First things first: when we talk about “background checks,” what do we really mean? A background check on a potential tenant can provide a variety of detailed information about their criminal history, including previous evictions. It’s best to work with a service provider that has a reputation quality checks with detailed information if you want to make sure you’re getting the full, accurate history of a potential renter.
What’s the benefit of looking into a tenant’s criminal and eviction history? The answer is simple: it mitigates the risk of accepting a renter with a troublesome past who’s likely to put a property manager at financial or even legal risk. While financial history is beneficial for determining if someone is likely to be able to consistently pay rent on time, a full background check can reveal information that a property manager may not have even considered.
A criminal check can range from convictions within the local county to a multijurisdictional search that retrieves information from criminal activity on the state or even national level. Depending on the type of tenants a property usually houses, it may be prudent to make sure the search is extended to a full national check in order to find out if something happened outside the area. These searches will allow property owners and managers to make an informed decision based on the type of activity obtained through the search. For example, a manager may decide to sign a lease with someone convicted of a minor infraction, but not with someone who’s been convicted of theft or violent crime, which may put other tenants at risk and leave the management open to legal trouble.
Our particular data base reports provide information regarding criminal and eviction history, sex offender and terrorist watch list data, social security number verification, and social security death index. We also validate the applicant’s name, address, and previous addresses.
For more information on background checks, please contact us here at Tenant Screening Center. We’re happy to help!
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