Rental tenant screening?

Question

Does anyone know the best way to do backround checks on tenants before renting to them, any sites that do this for free or do you have to pay for for this service.

Answer 1

The rental application (if worded properly) gives you the right to run a credit check.  Then you check in the phone book under "Tenant Screening Services" (or some such) and there should be some companies that will run credit checks for you.  You fax the company the appliation and they fax back the credit report.  It costs $30 or so, and you should collect a fee from the tenant, with the application, to cover this.

You also want to call their prior landlord, their work, and maybe even a few personal references just to make sure everything checks out.

Answer 2

Ask them for references and call them up and ask them if they were good tenants...you know...did they pay the rent and on time...did they cause damage to your property through neglegence or patying...etc.

You can also do a credit check aparently, but I have never had one done by a prospective landlord.   Then there is meating the person and talking to them, getting to know them a bit..using your own instint.

Answer 3

You have to pay for the credit check, I use a title company, it costs me $30.    You will find a lot there, including criminal history (felonies).