Tenant Background Check
The Tenant Background Check
By Bruce Kitts
It was 1988 and I had just purchased my first rental property. A good friend who was already in the business told me to make sure I do a background check on anyone who wants to rent from me. I was like every other new landlord, I thought I knew everything I needed to know. I told my friend that doing a background check on a prospective tenant was just an extra expense and I didn't want to spend the money.
My first application was from a couple with one small child. They seemed nice enough, so I rented to them. Four months later they skipped out owing me ,100.00 in past due rent and there was ,400.00 damage to the property. The roaches were so bad that I had to treat the house four times for bugs. They left behind eight truckloads of trash and belongings.
When the ordeal was over, I spent the money to have a background check done on them. Turned out that they had a long history of landlord evictions and judgments for damage to rental property. That was my first experience with what the industry calls a "professional tenant".
The term "professional tenant", has been used for years to describe a person who is in the business of defrauding landlords. Typically they target the "little guy" with only a few properties. They tend to stay away from big companies who own large apartment complexes and have a pool of lawyers.
When you have a person come to you about renting one of your properties, the first thing you should do is tell then there is a .00 application fee. Tell them it is for a credit check; don't use the term background check. Some will choose right then and there not to fill out an application, fearing that you will find out about them. BUT, you would be surprised by how many dirt bags will go ahead with the application and dare you to find something. The reason they do that is that they are banking on the chance that you will just pocket the application fee and not really do the background check.
If you feel bad about asking for the .00, just tell them that they will get the fee returned if you decide to rent to them. I do not refund the fee.
Now it's Time to Do Something Really Smart.
Take the .00 and contact the fine folks at E-Renter or The Landlord Protection Agency and have them do a background check on your prospective new tenants. By doing this you will avoid a possible disaster. If you do not get a favorable background check, simply tell them that they were not accepted.
Keep in mind, if you do not rent to them, you must tell them why. Just tell them you received an unfavorable background check from E-Renter or TLPA. It is up to them to contact the agency; their argument is not with you. If you want, you can give them a copy of the report, after all, they paid for it. I always give them a copy if they ask. Tell them you are sorry and send them on their way. After they are gone, count your blessings that you were smart enough to check-up on them.
There you have it. Don't be a tightwad! Spend the .00 and get the report. Heck, the tenant is paying for it anyway.
For more about tenant relations and evictions, visit us at www.evictabadtenant.com.
February 18, 2011
9:37 pm
How can I get a good tenant background check for someone with only one rental?
I only have one rental and want to have a background tenant check for identity check, eviction, criminal records ect. I don’t want to join any monthly membership site since I may just do a background check no more than once a year.
thanks
Not like a spamming link such as that some douche bags try to post.
February 19, 2011
1:22 am
I have been researching and testing background check services for the last 8 months for a consumer review site. There are several options you might consider for doing a background check on a potential tenant. The main thing I assume you are looking at is how much does it cost. The best sites I found all cost around $25 per report which is pretty reasonable. If you want to read reviews on these sites just go here… http://www.CompleteReviews.net/backgroundchecks.html
Hope that helps!
March 1, 2011
2:19 pm
How do I find a good tenant background check service?
I’ve been a landlord now for the past 10 years and I’ve acquired many properties in various states. Now I have to make sure I properly screen my tenants to protect my investments. Is there a good tenant background checks service where I can get a complete background check on my tenants without hiring any to do it for me?
March 2, 2011
11:13 pm
I think it’s more a matter of the property management wanting you to have to go thru them to deal with the tenants. If they give you the file, you could just fire them.
March 3, 2011
12:19 am
There are a number of local background and payroll check companies that you will find. Always go local.
As a property manager of two decades, I would also:
Do a name search on the internet.
Make sure you are really speaking with a valid landlord for a reference check. If the you feel like you might be speaking to a fake friend over the phone, ask to meet with that person at the location, then also ask the neighbors of that tenant. (We found a lifelong San Quentin Inmate that way, he was temporarily parolled and committed another murder. He had his sister pretend to be his landlord. The neighbors all confirmed that he had never lived there.)
Always check the county court listings around your area. Use the four nearest counties, then search by last name at all their websites.
By doing this, you will indeed find tenants with messed up lives. The good news is that these folks actually tend to be better at paying their rent on time than most. They never want to look for another place to live.
The bigger issue is that you are looking for the paralegals. Paralegals are great. Then there are the paralegals who know all the renting laws and know how to make your life miserable and destroy your property and finances all too well.
Check references. It is always the tenant that you failed to check that destroys your world. Good luck.
March 3, 2011
6:54 am
Now as an long time landlord with much more at stake you probably have standards that your tenants must meet. You want to make sure they meet these standards in areas such as financial capacity, credit history, criminal background history, address and rental history, even the size of the family. By setting your own standard and running you own checks you ensure your property is protected with the standards you believe are adequate to find suitable tenants. There are tenant background checks services that deliver you online reports in seconds with the entire history of your tenants in all of these areas. Put these to you and sleep with peace of mind knowing you found the right tenants.
March 3, 2011
7:40 am
I have spent the last year and a half researching and testing background check services for a consumer review site (http://www.CompleteReviews.net ) and in that time have run tons of background checks using many different companies. The first thing you have to ask is what kind of reports you want to run on potential tenants? I assume you want a full background check run but how about a credit check? These are totally separate reports. Most of the online background check sites do not have the ability to run credit checks. Only a few sites I have ever tested do actually run the background checks and credit checks. I will go ahead and give you links to me two favorite sites and then if you want to shoot me an email with more specific info, I may be able to give you a better referral. My email is admin@completereviews.net
The best site for background checks I have found is http://www.CompleteReviews.net/recommends/USSEARCH.HTML They have the most in-depth and accurate results of anyone I have ever worked with.
A really good site that also offers the option to run credit checks is http://www.CompleteReviews.net/recommends/efindoutthetruth.html They are run by private investigators so they have many more options for what they can do for you.
I hope that helps!
March 3, 2011
10:58 pm
Is it OK to have tenant background check from property management?
I have property in CA. I ask property management to find the tenant for my rental house. After my property management does the tenant’s background check, such as credit history, criminal and eviction records, can I get the copy of those tenant’s records before/after the tenant move in?
The property management told me that they can’t give me those info because it’s illegal. Is it true?
Thank you.
March 4, 2011
8:09 pm
What is the best background check company I can use in order to check tenant’s background?
A friend of mine is planning to rent her house and we are trying to find out what company online are best to use in order to run background checks to the people interested in renting the house(tenants) Does anybody know, please only answer if you have a very helpful answer, no jokes. thanks
March 4, 2011
8:10 pm
Tenant background check website?
What are some of the reliable websites to check for background on my potential tenants?
Thanks.