[tedmiston]

> After going through applications at 3 places and getting rejected, I realized something was off.

So did you investigate what that something is? (Unclear to me)

[nassir]

That something could be:- - Too many good applicants with better credentials (I doubt this part) - Landlords pocketing fees from as many applicants as possible. - The tenant is now a commodity, unlike 7 years ago.. There are no regulations protecting potential tenants - Something like a single standard application that could be used across potential rental properties would be helpful - Subjectivity of the landlord. I sense landlords figure that there are certain types that will stay in the property longer and will keep the property in order. People with kids are seen as a red flag sometimes, and single people miht not stay in one place too long. And I can guarantee there are some unspoken racial considerations in there.

Anyways, I do suggest people get a credit monitoring app like credit karma and negotiate with a landlord to use that if possible.

[floatrock]

he's saying "lots of people are probably running this scam" as an explanation his shitty experience with the shittiness that is the bay area housing market.

[tedmiston]

Ah, okay. After reading the author's Medium post, I wasn't as convinced the rest of HN that he's actually being scammed. Put another way, he has not convinced me that the issue doesn't lie in something unique to his situation or his credit report. Most of the "red flags" mentioned, as others have pointed out here, are not abnormal in (legitimate) apartment rental application processes, my own included.