Conducting a tenant background check will not only ensure
you that rent payments can be made and lease terms can be fulfilled, but will
also give you an indication of whether the prospective tenant is safe to have
around your properties and neighborhood. Here’s how you can do that:
Rental Application
Before accepting any tenants, require them to submit a
rental application, which will give you the information you need to conduct a
background check. With this application, you can also do your initial
assessment as to whether or not a prospective tenant would be a good fit for
your property.
Authorization Form
Part of a tenant’s background check includes looking into
his or her credit history. But you can’t just get a person’s credit information
without complying with the law. Section 604 of the Fair Credit Reporting Act
(FCRA) requires a person’s permission for another person to do a credit check.
You, as the landlord, will need to ask applicants to complete a credit report
authorization form.
Interview
An Initial assessment can be done through an interview.
Aside from a background check, an interview can help you determine if this
applicant is respectful and comfortable to talk to. Remember, you’re going to
interact with this person often, so you should make sure you can be friendly,
or at least respectful to each other.
You might ask the prospective tenant why he or she is moving
and who might eventually live with them in the future. You may also ask if the
tenant owns any pets. There’s a lot you can ask, and the point is to get as
much information as necessary to assess the tenant and proceed with the
background check.
