Tenant Screening: Defining the Terms

There’s a ton of confusion even among professionals about what constitutes a background check. Phrases like background check, background screening, and public record’s checks are used interchangeably, yet mean vastly different things.

Just for grins, here’s a list of common terms with distinctions noted.  

Glossary:

Background Screening: As the name implies, a method of ‘screening out’ undesirable applicants, usually during the early stages of the hiring process which varies widely among companies and other groups. This can be as simple as a few questions on an application asking for criminal history and job experience.  Those that pass the initial screening, are usually moved along into the background check phase.

Background Check: A simpler animal with a two prong approach: Verifying identity and checking public records. More sensitive documents such as credit reports may or may not be included depending on job or volunteer responsibilities.

Background Investigation: A long and involved, complicated process of acquiring as much information as possible about another person. These are generally performed by private investigators contracted by major businesses but also by police departments, the FBI and other government agencies when hiring employees. Neighbors are interviewed, financial records are poured over, and privacy is generally invaded at every angle. Folks applying for these positions involving major corporate or government responsibility generally understand the nature of the beast beforehand. Politicians are generally investigated in this way and dread it like black plague. Be aware that many people claim to perform background investigations when they’re really doing something less invasive.

Biometrics: Biometrics is the emerging field of technology devoted to identification using biological traits such as retinal or iris scanning, fingerprints, or face recognition.

Primary sources of identification: Characteristics of an individual that are unique and cannot be changed such as DNA, fingerprints, and retinal patterns.

Secondary sources of identification: Documents and data linked to an individual that can be changed or manipulated such as social security numbers, birth certificates, and driver’s license numbers.

Public Records: Transcripts, documents, etc. filed by a government agency and available to the public.

For Landlords Only

Without going into too much detail, technically landlords first screen then check. Screening starts the minute the phone rings and progresses through the written application phase. Sometimes people screen themselves out. I’ve had people say, “I’m being evicted Monday–can I move in this weekend?”

Uh…that would be no. 

Those that clear the screening enter phase 2–the background check. During the background check you need to know:

• Is the applicant who he says he is?
• Is he telling the truth?
• Has he done something that disqualifies him from renting your house or apartment, whether civil (filing multiple bogus lawsuits) or criminal (knocking off his former landlord)?

An excellent resource for tenant screening is the forum over on www.mrlandlord.com. Some of those folks are a bit blunt, but they represent many collective years of experience. Try searching the archives first, then grow a thick skin and ask away

Popularity: 13% [?]

Tags: background check, background checks, tenant screening