Helping my mom find a rental, can a landlord do this?

That is not standard & quite rude but not illegal. It would not be breaking any laws to require an application & credit check before looking at the place but most landlords do not do it that way. Most landlords will show you the place before demanding an application & credit check. It is also legal to require the tenant to provide a credit report although this is also not common practice. In fact many landlords will not accept a credit report provided by a tenant. Most landlords prefer to run their own checks. The government is NOT the only one that can require your ss#. Landlords can require it & doctors do too. Landlords are required by law to keep this info private & protected. If they do not & you can prove it then you can sue them.

This guy does sound like a jerk. Just keep looking until you find a landlord without anal cranial displacement.

EDIT: "Are there no governing laws/rules as to the qualifications of the person checking your credit?" Nope. A private landlord is not required to qualify in anyway, take any classes & are not regulated but they still have every right to get a tenant's ss#. If they do anything with it but check her credit all you can do is sue them.

If she wants to rent any place she is going to have to give her ss#. It may not seem fair & you may not like it but that is how it works.

I have been a rental manager for 25 years and it is common that we do credit checks at the applicant interview along with rental history and criminal backround checks. it's my right. I'm not renting to you unless you pass all 3. I am however happy to show you an apartment and talk before we do the reports, but we need to start them that day. I do charge an application fee to pay for these reports, sounds like she's just trying to save you the fee. keep in mind that rental properties suffer many looses by not fully checking out applicants in advance. And yes we require SS numbers. If someone comes to my office and doesnt want to furnish the information I need I will simply go to the next person in line.

Landlords do often ask for a SSN. We used to, but quit a few years ago - I just wasn't comfortable holding this information. I tend to agree with you that one's SSN is in too many places, and landlords are not regulated enough to know where that information might end up.

I do ask to see a driver's license/passport to verify ID, but rely more on current income and student loans (and criminal background checks) than past credit history. BUT that's because we Iive in a state where I can evict rather quickly (within 2 weeks) for non-payment. I've had more than one bankrupt tenant. They know to pay me or get evicted.

I'm afraid my answer though is the same as the others, but I'd still pass on this guy and find someone else.

YES, of course, he can do a credit check. Look at it from HIS perspective. HE wants to be PAID each month and a great many landlord have had problems with bums who either can't or won't pay the rent. ALSO, he is trusting someone with HIS property and he would like to get that propery back in good condition.

Yes, he can require that you prove you are acceptable before he wastes his time.

They can absolutely require the SSN. You can decline to supply it but that gives them a damn good reason to decline to rent to your mother.

If she wants to live where this is not required she is going to be living in a slum house in the ghetto.

You are being scammed for your personal information. Hire a realtor to ensure you are dealing with a legitimate landlord