Background check on existing tenants?

[Matthew Krickeberg]

As I close in on my first rental property purchase (duplex), it seems likely that I'll be acquiring a property with tenants under contract/lease. My question is, having no way of knowing the quality of screening the current tenants would have actually undergone, can I use the information on file to run a quality background and credit check to perform a "risk assessment"?

I doubt I would be able to take any action on the findings while they are under lease, but it seems like an important factor in assessing the value of the property in the near term.

Thoughts, experiences?