Tenant Background SCREENING

Why Tenant Screening (Resident Screening) Is More Important Than Ever

Tenant screening (also known as resident screening) plays a critical role in maintaining safe, stable, and well-managed residential and mixed-use properties. While most residents and tenants are responsible and law-abiding, real-world incidents reported in the news demonstrate how a lack of proper tenant screening can expose property owners, managers, staff, and other residents to unnecessary safety and liability risks.

Recent, widely reported cases involving violent assaults on landlords and criminal activity conducted from rental properties highlight the importance of proactive risk assessment. These incidents underscore why consistent, compliant resident and tenant background checks are a key component of responsible property management.

Tenant Background Screening - Resident Background Screening - Tenant Renter Concept Image

Real-World Examples Highlighting Resident and Tenant Screening Risks

The following are just a few of the significant risks that occur when not conducting proper tenant background screening:

Violent Assault on a Landlord (Florida)

In Florida, a tenant was accused of violently attacking an elderly landlord, resulting in serious injuries and significant property damage. Law enforcement described the scene as severe, drawing attention to the potential risks when landlords don’t conduct tenant screening.

Rental Property Used for Criminal Activity (Colorado)

A rental property was raided by hundreds of law enforcement officers after it was discovered that residents were operating an illegal club linked to organized crime, drug trafficking, and violence. The property owner was left facing reputational harm, legal exposure, and substantial financial consequences.

Tenant-Related Stabbing Incident 

A former tenant allegedly stabbing a landlord during a dispute, reinforcing that tenant-related violence is a concern without tenant background screening.

These cases emphasize that resident and tenant screening is not about exclusion—It provides an added layer of risk awareness and preparedness—serving as a safeguard that helps property owners reduce potential harm while protecting tenants, staff, and the broader community!

Why Tenant Screening Is So Important

Effective resident and tenant background checks help property owners and managers:

  • Enhance Safety: Identify documented patterns of violent behavior or serious criminal activity that may pose risks to residents, staff, vendors, and visitors.
  • Reduce Liability: Demonstrate due diligence and reasonable care, helping mitigate negligent leasing claims and legal exposure after incidents. It can be used in marketing that you conduct tenant background checks to provide safety of residents.
  • Protect Property Value: Prevent property misuse, vandalism, and criminal activity that can damage buildings and brand reputation.
  • Promote Community Stability: Reduce disruptive incidents that lead to resident and tenant turnover, complaints, and decreased occupancy.
  • Make Objective Decisions: Apply consistent, legally defensible criteria that support fair and informed leasing decisions.

When conducted properly, resident and tenant background screening supports safer communities while remaining compliant with fair housing requirements.

Why Choose Reliable Background Screening for Tenant Screening

For over 35 years, Reliable Background Screening has partnered with property owners, managers, and housing organizations to deliver accurate, compliant, and dependable resident and tenant screening solutions.

Proven Experience

With more than three decades of experience in tenant screening, we understand the evolving challenges faced by property managers and the importance of balancing safety, fairness, and compliance.

Deep Understanding of Laws & Regulations

Tenant screening is highly regulated. Our team stays current on:

  • Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) requirements
  • Fair Housing considerations
  • State and local tenant screening regulations which have become more complex

This expertise helps clients reduce risk while applying a resident and tenant screening program consistently and lawfully.

Accuracy You Can Trust

Reliable Background Screening prioritizes data accuracy through robust quality control processes, trusted data sources, and experienced review teams—helping you make informed decisions with confidence.  We are also well versed in multi-unit/multi-state support in standardizing your tenant screening needs.

Compliance-Driven Processes

Our screening solutions are designed to support compliant decision-making, including adverse action workflows and documentation, so you can focus on managing your properties without added legal uncertainty.

High-Level Service & Support

We are known for responsive service, personalized support, and long-term partnerships. Our team works closely with clients to:

  • Customize screening programs
  • Support portfolio growth
  • Provide ongoing guidance and best practices


Commonly Used Resident and Tenant Screening Services

A comprehensive resident and tenant screening program typically includes multiple components to help property owners and managers make informed, compliant leasing decisions. The most commonly used resident and tenant screening services include:

Credit Reports – Tenant credit reports provide insight into an applicant’s financial responsibility by reviewing credit history, outstanding debt, payment patterns, and collections. Credit data can help assess a prospective resident’s or tenant’s ability to meet ongoing rental obligations while supporting consistent, objective decision-making.

However, not all credit reports are the same.  Reliable Background Screening feels it is important to request that alerts are included with the credit report, such as:

  • Social Security Number (SSN) issued to a deceased person. If this appears, you either have fraud or an incorrect SSN with credit data that is likely inaccurate.  Our reports include this service.
  • Year of Issue of the SSN – If the SSN was issued before your applicant was born, you again have either fraud or inaccurate information, as it is impossible for an SSN to be issued before a person is born.
  • State of Issue of the SSN

Criminal Background Checks – Criminal background checks are an important part of evaluating potential safety risks when applied consistently and in compliance with applicable laws. These searches may include:

  • County Criminal Records: Primary source searches at the county level where cases are filed, offering the most detailed and up-to-date records of felony and misdemeanor information.
  • Federal Criminal Records: Searches of federal court records for crimes prosecuted at the federal level.  Cases like extortion, racketeering, credit card fraud and, anything across state lines are included in the federal districts.
  • National Criminal Database Searches: Broad searches that may identify records across multiple jurisdictions to help direct more targeted county-level research.
  • Sex Offender Registry Searches: Searches of available state and national sex offender registries to identify reportable records, where legally permissible.
  • OFAC and other “Watch” Lists:  It is important to search for individuals on various terrorist and other “watch” lists, such as OFAC.  The penalties for doing any business, including renting to individuals on the OFAC list are egregious – with both prison sentences and huge monetary fines being outcomes for doing any business with these individuals.

