Tenant screening may not be a guarantee of future tenant behavior, but it sure can give you some risk mitigation for reassurance. I take tenant screening very seriously. Let me show you a glimpse of my recipe to screen tenants worthy of your property:
Online Tenant Application
Once prospective tenants submit the rental application online, the results are usually ready in a few hours. Each applicant is screened for the following:
Criminal Background Check
- Most wanted databases
- National Sex Offender Registry
- Terrorist Watch List
- Criminal records by state
- US Treasury Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC)
Credit Check
- Social Security Number Verification
- Full Credit Report
- Credit Score
- Eviction Report
5 Year Rental History Verification
I verify the applicants good standing with previous landlords in last 5 years. I also authenticate the addresses in 5 year rental history with addresses in credit report.
References Verification
Every reference provided by the applicant is verified to further determine eligibility of applicant.
Employment Verification
The employer is contacted to verify time employed, income, and likelihood of continued employment.
System’s Recommendation (Transunion)
The tenant screening system automatically provides a recommendation to accept or reject applicant(s) based on the results of the application.
Deyfra’s Recommendation
Some factors such as employment verification, landlord history verification, and references verification are not considered in the system's recommendation. I will also provide my personal recommendation using these additional criteria, the old fashioned way. We can't always have machines making decisions for us, right?
Equal Credit Opportunity Act Compliant
Denied rental applicants are notified in writing of the reasons for denial along with the contact information for the agencies that provided criminal background and credit checks, this ensures your property is managed with fairness and in compliance with the Equal Credit Opportunity Act.