What Shows up on a Background Check for an Apartment?

When running a background check on a potential tenant, the report will give detailed personal information about the applicant. A background check pulls information from public records to confirm the applicant's identity and provide a clearer picture of their residential, employment, and financial history. Tenant Background Search offers a fast and easy online service to address any landlord's needs in assessing a potential tenant.

A person's residential history can provide you with a better understanding of where the person has lived in the past and how long they typically reside in one location before moving to the next. This is helpful for landlords looking to find tenants who are interested in specific short- or long-term rental options and ensure the property is the right fit for the applicant's needs. It is also helpful to have an understanding of a person's rental history, whether they have experience renting in the past, for how long, and whether or not they made payments on time. Additionally, it is incredibly important to know if the applicant has a history of property damage or destruction, disturbing other tenants, or even a history of eviction.

A background check can also help verify the accuracy of the applicant's employment information listed on their application. It is important as a landlord to have an accurate understanding of the potential tenant's expected income for the duration of the lease, and an employment history can shed light on how long the applicant has been employed and their current salary. An application and background check may also provide additional employment-related information to help the landlord determine the tenant's rent to income ratio, helping ensure the potential tenant will be able to afford the rent and other living expenses. If you have a minimum income requirement, the background check report is the most accurate representation of the applicant's income and you can check this information here.

Other information regarding a potential tenant's financial history may prove to be important in the background search. Tenant Background Search offers various levels of packages, with the standard package offering a background check, the standard plus package offering a background and credit check, and the comprehensive package also including a history of eviction report. When reviewing a potential tenant's credit report information, you will see their credit score, which is made up of a variety of important factors such as their payment history, their credit card utilization, and their credit availability.

Finally, a Tenant Background Search report will also include information on the applicant regarding any criminal records, such as any misdemeanors or felonies, and whether or not the future tenant is on the sex offender registry. It is important to understand the state and local laws regarding what information in a criminal record you may use to base your decision on an applicant. In general, the idea of reviewing an applicant's criminal record is to help you determine whether or not the applicant would be a good renter for your property. Use Tenant Background Search services for all your background checks and credit checks in order to help you identify the best tenants for your property.

How to Screen Tenants

The screening process for potential tenants can seem overwhelming, but there are practical steps one can take to help identify quality future tenants and also potential tenants to avoid. Tenant Background Search understands the importance of finding responsible, reliable tenants for your property and offers three levels of comprehensive reporting to ensure you have all the information you need to make the best decision for you and your property. The following are 5 steps for how to best screen tenants:

Step 1: Meet the Applicant

While in-person meetings may not always be feasible, it can be so helpful when possible to learn more about the applicant and begin the application process together. When you are able to meet a potential tenant in person, the unofficial screening can begin. Find out what has them on the market for a new rental opportunity and what they did or did not like about their previous rental experiences. This can help you get a better understanding of what the potential tenant is looking for in a property, while also getting to know them a bit better. You may ask what brings the tenant to the area and whether they have long-term plans to stay in the area. While this information is unofficial, it often helps put your mind at ease through the rest of the steps.

Step 2: Review the Application

A standard rental application will request the applicant's full name, date of birth, social security number, driver's license, or another form of identification, and residential address history for at least two years prior. You will likely want to include other information in the application as well, such as proof of employment and proof of income. Included in the application or in addition to the application, you will want to collect the applicant's permission to run a background and credit check so you can thoroughly screen the potential tenant.

Step 3: Run Tenant Background Search

A background check and credit check on potential tenants are incredibly important to screening tenants for everything from any criminal history to their ability to pay the rent. Tenant Background Search offers online services for background, credit check, and additional reporting and provides comprehensive reports for review. Tenant Background Search is proud to offer quality services with a range of price options. The basic package offers a background check, while the plus package offers both a background check and credit check. The comprehensive check also includes an eviction report. The service is easy to use, the results are fast, and there are customer service representatives available 24/7 to address any and all questions or concerns.

Step 4: Review the Report

When reviewing a potential tenant's background and credit check, it is important to verify the identity of the applicant and understand the objectives and outcomes for both reports. The background check provides you as the landlord with information on the applicant's criminal history and personal history, while the credit check offers a financial summary and how the potential tenant handles debt. Reviewing a financial summary of the applicant can help demonstrate whether or not they have a history of on-time payments, their credit card utilization and credit score, and verification of their income. Public records of any evictions and bankruptcies are also helpful. Tenant Background Search provides simple yet thorough reports so you can easily get a greater understanding of the viability of the potential tenant.