All Forum Posts by: Alex Hamilton

Hello Vitaliy,

Check the address on your applicant's Photo ID and Credit Report to establish an address history. You can get a Title Search through checkpointscreening.com to find out who owns their current rental property. Make sure all info on the Photo ID, Credit Report and Title Search matches the info provided on the rental application. Then call their landlord to find out about your prospect.

You can verify business information with a Google Search. The contact phone number of the business is more relevant than the business address. Keep in mind that many businesses are now outsourcing employment verifications to The Work Number or other third party companies.

I hope this helps with your verifications. Feel free to contact me directly for support with your tenant screening process.

Don't ask about the disability. Even asking about it can be seen as a discrimination. You should rent to him if he meets your screening criteria. If not, move on to the next applicant despite any "up-front benefits" the sister is willing to provide. Send me a PM if you would like help setting up a screening criteria or verifying information on the rental application.

Establish a screening criteria and apply it equally to all applicants to ensure compliance with Fair Housing Laws. Consult a local housing association or attorney for state regulations when establishing your screening criteria; some housing laws differ by state. You should accept the applicant if they meet your screening criteria. Criteria may look something like this:

Credit Score: Approve >650, Fail <600, Conditional Approval =600-650

Delinquent Accounts: Fail >30%< Approve

Income to Rent Ratio: Fail <2:1, Approve >3:1, Conditional Approval =2:1-3:1

Eviction: Eviction record found within 7 years =Fail

Criminal: Felony=Fail, Misdemeanor=Conditional Approval

If the applicant doesn't meet your screening criteria, you should deny them and send an Adverse Action Notice. Don't get caught in litigation for failure to comply with the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

Excellent advise from some obviously experienced landlords above! Best I heard was to establish your screening criteria and stick to it. This will ensure that your renters are qualified while limiting your exposure to litigation. Don't forget to send an Adverse Action Notice.

You may consider Checkpointscreening.com for all the services you are looking for. In addition to the Online Application and Tenant Screening services, CheckPoint provides a Lease Generation Feature that auto-populates leasing forms by extracting information from the application. Very neat feature that streamlines the entire process!