Verifying an Applicant's Personal Information through Tenant Screening

As an experienced landlord, I feel no one decision is more important to your business than finding and choosing the right tenants.

In the process of tenant screening, there are many steps you should take to prevent problems down the line.

Foremost on the list is proper identification. That is, are the applicants who they say they are? Before accepting an application, ask for a photo ID and compare faces and names. Do this for each adult who will be living in the unit.

If this sounds overly cautious, just remember it is easy to cover up poor credit or a criminal history by giving a landlord the name and Social Security number of a friend or relative with a clean record.

Also, it is important applicants understand you will be examining their finances and other personal information. By providing contact numbers for employer(s), bank(s) and personal references, applicants should understand that you will be contacting everyone directly, and that you perform a complete tenant screen with credit check.

But to make sure there are no misunderstandings, ask each applicant to sign a statement agreeing to let you check their personal and credit information. You can provide a separate form or simply include the following statement on your application above the signature line:

I authorize the verification of the information I have included on this form, as well as verification of my credit history, as they relate to my tenancy and to future rent collections.

Once you have a completed rental application and have verified the identities of the adults who will sign your lease, your next step is to review the application.

Ensure all fields are filled in and legible. If any of the information is missing, call the prospect and ask for it. Missing information is often a red flag.

Be prepared to contact former and current employers, landlords and references when screening applicants. Listen for what they say, as well as what they do not say. Lukewarm character endorsements are probably a sign of future problems.