All Forum Posts by: Vitaliy Merkulov

@Rumen Mladenov thanks for that link. Definitely will need to make sure that the internet attorney will also make sure that everything will comply with FCRA. We will need to figure out a way to varify that the references are coming from previous landlords and not their friends. We will also need to allow landlords to include a "release authorization" before viewing the landlord reference.

@Jason V. I agree, we don't have to have 20 questions to answer about the tenant, I could be something very simple at first. 

Thanks for the feedback everyone.

@Tom Ott I'm going to check with an internet attorney about his first, but I would not build a system that would allow landlords to illegally share information about their tenants. 

It would be done the right way, tenants would sign an agreement that once they leave, the landlord has a right to post their information into the landlord reference database. If I implement the renter profile feature, the tenant would be giving the previous landlord permission to post a landlord reference about them. 

But maybe I might be too ambitious here, but maybe not...

I've used entalutions.com before and I like it. I can see their full credit report not just the score without being required to do an office inspection that most tenant screening companies require. and make you pay annually.

It's great for small landlord like me who don't s even have an "office" other then my home one.

The problem with it, is that it requires the applicant to have an email address and do an application online. Some of my tenants were not able to do the applications online. So I had to walk them through it. But it's what I use.

If this can be done legally,

what features would you want/need?

1. Database of landlord references

2. Database of landlords contact info

3. Renter Profiles

Something else?

@James DeRoest i know a good internet layer from SF who I can run this by. I'm sure there is a legal way to do this, credit reporting agencies like transunion and equifax do it somehow.

@James DeRoest have you used TenancyBureau.com to lookup someone before? It seems like a very old website.

@Tom Ott what do you think you'd like to be on this website/database to make your tenant screening better?

1. Database of landlord references

2. Database of landlords contact info 

3. Renter Profiles

What's most useful for you?

I'm a small landlord that currently has 3 rental units, I'm also a web developer, with experience from Apple, Intel, SHARP electronics so I'm good at making websites. Maybe I can create a website for us (landlords on BP) where we can share landlord references about their tenants in one central place. 

@Max T. it would be a better option then google docs.

@Tom Ott maybe it should not be a deadbeat database but a landlord references database where landlords answer Fair Housing Compliant questions about their previous tenants. So technically everyone can get on it, good or bad tenants.

@Phil Earley maybe on this website, i should create and ability for tenants to create their renter profile where they will provide their previous landlords and invite the previous landlords to write landlord references about them on this website. The renter can then include a link to their renter profile, with their rental application so the landlord would be able to see the references of previous landlords without having to try to call the previous landlords. Make the tenant hunt down the previous landlords references.

The other landlords would be able to lookup other landlord's references about their prospect tenants.

Im pretty sure it would be easy to make over couple of days or weeks and free for landlords to use, but make the applicants do most of the work.

Any thoughts about this?

I've heard that there is some kind of deadbeat database that big property management companies use to look up if their prospect applicants are on it or not. I can't find a database like this that small landlords like me can use.

Is there a website/database where landlords share info about their previous tenants? both good and bad ones?

Am I the only one who wishes that there was a database like this?

So, I see you guys are saying that landlord references are more important then the credit score.

@James R. do you think the applicant who attached the landlord reference with their application had a better chance of you considering them? just because they attached it with the application?