If you are only looking at criminal record and credit report, your criteria may be insufficient.  

I just found out that he has a criminal past, but the record is from 1990 and I believe that a landlord in CA can only go back 7yrs history due to fair credit/fair housing laws.

Also, conduct your own due diligence - at some levels and locations blight, wrongful evictions, ejections, rent hiking et cetera can be criminal - so error on the side caution.

You shouldn't have a blanket policy that automatically denies everyone with a criminal record.

Its criminal, tbh.

I'm just learning.There are no dumb questions....Your county should have a free website where you can look up the tenants' civil and criminal records...evictions will be under civil.

As soon as I started telling them I would run a credit/criminal background, my inquiries dropped to just a few per property.

agreed screening are one tool to REDUCE turn overI would call the employer, their second-landlord, criminal bg check.

From that last link: "Look at the risks the owners take to collect illegal rent: civil and criminal charges in the event of death, that certainly means possible incarceration; no insurance coverage because of misrepresentation to the insurance company and income tax evasion charges from the IRS and [state] taxing authorities.

Hi @Jonathan KlemmThe new law will allow many criminals to walk out of jail on January 1st and will eliminate cash bail for non violent crimes.