Yesterday I was told that I should not ask my letting agent the race, religion, nationality nor language of a prospective tenant in case I am breaking the law by asking, or he is by answering, especially if I don't like the answer and refuse to let on those grounds.
Apart from prejudice, are there any practical reasons for wanting to know? These are the thoughts going through my mind. What are the chances that somebody from overseas will want to return to another country? What if they are here illegally and get deported so the landlord loses the rent? Can you check references if they have just arrived. (Often if somebody from overseas has no income nor credit history in this country, the landlord or agent will ask for the whole year's rent in advance, or the tenant will offer it.)
From an insurance point of view, your insurance might not cover a property left empty, so you might want to put in a contract that if the tenant goes overseas, they must tell you when they are coming back and leave contact details. Otherwise, supposing they left the flat completely empty, how would you know whether they intended coming back? They might have been taken ill, died or been imprisoned overseas.
It is also handy to have a forwarding address. They may say they are not expecting anything important. But then your mailbox is full of items addressed to them and others, including council tax bills, doctors, parking fines, possible bailiffs visits, electricity bills.
You may also want to consider their particular habits or needs. For example, vegetarian tenants might want all plates and cooking utensils removed. They might accept only new items.
Would a cake or a bottle of wine served at the signing, or sent as a moving in gift, be welcome, or cause visible embarrassment to a vegetarian, kosher or Halal teetotaller?
My family is on the management committee for a block of flats. One tenant took out a new electricity contract and was sent a box of chocolates as a gift. She looked most confused and eventually handed them to the landlord. The chocolates were in the shape of pigs.
Such a pity. They were very nice chocolates.
Apart from prejudice, are there any practical reasons for wanting to know? These are the thoughts going through my mind. What are the chances that somebody from overseas will want to return to another country? What if they are here illegally and get deported so the landlord loses the rent? Can you check references if they have just arrived. (Often if somebody from overseas has no income nor credit history in this country, the landlord or agent will ask for the whole year's rent in advance, or the tenant will offer it.)
From an insurance point of view, your insurance might not cover a property left empty, so you might want to put in a contract that if the tenant goes overseas, they must tell you when they are coming back and leave contact details. Otherwise, supposing they left the flat completely empty, how would you know whether they intended coming back? They might have been taken ill, died or been imprisoned overseas.
It is also handy to have a forwarding address. They may say they are not expecting anything important. But then your mailbox is full of items addressed to them and others, including council tax bills, doctors, parking fines, possible bailiffs visits, electricity bills.
You may also want to consider their particular habits or needs. For example, vegetarian tenants might want all plates and cooking utensils removed. They might accept only new items.
Would a cake or a bottle of wine served at the signing, or sent as a moving in gift, be welcome, or cause visible embarrassment to a vegetarian, kosher or Halal teetotaller?
My family is on the management committee for a block of flats. One tenant took out a new electricity contract and was sent a box of chocolates as a gift. She looked most confused and eventually handed them to the landlord. The chocolates were in the shape of pigs.
Such a pity. They were very nice chocolates.
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