Sudden Mention of Age Minimum for Renting Apartment- help needed

Parent Cafe
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<p>My grad student D had some unexpected news today and something about the whole thing just doesn’t seem right to me. She now lives way on the north side of Chicago (up by Evanston) with two room mates and they all need to move closer to school (right in the Loop) for next year. D and roomies went to look at a complex where the rent is tied to income and which advertises to students and young adults, in addition to families They loved it and filled out the preliminary paperwork with a target move-in date of Mid-June, which the agent told them was perfectly possible. At least one other group (also of 3) of their friends put their names in for a place the next week Today, D receives a call from the agent (which she couldn’t answer because she was in the middle of a presentation) but the message said that a unit was available on 5/1 and did they want it?! D gets home and finds out that the agent had connected with one of her room mates and had asked him for the birth dates of the other two because they didn’t allow anyone under the age of 24 on the lease! Room mate stalled agent by saying that he didn’t know the exact dates and they’d get back to her tomorrow.
Meanwhile, the other group of friends had been contacted and told that one of their members wasn’t acceptable because she was 23 and Canadian (she is a student with a work visa)!! D will be a second year Masters student but on her birthday in August, will only be 23 and since a “government-issued ID” is required, she can’t add an extra year to her age! Her two room mates don’t qualify under the income guidelines without D in the group, so they’re stuck now too.</p>

<p>D had clearly listed her birth date on the paperwork they had filled out and left with the rental agent earlier in March and nothing was ever mentioned about a “24+” requirement and there is no mention of age on the web site or in their hard materials (brochures and view book). So, first they are asked if they want this unit that’s available and then this new “requirement” pops up?</p>

<p>Is this allowed? They tie the rent of some of the units to income and state that they accept full time students and also have families with young children in the complex. I should mention that her room mates are 26 and the other will be 24 in May. D has a Teaching Asst. position at school and top grades and references.
Any help would be appreciated- Thanks!</p>

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<p>If you do a search on landlord/tenant issues on this forum alone, you will see that LL’s can do pretty much anything they want. I’m guessing in this case, the age has something to do with the LL’s concern about responsibility/partying. etc. Young children are a different case as they are not living on a lease of their own, but under their parents’ leases.Brochures mean nothing, they are only marketing tools. But maybe your D can ask for where they state this policy.</p>

<p>I doubt anything is fishy other than that they simply don’t like young renters. Income-based rentals also are sometimes tied to government regulations so that may be at work here too. </p>

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<p>It’s age discrimination, but hard to say if it’s worth making a case. Is there any way YOU can sign the lease for D? </p>

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<p>Unfortunately not, @sylvan8798, because they require income and asset verification and tax returns which is how they see that grad students are financially independent. I own my home, so they consider me “wealthy” ( wish I did…)!</p>

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<p>Call the school and see if there is counsel there that helps out in student affairs. My college had one. Or can give a referral and see if they know if this is permitted and also if this is usual at that apartment building. Age discrimination is there—try to have someone under whatever age try to rent a car at some of the rental agencies-- and clearly legal in certain scenarios. </p>

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<p>It’s not age discrimination under federal law–that term is reserved for folks over 40–and unless Illinois or Chicago says differently (highly unlikely), your D needs to move on to another apartment complex. Speaking as a landlord, I think it’s perfectly reasonable to have a minimum age on renters, but that requirement should be disclosed up front so as not to waste everyone’s time.</p>

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<p>Have they paid any fee? They should at least get that back.</p>

<p>I would also suggest that they complain to the Better Business Bureau.</p>

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<p>I am not surprised by this, some insurance companies even require such restrictions in order to cover the property especially as far as student rentals are concerned. It is a bummer they didn’t mention this in the beginning, you’d think that’d be the first thing they’d ask a group of young students! </p>