Why should I run a background check on my tenants?
When a member of my family passed away a few years ago, I inherited an apartment building and suddenly found myself a new career as a homeowner. It’s a great job that gives me a good steady income, but there are some downsides and I had to learn them as they happened.
When dealing with people, you need to be careful, as they are not always as trustworthy as it might seem at first glance. As a landlord, I have an obligation to protect my property, my family, and others who rent to me.
By conducting a tenant background check, you are certainly helping to protect both individuals and property. Before renting to someone, it is definitely worth taking advantage of the many types of screening processes available online.
The tenant’s background check is an important process before a rental agreement is signed. Personally, I would not want a sex offender to live in an apartment with a family with young children. Nor would I want someone who had a history of property destruction.
I also know that I would not want someone with a known history of property destruction to live in my building. I’ve also found it helpful to run a social security background check. If I have someone who constantly runs out of rent, I’m probably not going to risk running out of money.
A couple of years ago, a couple approached me to rent one of the apartments in my building. They were nice and neat, polite and their application form looked good. I was glad I rented from them because I was sure they would not be a problem and would rent it for a long period.
As I normally do, I ran a tenant background check and all of a sudden my ‘perfect match’ didn’t look all that wonderful. This couple had a history of leaving properties in very poor condition and for non-payment of rent. Again, by running a background check through a reputable screening company, I saved myself a lot of potential headaches!
