How can I verify Social Sec # after SmartMove says SSN mismatch

Question

Hi,

My prospective tenant just completed the mysmartmove background check.  Hi credit is high and everything else is clean. The only issue is that SmartMove says that there is an "SSN mismatch" and that I should verify his identity but gave no further insight.

I have met tenant and his wife in person.  My husband and I got a very good feel.  Communication has been quick, friendly and professional.  I called prospect to ask about SSN and he doesn't know what is going on.  He cannot seem to access SmartMove to see if he perhaps mistyped a digit.

Has anyone run into this problem?  Any suggestions on how I can verify his identity? Even if he gives me a copy of his social security card that doesn't necessarily answer the fact that SmartMove said there was a mismatch.

Any thoughts are greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

Lauren C. · Answer

Ashley-

I'm not familiar with that software, but i have used others like it.  The term mismatch is pretty unhelpful.  My suggestion though is to think bigger picture.  You are really just trying to make sure the applicant has good credit.  So work on verifying that the person who is applying to rent is attached to the credit report that you are looking at.  Ask the applicant for a divers license and their SS card.  Make sure the name and date of birth on the drivers license matches the name on the credit report.  A mismatch error could be indicating that the SSN is associated with a different name, date of birth or other identifying information.  The systems often make errors, but identity theives are usually very good talkers.  So definately take the time to verify the individual.

In a case like this, definately call several previous landlords.  Lookup the owner of the previous rentals yourself and find a phone number.  if you do get a landlord on the phone, it wouldn't hurt to ask if they had a similar error.

Kyle J. · Answer

I use a service that allows me to pull full credit reports myself directly without any tenant involvement.  It requires an initial, one-time site inspection, but that's pretty easy/basic and once you do it you never have to do it again and then you're all set up to pull credit reports yourself in minutes.

As for the actual service, I'm currently set up with a couple different ones.  To me, when you pull them this way, it really doesn't matter which service you use because they all end up providing a similar product (i.e. the actual credit report).  So it just comes down to price.   Presently, I'm using this one though: https://www.aoausa.com/mrlandlord.html

Kyle J. · Answer

I’ve never used SmartMove, but I recently ran into this with another service. With the service I use, I actually pull the credit report myself based off the SSN the applicant writes on the application. Then, if I end up selecting them as tenants, I get a physical copy of their SS card. Anyway, I got a similar message when I pulled the credit report for one of the applicants. But they both seemed totally legit, had high credit scores (upper 700’s), and there were no other red flags at all.

Ultimately, it turned out that the wife had mistakenly written down her husband’s SSN down wrong on his application and it was off by one single digit. But it all checked out when I verified the physical copy of his actual SS card.

Samantha Decker · Answer

@Ashley Sommer Hey Ashley!I am glad to hear that you were able to connect with one of our support members and that the issue was resolved. I see you are searching for a tenant screening background service and wanted to fill you in on SmartMove offerings and how the service may be of benefit to you. SmartMove is specifically designed for tenant screening and provides landlords with a credit, criminal background, and eviction reports. On top of these very crucial items, landlords will receive an Income Insights report which analyzes tenant income based on their credit behavior, that way you can determine if their self-reported income is accurate or if additional proof of income is necessary. In addition, you'll receive a ResidentScore, which helps predict eviction risk better than a typical credit score. Reports are delivered to your inbox in minutes so you can make a quick leasing decision.I hope this is helpful and that you find a tenant screening service the suits your needs!Best,Sam Decker

Nathan Gesner · Answer

I would ask for a copy of their Social Security Card just to ensure the social is correct in the system.

Ashley Sommer · Answer

@Kyle J. Thank you so much for all of that info.  I will look into that as well.

Ashley Sommer · Answer

@Lauren T.

@Kyle J.

Thank you for your thoughts!  I was able to contact SmartMove and they said that the message was likely in part to the fact that his SSN is "newly" assigned. Prospect said he received it eight years ago with SmartMove said could be considered recently assigned relative to his age.

Neither of your mentioned using SmartMove for your background checks.  I use it based off the BiggerPockets recommendation but am curious what you each use?  I'm always open.

Thank you again for your help!

How can I verify Social Sec # after SmartMove says SSN mismatch

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