Credit report request? DONT LET THESE 'LANDLORDS' FOOL YOU

While looking through my Google Alerts for Landlord information in Toronto and updates I was drawn to this advertorial (RANT) on Kijiji (an internet advertising site)

THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO REASON FOR AN OWNER OF A HOUSE TO REQUEST YOUR CREDIT REPORT - ALSO KNOWN AS YOUR LIFE.

It is an EXTREMELY personal file and is only allowed to be requested by authorized individuals, i.e, you have a license to be giving loans/lines of credit which require a credit check or you are employed by a company that involves credit.

If anyone feels uncomfortable with this request, no problem. By law, this is not a reason to refuse tenancy if there is no lease being signed. Instead, you may provide a letter from your bank or manager / supervisor / boss/ current landlord stating and validating your dependability as well as your rent-history.

On an extremely unprofessional but required note : screw you guys. Just because you saw one idiot stating that they needed it, does not mean you do. You most likely don't know how to READ a credit report and attribute the credit score with a tenants capability to produce rent. Shame on you, dogs. As if you're not already over-charging tenants, you feel you have the authority to impose yourself like this as well.

Now, Lets assume that you are the landlord, Do you feel that you are entitled to ask if they have a) employment b) income c) credit history in your selection of a tenant?

If You were the bank lending money on a mortgage, Is it any different that you expect to be repaid and are seeking confirmation of that capacity?

Now, we will have Tenants (who read somewhere something online) that believe the ranting of someone who writes these missives, to be the law.

The internet is a great thing but some of the posting need to be thought about with common sense. But then again, as my Father often remarked if Sense was common everyone would have it. What are your thoughts?

Would you take a tenant without a Credit Bureau Report? Would you rent merely on a hand shake. These are all great questions for my ongoing series with Larry the Landlord. Have a place that needs a tenant I can help.