Tenant Screening: Tenant Background Checks

Since the Great Recession, the number of homeowners in the U.S. has taken a nosedive. Instead of achieving the “American Dream” of owning a home, countless people are hesitant to make such a big investment. Some would love to buy, but the price tag is just too high! This has led to a significant rise in renters over the years. In fact, the latest stats show that around 35% of American households are now renting!

With so many folks vying for rental properties, being a landlord has become even more challenging. How do you sift through potential tenants to find someone reliable?

Enter licensed private investigators!

As a landlord, it’s crucial to dig into a tenant’s background before you sign that lease and hand over the keys. But let’s be real, doing this on your own can be super tough, if not impossible. Licensed private investigators have access to exclusive information and databases that regular folks can’t tap into. This means they can conduct thorough checks to help you determine if your prospective tenant is truly trustworthy.

Just how extensive of a tenant check are we talking?

Tenant Background Check

The very best private investigators will be able to search nationwide for any evictions or any other landlord-against-tenant actions. This thorough tenant background check will also uncover any criminal records, sex offender registry information, bankruptcies, liens, and other civil judgment history. In short, this type of tenant screening will alert you to any red flags so that you can make an educated decision.

Best of all, the databases that licensed private investigators have access to get updated every single day. So, you won’t have to worry that your potential renter just got into some hot water and the records haven’t caught up with it yet. You’ll get the full story on your tenant, from start to finish.

And, the best investigators will do all of their searching by hand. That way, you won’t have to worry that some stone was left unturned. Luckily, though, all of this hand-searching can be done quickly and efficiently. In fact, great investigators can get you all of the information you need in as little as one business day!

So, how do you get the ball rolling on one of these top-notch tenant screenings?

Professional Tenant Check

All good investigators will need is some basic information — your potential renter’s full name, his date of birth, his current or previous street address, and his Social Security number. These are all standard questions on rental applications, so your potential tenant should have no problem giving you the answers.

And if you think your potential renter can pull a fast one on you by providing false information, think again! The very best investigators will begin their tenant background check by verifying the person in question’s identity — including their Social Security number.

How much does all of this cost?

This is a common question from landlords — especially landlords who own a couple of different properties. After all, you don’t want to spend an arm and a leg checking out every single person who wants to rent from you. Luckily, the best private investigators have you covered! All you’ll be responsible for paying is a reasonable one-time fee. You won’t have to sign up for any kind of monthly or annual subscription, and there won’t be any hidden fees. You won’t even have to spend $100 by the time all is said and done!

Sounds like a pretty good deal, right? When you think about all of the trust you’re putting into your tenant, a modest one-time fee is definitely worth it!

But what about all of those “other” services that may offer a better price?

When it comes to a tenant background screening, you get what you pay for! The vast majority of those cheap services don’t have actual investigators doing the work. Or, in the case of free searches, it’s free to do the search itself — but if you actually want to look at the results, you’ve got to fork over some serious cash.

Unfortunately, some of those “other guys” are even worse! They offer instant results, which sound great on the surface, but in reality, it’s a surefire way to end up with outdated or inaccurate information. After all, if they were really searching through legitimate databases — and making sure that their databases were up to date with the latest information — they wouldn’t be able to give you the results in a few seconds!

You simply don’t have the option of cutting corners like this. Screen a potential renter the wrong way, and you could end up with a major mess on your hands!

Ready to order you own tenant background check? Contact the team at Docusearch today!