I understand why it would be imoportant for Landlords to request certain information about employment and also to be allowed to establish rules like no smoking or no pets allwed in a dwelling. But I've noticed that some leasing advertisements have stipulations that seem to imply that they will not lease to certain people based on specific activities, even if they take place outside of the rental. And many lease applications, will ask for this kind information in advance without specifying how or if it will be used in tenant selection. For example, tobacco and e-cigarette use is often specifically mentioned in leases. I get that this could be justified as tobacco smoke lingers on a user etc. I'm just using it as an example because it's so common in lease agreements. I'm just curious how much control landlords can legally exert over a tenant's personal behaviors, in and out of a rental unit.
I know there is a small subset of protected classes that can't be used for tenant screening, like religion, age, race, family status, and maybe now sexual orientation. But are there any requirements for landlords to justify other exclusionary stipulations or requests for personal information? Or can a landlord legally refuse a tenant for any non-protected reason, including for activities that take place outside the rental property? Like, could they craft a lease in such a way that tenants could be unilaterally evicted if they were seen using a Juul in a public space, or having a beer at the pub? Could they theoretically make a hard and fast rule against all knitting and crochet in rental unit? Just trying to understand the theoretical limits of landlord control over tenants.