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Thread: Tenant screening service

  1. #1
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    Tenant screening service

    CAN ANYONE recommend a good tenant screening service??
    Getting too time consuming to do it myself..calling prior landlords etc. on prospective tenants.
    There has to be a competent reasonably priced service out there somewhere.
    thanks

  2. #2
    Member Rhiannon's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by joe d. View Post
    CAN ANYONE recommend a good tenant screening service??
    Getting too time consuming to do it myself..calling prior landlords etc. on prospective tenants.
    There has to be a competent reasonably priced service out there somewhere.
    thanks
    i just heard about a web site called spokeo.com... you can type in a name and it will give you alot of personal infor for free, and for a small fee it will give you more. I put my name in it and it showed some of my info.. not cool for the average Joe but I guess if you are looking for info on someone it will work.

  3. #3
    Member Chant's Avatar
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    These online services are all pretty much the same and use the same search engines to search online public records. You can almost find the same results that you will pay them for free just by using google.
    You also have to be aware that many of these databases might be updated every few hours or up to six months or longer. The only way to get real time records for sure is to go do a hand search of them.

    As as a Landlord, you would be well advised to get any prospective tenants to sign a release for a background check. Without it, you could be running into problems with the newer privacy laws. You can find rental applications with a background check permission clause added into them online. Make sure you get one that applies to NY state.

    Also, make sure any service you hire is licensed to conduct investigative work in NYS. What you are asking them to do is by NYS Liciensing Law defination a investigation. If they are charging a fee, they must be licensed. If they are not, the company and yourself can be opened to arrest, possibly do jail time, and be sued by your potential tenant in civil court. NYS will also slap you both with fines for not being licensed to the tune of between $1000 to $5000.

    Just about any licensed investigative firm in the area should offer the type of service you want. The cost will depend on how far you want to go with the background check. You will still have to have your tenant sign for BG check permission. And I would shy away from any company that tells you, you don't need it. Having that signed permission form is a good CYA move on your part also, especially if you have a lot of property or other assets someone could possibly sue you for under color of violation of their privacy.

  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by Rhiannon View Post
    i just heard about a web site called spokeo.com...
    I put my name, and it shows my house to be worth $400-$600k!
    Then, I put in my wife's name, and it says her house is worth a million dollars!

  5. #5
    Member PickOranges's Avatar
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    If the tenants and the property are in the city, you can go down to the city court and ask to look through the eviction books.

    They are public records and use to be a red cover. Like always, it only states there was an ACTION but doesn't state the outcome of the proceedings( settlement etc)

    You can go through them by year up to current date. This is only one way to screen. You can get a landlord name here that was ommitted etc..
    Kiss someone that's different. It helps.
    Lets get the facts first, then go for the jugular!!
    It's all transparent, just read between the lines..

  6. #6
    Member Rhiannon's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by therising View Post
    I put my name, and it shows my house to be worth $400-$600k!
    Then, I put in my wife's name, and it says her house is worth a million dollars!

    wow better cash in on that before they change their minds!

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    What a load of crap that thing is. It obviously uses credit card information and crap to generate some sort of profile about you, which isn't even accurate.

    It says I like shopping.


    I hate shopping.
    http://www.buffaloreuse.org/~kool aid free zone~

  8. #8
    Member Rhiannon's Avatar
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    LOL I know it is crap..It has info on me from 20 years ago.. that is the last time i used a credit card because i swore them off back then... makes sence now..

    I put my boyfriends info on there too and it had EVERYTHING on it, where he lives, street, town, zip, how much he earns, how much his house is worth, if he owns or rents, what business he has...

    It has the poop on some people i guess...

  9. #9
    Member nickelcityhomes's Avatar
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    I live in a $1M house. My wife plays football.

    Go figure.
    Most of all I like bulldozers and dirt

  10. #10
    Member zanna vaida's Avatar
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    Thumbs up Focus

    Quote Originally Posted by therising View Post
    I put my name, and it shows my house to be worth $400-$600k!
    Then, I put in my wife's name, and it says her house is worth a million dollars!
    Focus: Is that the same house? What's included and what's excluded? Are you included? Assessment or market value?

    It sounds you need to hire a private detective and do a professional appraisal.
    Don't undervalue your value.

  11. #11
    Member nickelcityhomes's Avatar
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    Joe,

    Have you tried SmartMove from Transunion?

    https://www.mysmartmove.com/Landlords.aspx
    Most of all I like bulldozers and dirt

  12. #12
    Member JustRetired's Avatar
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    1,000,000 plus home in a below average neighborhood?!?!?!?!?!

    I should move...
    If it weren't for the United States Military, there would be NO United States of America !

  13. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by joe d. View Post
    CAN ANYONE recommend a good tenant screening service??
    Getting too time consuming to do it myself..calling prior landlords etc. on prospective tenants.
    There has to be a competent reasonably priced service out there somewhere.
    thanks
    Joe D.,

    If you are still looking for this service, you might want to try https://www.TenantScreeningReport.com. Pretty standard in terms of these services, but there wasn't the need for verification from the landlord like some services require. It also provides a credit score rather than just the over/under that some services use.

    Good luck.

  14. #14
    Member nickelcityhomes's Avatar
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    That's a good link roblaw, thanks!
    Most of all I like bulldozers and dirt

  15. #15
    Member nogods's Avatar
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    spokeo.com says I live at the post office (it picked up a PO Box I used years ago to receive certified mail from the government on behalf of clients.)

    Luckily, you live in WNY, which has one of the highest percentages of psychics in the country. Just call one of them (no need to tell them who you are or why you called because they should have know that a few weeks ago) and pay them to determine if an potential tenant will be a good tenant.

    What could possibly go wrong?

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