't get up my stairs! Yet the last one I applied for said "Sorry, the Landlord doesn't want disabled people in his property, he wants working tenants!

I'm never going to find anywhere am I?

The Council have said that I can join the list by all means, but because I specifically need ground floor accommodation, that it is likely to be at least 12 years! As even people no can take a flat on any floor, a house or bungalow are still waiting 4/5 years. Even those in Emergency Accommodation and Refuges are waiting a minimum of 3 years :(

Maybe I should start my own thread? Just thought I'd ask as there seems to be many private Landlords on here!

Thanks :)

YANBU

I decided against going to our local hairdresser after seeing his Britain First heavy Facebook page. When there are lots of people to choose from whether to pay for a service, or trust in a rental property it’s handy to be able to filter out people who you aren’t particularly going to want to be in the same room as..

Yes Powerless might be an idea to start your own thread.

Thanks Ellie x

Reject them.

To be brutally honest Powerless probably not. For a start I think the terms of my BTL mortgage wouldn't allow me to.

I wouldn't be bothered about the general viewpoint as it doesn't necessarily affect their ability to pay the rent/be a good tenant. I would be bothered by the cannabis on the basis that they may be smokers and i'd rather not have that in my property (you can smell it inside even if they say they are only smoking outdoors)

If I was a landlord, I'd have a tenant like you in a heartbeat, powerless.

I get really angry that landlords are allowed to effectively discriminate against disabled people by refusing to have tenants on benefits.

I might want to ask a bit about the debt stuff and maybe sit down with you and work out if it was financially viable for you though.

Hell, no.

I'm do some tenant support/education. Where I live privacy law prevents landlords looking at social media as part of selection. However I always tell people that landlords look and to never put anything on FB that you wouldn't nail to a lamppost with your name and number attached, send to your gran and tell a SW about.

They not only have sexist drivel on their, they also have the poor judgement to post it publicly.

There.

On @Powerless post. I'd happily campaign for BTL landlords and their insurance companies not to be able to discriminate based on disability or lawful source of income. Why did car insurance companies get told they couldn't give preferential rates to women but other insurance companies get to encourage discrimination against people with disabilities? Wrong!

@Powerless i wouldn't be allowed to accept anyone on benefits due to the t&c's on my BTL mortgage

I have learnt from bitter experience to look for Internet presence from prospective tenants. Had a tenant who sailed through referencing, trouble was he was a fraudster who had printed it all off himself. When I began to have doubts, I searched for him. He didn't exist.

The next time around I suggested the agency did a basic search themselves. Small town so a couple of mutual friends popped up. He did not have the most straightforward referencing application but personal references mattered more and he has been brilliant.

I would not let to people I would find difficult to work with. There is a lot of trust and cooperation involved. So OP, don't worry. Just say no.

I would reject them without a second thought to be honest.

And yes, not renting to tenants on benefits was also a condition on our BTL mortgage I’m afraid.

I was going to say Yabu but reading the thread it's not just drunk pics or bands you don't like they all sounds like idiots so YANBU

I wouldn't even have to ask the question on here.

I wouldn’t rent to them. Being a dick is not a protected characteristic.

YANBU

To be fair they’ve given you clear instruction: if you don’t like them, fuck off. So no, you shouldn’t rent to them.

Definitely this.

I thought from the title you were going to BU but just from those 3 things you are not 😄

I wouldn't rent to them to be honest. They could be the best tenants in the world but there facebook choices wouldn't inspire me to take the risk.

A lot of insurance companies don't allow you to let to people on benefits so it isn't always the landlords choice

The meme could be ironic?? I laughed when I read it because it’s so ridiculous. But why risk it.

A few years ago my BIL had to pay a fairly large sum of money to a company to clean up his online presence.

He wanted to go for a very good job and knew some of the stuff that he'd put online through his teens and 20s would NOT go down well with the interview panel. (he got the job)

Lesson to us all really. YANBU, I'd have a damn good look at FB before letting out to someone. Why not?