Renters are behind by an average of $3,700 on their rent! If you are a landlord, you want to make sure that you are renting your property to good tenants.
Someone may look like a good tenant on paper but may turn out to be a bad one when you rent them your property. The best way to find out if someone will make a good tenant is to find out as much about them as you possibly can. You can do this with a tenant criminal background check.
Before you do a background check, there are some things you need to take into consideration. Take a look at these tips so that you're prepared for the legality that comes with tenant screening.
1. Get Criminal Background Check Permission
One of the first things you need to have before you do any kind of tenant background check is permission.
You need to get a signed consent form from your applicant before you are allowed to run the check. Create a consent form by looking at examples from the internet or ask another landlord to help you formulate a consent form.
2. What Is Important to You
As a landlord, you need to have screening criteria in place for any tenant you interview.
Write these down and use them all the time as a part of your screening process. Maybe you do not want tenants who have pets, a bad credit score, or a criminal history.
Make sure that once you have the criteria in place, you use them to access each and every applicant. If you don't do this, you run a greater risk of being charged with discrimination.
3. Never Advertise for Specific Qualities
Before you can even conduct a tenant background check, you need to avoid making mistakes when you select tenants for an interview. One mistake is to advertise for tenants with specific traits. This can be used against you if you reject an applicant based on the background check and they decide to sue you.
For example, you can't advertise that you want someone who has a certain income, graduated from college, or is of a specific race or gender. All of this can get you into trouble with the law.
Get the Right Tenants
Getting the right tenant is something that every landlord should strive for and a tenant criminal background check is a good place to start. In the process of selecting the right tenants, you need to make sure that you do so legally.
If you fail to do this, you could end up with some severe legal actions against you. All you have to do to avoid this is to ensure due diligence and make sure that you are following the correct protocols when selecting your tenants.
If you would like help with Tulsa property management, please contact us today for more information.
