Provides instant detailed reports for eviction and criminal records. Determine qualified tenants and low risk renters. Credit reports not available.
evictionrecords.com
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Instant national criminal background checks for $19.95. FCRA compliant.
www.sentrylink.com
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Ensure the safest leasing decisions with Intelius. Tenant checks $49.95
Background-Check.Intelius.com
Easy landlord enrollment in seconds Credit, Eviction & Criminal History
RentalExpress.com
See Your Free Credit Report Now! Easy to Read and Viewable Online.
www.FreeCreditReport.com
Credit, Criminal, Eviction and more No Set up Fee, No Montly Min.
www.zipreports.com
$19.95 Tenant Screening - Includes Criminal Records, Evictions & More.
www.E-Renter.com
Free SSN validation, No Membership Free decision making consultation.
citicredit.net/tenant_screen
Check Credit, Eviction, Criminal Reports. Screen Your Tenants Now!
www.TenantVerification.com
Includes Credit Report with Score & Nationwide Criminal Report
www.1-Background-Checks.com
Do Not Pay For Any Background Check Service Until You Read This
Consumers-Guides.org
Lowest priced, most comprehensive background checks. Guaranteed!
IntelligentInvestigations.com
Agency based in San Gabriel, California, that offers credit reporting services.
www.1acs.com
Nationwide business credit services, tenant screening, and personality profiles.
www.accufax-us.com
Company based in Pasadena, California, that provides nationwide tenant screening and credit reporting for landlords, real estate agents, and property managers.
www.accuratecredit.com
Advantage Credit offers complete tenant screening services to property managers, landlords, and others in the property management field.
www.advantagecredit.com
Providing online tenant credit reports, tenant background checks, eviction records, employment verification, sex offender search & more. Since 1991.
www.advantagetenant.com
Nationwide tenant screening company for landlords and property managers. Provider of one hour results which include a credit report, Social Security Number verification, fraud detection and more.
www.amerusa-tenant-screening.com
Whitehouse Station, New Jersey-based company that offers nationwide credit checks for real estate professionals, landlords, and business people.
www.arsdata.com
Narberth, Pennsylvania-based company that offers tenant screening for landlords and property management firms.
www.atshome.com
Houston, Texas-based company that provides employee and tenant screening, credit reports, business reports, and driving records services for clients nationwide.
www.bestcheck.com
Nationwide public record provider based in Boulder, Colorado, that specializes in pre-employment and tenant screening; web site features an online database that contains court records for Colorado and Oklahoma.
www.bisi.com
Citi Credit Bureau offers full Tenant Screening services to property managers, landlords, and others in the real estate and rental industry.
www.citicredit.net
Authorized sales agent for Experian Business Information and a national reseller for Equifax and Experian Consumer located in Newhall, California, that offers consumer and business credit reports as well as software products and international cr...
www.continfo.com
We offer official credit bureau data to help you make informed decisions regarding a potential tenant's financial responsibility.
www.corragroup.com
Albany, California-based company that provides credit reporting services from the three nationwide credit bureaus.
www.credit-reports.com
Company based in San Diego, California, that provides tenant credit reports and histories.
www.creditlink.com
Southern California-based company that provides the consumer with a copy of the information currently contained in his/her credit files as provided by Experian, Equifax and/or Trans Union.
www.creditreport.com
Port Huron, Michigan-based resource for landlords, tenants, real estate investors, and property managers.
cses.com
Tenant screening, tenant credit reports, and tenant background checks for owners and property managers.
www.ctsone.com
Company based in Salt Lake City, Utah, that develops custom software for the credit reporting industry.
www.desertedge.com
Tenant screening services provides access to tenant eviction records, credit reports, criminal records and more.
www.detectfraud.com
Austin, Texas-based company that provides employment screening, credential verifications, and background checks for business around the world.
www.e-screening.com
Online provider of eviction and criminal records for apartment property management background checks.
www.evictionrecords.com
Provides instant detailed reports for eviction and criminal records. Determine qualified tenants and low risk renters. Credit reports not available.
evictionrecords.com
Monroe, North Carolina-based software provider for pre-employment and tenant screening, screening, background investigations and public records research industries.
