Dishing the Private Dirt: Landlords and Tenants Spill the Beans

Benjamin Franklin once said that it takes many good deeds to build a reputation, and only one bad one to lose it. Although this saying applies to a variety of situations, lately it seems to apply particularly well to the privacy issues that surface for tenants of rental properties. While tenants may think they are doing everything right, their landlord still has the opportunity to dish the dirt on them to the world, which ultimately can lead to that person being denied acceptance into another rental apartment.

This scenario has played out for numerous people around the country, and it may soon become an issue for many others. While a tenant may think he’s a model resident, his reputation can be tarnished by his former landlord after he moves out. Landlords have been turning to sites like Rentersq.com where they have the opportunity to divulge private information about their current and former tenants. This creates a ‘rap sheet’ of sorts on each tenant, one that other landlords can later read and use in their decision-making process about whether they will accept the new applicant or not.

Technology Twist
Sure, we think that technology was invented to make life easier. But the reality doesn’t always live up to those expectations. Sites like www.Rentersq.com are seen as a double-edged sword. They provide a necessary service for landlords, who need to have decent and respectful tenants in their rental units, and to renters looking for properties. At the same time, they are compromising private information about the tenants that once lived in each unit. That information can potentially be embarrassing to a former tenant, or even harmful enough to prevent them from being accepted into other rental units.
“Right now, we find ourselves at the center of a sticky issue when it comes to the privacy of tenants around the world,” explains Simon Stanley, creator of RentersQ, a division of Tip-Mart, Inc., located in Santa Monica, Calif. “But we are neutral. Our mission is to provide each party in the rental process with what they need in order to make an informed decision on whom to rent to.”
As he explains, before such technological advances were made available to the public at large, deciding who to rent to was a much more of a gamble. Today, with the help of Rentersq.com, landlords can learn much more than just whether tenants are known for paying their rent on time. Other issues may include whether they were smokers, had pets, were known for making a lot of noise, or -- no the bright side -- were known for being model residents, all within just a few clicks on the computer.
“Many people feel that their new landlords should only be given a rent-payment history,” says Stanley. “But when people put themselves in a landlord’s shoes, they can easily see why this information is necessary. There’s much more to being a good tenant than just paying the rent on time. Some of the bigger issues come from the lifestyle they lead. If that lifestyle does not fit in with the type of community that landlords are offering, they have every right to know that information.”
Landlords Not Immune
Tenants can take comfort from knowing that they can also dish the dirt on landlords. Rentersq.com is also set up for tenants to give information and rate their landlords, so that other people considering renting from them know what type of landlord they are. While many people may not initially see this as a problem, it can potentially leave landlords with a limited number of applicants for their properties. If former tenants give poor reviews, it may cause someone considering renting their property to think twice.
It may not be seen as that much of a privacy issue, but people do have the ability to let others know if the landlord did unsavory things, like not making repairs in a timely manner, entering the property without notice, or simply being too nosey.
“The upside is the fact that tenants can just as easily give information about landlords,” says Stanley. “It may not be private information, like that regarding the tenant, but it is information that can still potentially damage a person’s reputation as a landlord. We try to maintain a level playing field, as far as the exchange of information goes.”
Privacy Protection
The bottom line is that people need to do everything they can in order to protect their reputation. This goes for landlords and tenants equally. Just as people are concerned with and monitor their credit report, it’s a good move to do the same with their rental-history reputation. It can make a difference in who rents from whom, and how much it will cost everyone involved.
“Most of the tools on our site are free. Everyone in the world has the opportunity to log on and check the status of their rental reputation, and to list and locate places for rent,” adds Stanley. “Keeping up on it and disputing incorrect information is the best route to take, for both landlords and past and present renters.”
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