Before accepting a prospective renter’s application materials, a landlord will need to provide the renter with information on the landlord’s minimum screening criteria, Kranzler said.
When the landlord receives a completed application — in person, electronically or through the mail — the landlord will be required to make note of the date and time.
The landlord will be required to screen multiple applications in the order in which they were received and make offers to qualified renters in that order.
A prospective renter won’t necessarily know her position in line, but she can ask SOCR to investigate by checking the landlord’s records.
Prospective renters will also have the option to sue a landlord when they think they’ve been skipped — an aspect of the policy that bothers landlord groups.