Trusting your instincts and making snap judgments makes sense when reversing the decision is inconsequential. When it comes to removing a problem tenant, a snap judgment can cost months to reverse.
To avoid this circumstance, you want holistic information. Of course, that takes time you may not have either. The solution is to hire tenant screening services to provide everything you need to know.
No one wants to be caught unaware by a squatter, a couple with stolen identities, and people prone to smash up the furniture.
What do the best tenant screening services provide? Read on to learn all about it.
Tenant Screening Services
Obviously, you need to gather information about tenants before renting to them. What isn't so obvious is what kinds of questions to ask and how to go about checking the veracity of the answers provided.
The presentation of the information also matters. A detailed tenant screening report needs to be readable at a glance to facilitate decision-making.
Verification
The most important aspect of tenant screening is to determine the veracity of information. You want to know that the people are who they say they are.
With 1 in 15 American's struggling through some form of identity theft, verification can't be undersold.
Potential tenants lying about who they are could be lying about other information. Verifying an ID isn't as simple as looking at a card but requires cross-checking provided information against timelines and physical locations.
Checks
To facilitate ID verification and to confirm additional information about a tenant's financial situation and history, a list of checks should be performed.
Credit
Credit checks have become standard practice for many services. They provide a snapshot of a person's history with spending and with resolving disputes.
It also provides a list of current debts that need to be considered alongside ongoing living expenses.
Background
In addition to a credit report, most employers also require a criminal background check. There's no reason a tenant shouldn't be screened by the same criteria. This report shows state and national criminal history.
Of utmost importance is any history of sex offenses that represent a danger to other tenants.
Evictions
Even if everything else checks out, you want an eviction report to look at the specific history of payments of a tenant.
Despite the name, an eviction report lists payment history, conditions of property on leaving, if deposits were returned, and notes about tenant conduct.
Generating an eviction report is a time-consuming process if you're not used to asking these questions.
Legal Protection
A tenant screening shows a level of diligence. After all, it's your responsibility to protect the property and the other tenants from potential harm.
A well-defined criterion for tenants also provides transparency in the selection process and defends against claims of discrimination.
Get the Facts
You certainly don't have time to get to know everyone on a personal level. The purpose of tenant screening services is to provide enough information to empower decisions.
Personalizing a report with additional criteria is as easy as verifying what you want to know that isn't already covered.
Contact us with questions about what we provide and turnaround times today.
