Last Updated on August 30, 2021

If you are a landlord, then it is unavoidable that you will have a tenant for your property. When selecting a tenant from multiple applicants, you need to do the tenant background check. Doing so will help you to have a reliable tenant at your property. It is really not a necessary step to do, but I recommend it strongly for you to do it as a landlord.

Also see Totally Free Background Check No Credit Card Needed

If you wish to be stress-free as a landlord, you will need to have a loyal and faithful tenant who will give the rent to you at the perfect time. Thus, it can only be assured after checking the background of a tenant.

Necessity Of Doing A Check

Even if you can not ensure everything, the background check of a tenant will at least allow you to have a comprehensive view of their previous histories, such as lease termination, eviction, or late payment history. You can not know about these any other way if the tenant does not tell you voluntarily. These factors are essential for you to judge whether you will register them as a tenant.

Although there are portions of individual rental application templates for applicants to investigate their criminal background, some respondents will not be entirely faithful. The tenant background check will assure that the property owner is well informed of any violations or criminal records that the tenant did not report.

Process Of The Check

While doing the check is absolutely necessary, it is also a tough thing to do. You do not have the luxury of missing any crucial information when doing the check. You need to follow the steps and gather as much information as possible. Because you never know which of the information is going to contradict your judgment of that prospective tenant.

• Request an Application

The first step you could do is request an application from every prospective tenant. You can get the application from your local real estate association or create one of your own. No matter which application you choose, you have to make sure that it covers everything that you need to from your tenant.

• Run a Background Check

The next thing and also one of the most important things to do is running a background check. It will give you a detailed report about the prospective tenant’s past There are a lot of places where you can get the report. However, most of them charge an investigation fee. The most common information in the investigation report is eviction history, criminal history, credit history, and various public records. You can order these reports using the tenant’s social security number.

Totally free people search sites for a tenant background check are a rare commodity. Among the various website that helps with tenant background, check here are five of the best one.

1. RentPrep

You can use RentPrep to check your tenant background. It only charges $18.95. You can also join their Facebook group, which helps the landlords with tenant screening. The Facebook group has discussions in Q and A form.

1. SmartMove

SmartMove has a basic package for $25, including a tenant credit score and national criminal record search. Additional prospective checks include eviction reports, as well as a credit report and background check.

1. E-renter

E-renter offers standard and custom packages. The original tenant background check package is $19.95 and includes background checks plus identity verification. A tenant credit check is $29.95.

1. StarPoint

StarPoint does a necessary credit report for just $10.95. A landlord can then choose from a specific menu of reports. Instead of packages, StarPoint lets the landlord pick and choose which tenant screening report applies to what’s needed.

1. MyRental

MyRental offers a primary tenant referencing package for $24.99. That basic package includes the applicant’s eviction history, criminal or sex offender history, and a terrorist alert. A landlord can get that basic package, plus a credit report, for $34.99.

• Contact the Previous Landlords

The best way to get to know someone’s background is to contact someone related to him. In the case of the tenant, if you want to get his or her background information, the best step you could take is contacting his or her previous landlord. You can get the news about whether the tenant always paid the rent on time or violated any lease agreement.

• Interview the Tenant

After checking all the background information of the tenant, you may have to consider interviewing him directly. When you are talking to the person directly, a lot of your questions will be cleared. When choosing the tenant for the property, you must keep in mind that the Fair Housing Act stipulates that landlords cannot discriminate based upon color, disability, family status, national origin, race, religion, or sex.