What else should a landlord consider when screening a prospective tenant besides checking the tenant’s credit and criminal background?

Ask for a photo ID, preferably a driver’s license, of the tenant applicant to make sure they are who they say they are.  Make sure this is the driver’s license number they write on the application.  Approximately one out of 25 tenant applicants use a social security number that is not theirs.  Tenant Screening runs a social security identity search that will check to make sure the prospective tenant is not using another person’s social security number.  However, if a person gives you another person’s name and social security number the application will not show up as being fraudulent.   

Check a prospective tenant’s rental history and verify their employment by written documentation.   You may want to use Tenant Screening’s residency verification form and employment verification form to assist you with this (click on “forms” on our website). Most employers want permission with a signature from the tenant before they will give out salary information and the same is true for many previous or current landlords or property management companies.