Credit and Criminal Checks - Landlord Forum thread 317519

Credit and Criminal Checks by Jennifer (Oregon) on April 15, 2014 @13:29

Hi,
We're ready to start the process with a couple of people who are interested in a couple of units we have available. In the past, my mother (the owner) did all this, but she didn't really do a credit check--just checked with previous landlords.
Until a couple of months ago we had 4 long-term renters in our 4-plex. Two have moved on, and we have three people interested. I know people have mentioned a good credit check system online, where you join and then the prospective tenant okays the credit check (something like that). Can anyone help me with this?
I think I can just go through the local police dept. as far as criminal background check, right?
Thanks for any help you can give me!
Jennifer

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Re: Credit and Criminal Checks by Bill on April 15, 2014 @13:49	[ Reply ]

You need a nationwide search of both civil and criminal records. Use publicdata.com It is cheap and good enough.

Re: Credit and Criminal Checks

Re: SmartMove by Freda DeMarco (GA) on April 16, 2014 @07:02	[ Reply ]

Use SmartMove through TransUnion for the credit check. You open an account (free) and then you can invite through SmartMove using your applicant's email address to pay for their credit check. The applicant has to pay for it through SmartMove using whatever means they want to use and you both get the results. You set the parameters of your standards and it can accept or decline the applicant based on your standards, or not, the choice is yours.My tenant's wind up paying $12 for this search and it is the cheapest method I have found to get their complete credit history.It is a soft credit pull and will not bring down their score. It also does a very basic criminal search, which I wouldn't put too much faith in. Typically my tenants are local and the best check of their past I get through my own search of judicial records in my county or the county the applicant is moving from. It is very difficult for an individual to get a complete real criminal history through law enforcement on another person even with their consent. It isn't something that can be done online and is a pain and there is a fee and is inconvenient and would be easier to ask the applicant to get it themselves and then provide it to you. Most states will let you do an online search on a person using their name, SSN and your credit card for FELONIES only, it won't show anything more than felonies they were CONVICTED of, no misdemeanors, no plea downs, nothing less than convictions. The good news is it is rare to have a person with an extensive criminal history also have excellent credit. You have to beware of the complete loser using their significant other who has good credit to qualify for the rental, which is why is ever so important that every person who will be living in the unit be vetted and the single tenant cannot move someone in unauthorized. I've had applicants tell me I will only be allowed to run the check on the wife and not the husband and those people I turn down immediately.

Re: SmartMove