As a landlord, conducting tenant screening is a key way to ensure you get reliable, trustworthy renters. According to some recent data, 85 percent of landlords claimed to be victims of rental fraud in 2023.
Running the best tenant screening available is vital to ensure that you find the right people to stay in your property in the Orange Park, Florida area.
Read on to learn more about how we screen your rental applications from running a tenant criminal background check to much more.
Verifying Identity
Before a tenant signs a rental agreement, you must make sure that they are who they say they are. We'll start the screening process by verifying this information using vital identifying documents.
Our property management team will confirm that the applicant's government-issued identification is legitimate (such as a driver's license, passport, birth certificate, etc.). We'll also run a social security number certification to confirm.
Once the prospective tenant's identity is verified, we'll make sure that they can afford the monthly rent. We do this by performing a pre-screening income qualification and conducting an income verification. Next, we will verify the applicant's employment, typically by contacting their employer directly.
Thorough Tenant Criminal Background Check
A lot goes into a tenant criminal background check, but it often starts by verifying information with the applicant's previous landlord(s). We'll find out if they paid rent on time and ask the landlord if there were any issues the new landlord should know about.
Next, we'll run a national criminal search and a national sex offender search to confirm that the person has a clean background. Finally, we'll also run a national terrorism database search, just for peace of mind.
It's very important to note that all applicants are screened and processed without regard to their race, color, sex, religion, familial status, handicap, or national origin. This ensures that we always follow the latest Fair Housing Act guidelines and laws.
Bill Payment History
It's important to make sure that your new tenant or tenants have a history of paying their bills. That's why we always run a credit score and check the tenant's previous address history.
A public records search is also run to check on other vital information, such as whether or not the applicant has any pending court cases or outstanding debts. Our team also runs a national eviction search to confirm that the applicant has not been evicted from another property in the past.
By looking at this combination of criteria, we're making sure your new tenant is trustworthy and reliable. Income, credit, past rental history, criminal history, and other factors play a role in finding the best tenants possible.
Don't Leave Your Property to Chance
From credit and income to a tenant criminal background check, each of these components provides landlords with a strong tenant screening process. Ask our property management team how we can help you find the right tenants for your needs.
At PMI Davis Realty, we believe tenant screening is crucial, so contact us today to learn more about how we can help you!