www.imagination-technology.com
Corporation headquartered in Greenville, North Carolina, that provides public record information.
www.midsouthinfo.com
Company based in Waltham, Massachusetts, that offers tenant screening nationwide.
www.rentgrow.com
National background check company provides tenant screening services, employment screening services, and criminal record search.
www.rentingauthority.com
Provider of Internet services that screen applicants for multi-housing via the Internet. Services are provided to multiple industries.
www.saferent.com
Instant national criminal background checks for $19.95. FCRA compliant.
www.sentrylink.com
Online resource of information, advice and advocacy for tenants from New York and many other states and localities.
tenant.net
A database for property owners and landlords to check on prospective tenants.
www.tenantcheck.co.nz
Company that provides applicant screening services to the rental industry.
www.tenantdata.com
Santa Rosa, California-based company that offers credit reports and tenant screening services.
www.tsci.com
You Check Credit offers unsurpassed tenant screening services at a great price and our product line contains a wide variety of on-line reports to choose from when evaluating prospective residential tenants.
www.youcheckcredit.com
Ensure the safest leasing decisions with Intelius. Tenant checks $49.95
Background-Check.Intelius.com
Easy landlord enrollment in seconds Credit, Eviction & Criminal History
RentalExpress.com
See Your Free Credit Report Now! Easy to Read and Viewable Online.
www.FreeCreditReport.com
Guide to Tenant Screening
Screen to find the best prospective commercial and residential tenants
When screening commercial applicants, you'll focus on the company's history and information; when screening residential applicants, focus on the individual's info. To effectively screen tenants:
- Require prospective tenants to submit rental application with proof.
- Verify all information via phone calls and background/credit checks.
- Comply with fair housing/fair credit/Patriot Act laws.
Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done
Get the info and proof
Make sure applicants provide contact info for three prior landlords. Don't rely only on the current landlord's recommendation – check with previous one(s), too.
I recommend:
Find rental applications at LawDepot: Residential Application or LawDepot: Commercial Applications.
Investigate applicant histories
Access credit reports with the applicant's name, address and social security number. For a commercial applicant, you'll need a business license/Federal Tax ID number to search. The more information you have, the more you can discover. Public records, accessible by anyone, include real estate, bankruptcies, tax liens and criminal histories.
I recommend:
Visit TransUnion, Equifax, and Experian. Experian Small Business helps you assess possible commercial tenants. Use Intelius to screen residential applicants. Check out CitiCredit for a tenant screening costing $9.95 – with no membership/setup fees.
Call in the pros
Find a reputable tenant-screening company, and leave the in-depth assessments to them. Companies can screen by sexual offender registry, criminal records, SSN verification, and more.
I recommend:
At ATS, screen individuals or businesses. If you routinely screen tenants, consider joining Landlord2Landlord (L2L), founded by a landlord in 1994 to eliminate problem tenants and unpaid rent. They offer screening, forms, and so much more.
Follow the law
Watch what you say/do when assessing prospective tenants.
I recommend:
Every Landlord's Guide to Finding Great Tenants (plus 40 useful forms on CD) is a must-have for any landlord – the e-book is $14.99, or the paperback $16.99 plus shipping. Go to L2L to learn what the FCRA means to you.
Conduct Patriot Act search
Under the USA Patriot Act, the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), a government watch-list/database of terrorists/criminals around the world, was created. This law requires landlords to conduct the OFAC Patriot Act search on individuals (by name) and businesses (by biz name).
I recommend:
Go to OFAC-IQ to search for people/companies with whom you should never conduct business.
Tips & Tactics
Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide- Be proactive, not reactive: Getting a bad tenant evicted in a long, costly process.
- In most states, you can legally charge the applicant an application fee to cover the costs of screening – check with your state laws for specifics.
- Require income proof through tax returns, bank statements, and paycheck stubs.
- Keep written records of all correspondence with credit agencies, screening firms and tenants.
- Federal law prohibits housing discrimination based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status and physical/mental disability. Some states have additional anti-discrimination laws.
- The FCRA requires you to notify both commercial and residential applicants in writing if any information in their credit reports led you to deny renting them property or to request additional security deposits.
