Social media checks

A post in the Adelaide thread got me thinking. How many of you do a check on social media for your tenants? Or if you rent, on your landlord - even just for reviews?

I looked up my current landlord on FB and every status update was "f***" this, or "c***" that. A pretty angry attitude all round. Plus she had a few risque pics on there too that I didn't mind. All for the public to see. It certainly explains a lot.

Interested to hear others thoughts. Is it an invasion of privacy?

 

I do a quick facebook check and Google search when the PM gives me an application. Only started doing this recently in the last year or two. I check some of my ex tenants on there that were terrible and they are constantly $hitposting about their lives. If they gave me an application now based on what I can see I wouldn't give them a go.

 

There's nothing more revealing than a good thorough cyber-stalking to dig up some dirt.

 

Not an invasion of privacy for 2 reasons -
1) They've signed a privacy statement on the application form which says we can do all necessary checks,
2) its publicly available / publicly accessible information anyway

I'm not going to go into what we check in public, suffice to say we've seen applicants doing unsavoury or illegal things, and references who aren't really references.

 

I do stalk on FB for sure - if they look too bogan they're a no. That said, current ones aren't bogan at all, and they're differently troublesome.

 

I do a google check to see if they have done anything illegal or been in jail.

 

Unless there is a concern it is best not do not to dig too deeply into peoples lives to pass instant judgements and unnecessarily fill your head with this stuff.

Yes I have done the occasional look up to see if they are human etc and then I move on.

Any savvy property manager would unofficially do the same as part of the quest to recommend the applicant.

 

I do checks on everyone, customers at work, tradies doing work on my house etc etc. Just like my mate decided not to use a certain brisbane sparky as when you go to his site he was a very severe white supremacist, and whith an asian wife and children it may not be someone you want in your house.

 

Do you qualify the referees in the same way?

 

was @ work when I accidentally put a customer on speaker phone. "she" (the customer) had a gorgeous voice and in no time I was surrounded by half dozen male colleagues...

while I was still on the call, another colleague did a FB stalking of the customer.. all of a sudden, colleagues disappeared after seeing her profile pic

FB stalking is not only for real estate...

 

Im curious as to how you access/find this information?

 

My first call is my life experience: we insist to meet the Tenants before we sign them up.

I believe we are able to somehow gauge a person from the first 10 minutes of meeting. Thus far those we think might be slight trouble, turns out they are. And those we think are wonderful, all turned out even nicer after they moved in.

That said, we do sometimes use social media (FB, LinkedIn, Instagram) . Especially true on prospective tenants, about to be rejected. Also used for current Tenants when we see patterns of problems.

Most importantly, do not friend Tenants on FB!

 

All the more reason I'm glad I have NO social media profile.

 

@HUGH72 - pipl.com is your friend when looking at a cyber footprint.

 

My brother did a Google search a few years in when rent started to be late. No joke, the tenant couple were arrested by police for a major drug smuggling ring! Explained why the carpet had been pulled up around the edges in the brand new place....someone was hiding something

 

Very interesting although,this is predominately American, is there an Australian equivalent??

 

@Tanya1335 - Look yourself up - it looks for your profile & doesn't care where you're based. Email address is a great start.

 

How do you know this from a Google Search?

 

Wow I will be using this more often