Background Check and Credit Score Companies

[Alyssa Lebetsamer]

Hi all! I am a relative newbie to all of this. We own a single family rental, and a triplex rental in California (LA area). The single family unit is currently vacant, and I just finished getting it all ready to rent again. This is my first time handling the renting process myself - in the past I have used a company to advertise and show the properties and to check out the applicants. this seems like a waste of money, though. I am ready to do it myself, but the background check/credit score part gives me pause. I don't know how to do that. Do you have a company that you use that you like? How do I get permission from the applicants to run those checks? Is it in the application? I need to find one of those as well... lots to figure out. 

Thanks in advance! -Alyssa

[Yuriy Skripnichenko]

@Alyssa Lebetsamer

I use https://www.mysmartmove.com/  which is run by trans union

You do not need to have prospect tenant's info, just their email address. It's $35 per person and you can have tenants pay for the screening. You will receive criminal, eviction and credit report on the tenant as well as recommendation from the website if the tenant is a good match. Also you have an option to send a decline message from the website or approve the tenant for your rental. I've been using this service for 5 years now and pretty happy with it.