Is this housing discrimination?

[Meryem467 35]

Hello, my husband and I live in Tennessee and he is here on a K1 visa. We have already applied for AOS. We are trying to lease an apartment and many apartment offices have told us that they will not lease to use because my husband does not yet have his Social Security number. Does anyone know if this is even legal or what I should do? 

[Boiler 43,401]

SSN is the first thing you can apply for as a K1.

 

Not sure why it would not be legal. Presumably they want it to do a background check.

[millefleur 5,035]

4 minutes ago, Meryem467 said:

Hello, my husband and I live in Tennessee and he is here on a K1 visa. We have already applied for AOS. We are trying to lease an apartment and many apartment offices have told us that they will not lease to use because my husband does not yet have his Social Security number. Does anyone know if this is even legal or what I should do? 

SSN's are used to run background checks and credit checks, which can be common for leasing agents to require. Did they specify why they need his SSN?

[Ben&Zian 4,397]

5 minutes ago, Meryem467 said:

Hello, my husband and I live in Tennessee and he is here on a K1 visa. We have already applied for AOS. We are trying to lease an apartment and many apartment offices have told us that they will not lease to use because my husband does not yet have his Social Security number. Does anyone know if this is even legal or what I should do? 

 

Some apartments won't because they have no way of verifying who someone is, it most likely is in their property management contract which, I'm sure has been reviewed dozens of time by the property management's lawyers, so I'm pretty sure it is legal. Also without a SSN, who's to say the person isn't illegal or an overstay. That's the apartments rights to verify it's tenants. Not everything is 'discrimination'. Really dislike that word honestly. It's like crying wolf.

Edited April 4, 2019 by Ben&Zian

[Ben&Zian 4,397]

Think of it this way in sense of background checks. The apartment complex, and property management has a responsibility to also protect all other tenants. If they can't verify who someone is through a SSN, how do they know they aren't letting in a sexual predator, or a murderer? 

[Lil bear 3,831]

Are you trying to have both names on the lease ? If yes, then what would happen if you leased on your name only , with his name as a co tenant but not a leasee? 

[Lil bear 3,831]

In reality , someone newly arrived on a K1 has been vetted by deeper security checks than I would expect a SSN check to reveal. ! 

[Meryem467 35]

5 minutes ago, Ben&Zian said:

Think of it this way in sense of background checks. The apartment complex, and property management has a responsibility to also protect all other tenants. If they can't verify who someone is through a SSN, how do they know they aren't letting in a sexual predator, or a murderer? 

Yes, they want the SSN for the background check. I have explained our situation, that he is here legally and we can show them all the paperwork, but they still just say no. 

 

It definitely feels like discrimination because how is a new immigrant supposed to find housing if property management companies are allowed to never lease to anyone without a SSN? 

 

In any case, if anyone has any helpful ideas that would be great. 

[Boiler 43,401]

I think I got mine c 10 days after arrival.

 

Look for non corporate accommodation who might be more flexible.

[mytruelove18 607]

6 minutes ago, Meryem467 said:

Yes, they want the SSN for the background check. I have explained our situation, that he is here legally and we can show them all the paperwork, but they still just say no. 

 

It definitely feels like discrimination because how is a new immigrant supposed to find housing if property management companies are allowed to never lease to anyone without a SSN? 

 

In any case, if anyone has any helpful ideas that would be great. 

You can print his i-94 from cbp page and take his passport and birthcertificate and go to get his social security number, i did that when i arrived on my k1 visa, before i get married

[Crazy Cat 39,193]

16 minutes ago, Lil bear said:

Are you trying to have both names on the lease ? If yes, then what would happen if you leased on your name only , with his name as a co tenant but not a leasee? 

My experience has been that all occupants (outside a short term guest) must on the lease as occupants......and are subject to approval by the management company.

[saladboye 166]

Since the landlord already said that he wont give because a person doesn't have SSN, means landlord is in xxxxxxxx if you decide to report it.

 

If he had just said that we are unable to rent it to you, it would have been fine.

 

The purpose of the SSN is to do a BC / credit run, since he just came here, he is not going to have it, but that shouldn't be a thorn.

 

You could:

1. Submit the i-94 as proof

2. submit an ITIN number instead of SSN

 

Edited April 5, 2019 by Unlockable

[Meryem467 35]

10 minutes ago, mytruelove18 said:

You can print his i-94 from cbp page and take his passport and birthcertificate and go to get his social security number, i did that when i arrived on my k1 visa, before i get married

We've done that already and the social security office gave us a receipt saying it could take up to 4 weeks. We've been calling them all week because we are now over the 4 week mark. They said that USCIS has to verify his I94. Today we had an appointment with USCIS to see what the hold up is and they just told us "social security numbers can take a while." Even though the SS office said up to 4 weeks. Ugh. 

[Meryem467 35]

2 hours ago, saladboye said:

Since the landlord already said that he wont give because a person doesn't have SSN, means landlord is in xxxxxxxx if you decide to report it.

 

If he had just said that we are unable to rent it to you, it would have been fine.

 

The purpose of the SSN is to do a BC / credit run, since he just came here, he is not going to have it, but that shouldn't be a thorn.

 

You could:

1. Submit the i-94 as proof

2. submit an ITIN number instead of SSN

 

I checked out getting an ITIN, but I thought that he was ineligible because he is eligible for a SSN. Did I misunderstand what I read? 

Edited April 5, 2019 by Unlockable

[Lil bear 3,831]

2 minutes ago, Meryem467 said:

Yes, they want the SSN for the background check. I have explained our situation, that he is here legally and we can show them all the paperwork, but they still just say no. 

 

It definitely feels like discrimination because how is a new immigrant supposed to find housing if property management companies are allowed to never lease to anyone without a SSN? 

 

In any case, if anyone has any helpful ideas that would be great. 

I did a quick google search on this question and there is no law I could find that required a SSN in order to lease, but no obvious options either. You could try to try locating the tenancy group in TN.. a voluntary group that most landlords management groups are part of... and see if there are any suggestions from them