Near the end of May, Cook County in Illinois approved a new change to how and when landlords are allowed to access criminal records while running tenant screening. While landlords are still allowed to inquire about a potential tenant’s criminal history, they are only able to do it as a second step to the screening… Read more »
Posts Categorized: Tenant Screening
Stay Informed on Proposed Changes to Consumer Information Use
Questions over consumer privacy, particularly in regard to credit reporting agencies like Experian, have become a hotly debated topic on a state and federal level. In February, several Senate hearings addressed the need for improved disclosure of the categories of data collected and shared, as well as a need for opt-out processes. As of now,… Read more »
Why Tenant Verification Service is Successful at Reducing Fraud
You just met with a really nice prospective tenant. They see like they have their act together, they were friendly, and they answered every question well. You’re feeling pretty good about them. Should you trust your gut and extend them a rental agreement? Well, while trusting your gut can be a good thing in many… Read more »
How Tenant Verification Protects Your Business
Why is tenant verification so important? Because it helps you determine not only the best tenant for your given property but also gives you the information you need to make a good business choice as a landlord. Any tenant can walk into a showing and put their best foot forward, making you feel at ease,… Read more »
How to Check My Tenant Screening Report
What is a tenant screening report, first of all? What does it include? There are a variety of answers to this question depending on which service (and which package within that service ) you choose to go with. Your report may include at least one or all of the following: criminal background check, eviction history,… Read more »
Tenant Screening Services for Realtors
The housing market is forever in flux – sometimes it’s up, up, up, and other times it’s down, down, down. With each peak and valley comes unique challenges for realtors, whether they’re working with limited inventory in high periods or looking into rentals for their clients during the lows. There are several reasons why rentals… Read more »
All That Glitters: When Rental Applicants Try to Appear Affluent
When we go about our daily lives, we want to assume that everyone is exactly who they say they are and they aren’t trying to trick or exploit us to get what they want. In reality, landlords and property managers are running a business and housing is in high demand. It’s inevitable that tenant applicants… Read more »
Are Your Rental Applicants Being Honest with You?
Here’s one more reason why tenant screening is such an important step in your rental application process: it helps catch potential lies before you get stuck in a contract with someone who fudged facts. As a general rule, it’s nice to give people the benefit of the doubt and hope that they’re being honest with… Read more »
Rental Applicant Red Flag: Oversharing and Setting the Stage
Have you ever had a rental applicant who overshared with you right off the bat? Maybe they wanted to tell you a story about how unreasonable their last landlord was or about that time they got caught up in something that definitely wasn’t their fault. You might hear about a “crazy” ex-partner or a misunderstanding… Read more »
Beware Tenants Who Will “Take Anything”
As a landlord, it’s always nice to deal with friendly, flexible tenants. During the interview process while you’re reviewing applications, it can be something of a relief to have a family come in and tell you they’re happy to do whatever you need them to do because they’ll accept anything. However, it’s important to be… Read more »