All criminal background screening should be evaluated using compliant criteria that consider relevance, accuracy, and applicable fair housing guidance while also following state and municipals laws.

Eviction Records – Eviction history searches help identify prior landlord-tenant disputes, filings, or judgments related to evictions. Reviewing eviction records can provide insight into past rental behavior, helping property managers assess potential tenancy risks while applying consistent standards.  This separate search has been particularly critical since July 1, 2017, when all liens and judgments, including Forcible Detainer judgments (evictions) disappeared from all credit reports.

Bankruptcy-Lien-Judgment Search – Since liens and judgments disappeared from all credit reports ever since July 1, 2017, if you care about liens and judgments in evaluating a prospective rental applicant, performing a separate Bankruptcy-Lien-Judgment Search will give you this vital information that credit reports no longer provide.

Primary Source Verifications – Primary source verifications involve directly verifying information provided by the applicant, such as:

  • Prior rental history
  • Landlord references
  • Employment verification (when applicable)

These verifications help confirm accuracy, reduce misrepresentation, and support more confident leasing decisions.

Resident and Tenant Screening That Supports Safer Communities

Resident and tenant background screening is not about judgment—it is about responsibility. By identifying potential risks early and applying consistent, compliant resident and tenant screening practices, property owners can protect residents, staff, and assets while fostering safer, more stable communities.

With Reliable Background Screening, you gain a trusted partner committed to accuracy, compliance, and service excellence—backed by over 35 years of experience in resident and tenant screening.

CONTACT US today and learn how we can help your organization design a compliant and effective resident and tenant screening program.

TENANT BACKGROUND SCREENING

  • Unmatched Quality Control review of FCRA-compliant background screening reports will help ensure that any input errors do not result in invalid results
  • Partner with the major credit bureaus, with Canadian Credit Reports also available
  • Capabilities to research records from every county courthouse throughout the nation
  • Exclusive access to national and state data, including comprehensive motor vehicle records, eviction records, and criminal records for all 50 states
  • International criminal checks are also available
  • Personalized screening, with Customer Service Agents available weekdays
  • Secure online services tailored to your specific requirements available 24/7
  • A+ Accredited with the Better Business Bureau
  • Winner of the Sterling Award, honoring companies for quality service, integrity, and community stewardship

“I have only ever used Reliable Background Screening since I have been in business for almost 17 years. I always receive the best customer service from any of the team that I have worked with over the years.”

RYAN BROWN SALES & PROPERTY MANAGEMENT, RMB PROPERTIES, LLC

faq

A rental background check, whether it is resident screening or tenant screening, typically consists of a credit report (with or without a credit score), a separate eviction search, and a criminal background check. A distinct Eviction Search is critical, as all judgments (including rental/eviction judgments) have disappeared from all three credit bureaus’ credit reports, since July 1, 2017. Other options can include verifying employment/income history and verifying rental/residence history. An Applicant Decision, based upon the specific Applicant Qualifying Criteria of the rental property, can also be included when ordering a rental background check.

In order to obtain an individual’s credit report, proper authorization and disclosure must be provided to the prospective renter, as required by the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA – the federal law that governs credit reports and consumer reports, known as background checks). A background screening company, that is also a consumer reporting agency (CRA) and that has credit bureau access, can provide a credit report. It is always important to check the legal name and date of birth of the individual are being processed, by verifying them against a valid Government ID, such as a Driver’s License, State ID, or Passport. Ensuring that a valid and correct Social Security Number is utilized is also essential.

In order to obtain a credit check, proper authorization and disclosure must be provided to the prospective tenant, as required by the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA – the federal law that governs credit reports and consumer reports, known as background checks). A background screening company, that is also a consumer reporting agency (CRA) and that has credit bureau access, can provide a credit check. It is always important to confirm the legal name and date of birth of the individual are, by verifying them against a valid Government ID, such as a Driver’s License, State ID, or Passport. Ensuring that a valid and correct Social Security Number is utilized is also essential.

In order to obtain a background check on a prospective renter, proper authorization and disclosure must be provided to the prospective renter, as required by the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA – the federal law that governs credit reports and consumer reports, known as background checks). A background screening company, that is also a consumer reporting agency (CRA) and that has credit bureau access, can provide a background check report. It is always important to check the legal name and date of birth of the renter who is being processed, by verifying this date against a valid Government ID, such as a Driver’s License, State ID, or Passport. Ensuring that a valid and correct Social Security Number is utilized is also essential.

The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA – the federal law that governs apartment background checks) allows for credit history to be reported for seven years, and bankruptcy information for ten years. Regarding criminal records, the FCRA allows only criminal convictions to be reported that are older than seven years. Some states and jurisdictions have a seven-year maximum for reporting.

Landlords often use the generic term “credit checks” but what they really mean is a resident or tenant background check. A rental background check, whether it is resident screening or tenant screening, typically consists of a credit report (with or without a credit score), a separate eviction search, and a criminal background check. A distinct Eviction Search is critical, as all judgments (including rental/eviction judgments) have disappeared from all three credit bureaus’ credit reports, since July 1, 2017. Other options can include verifying employment/income history and verifying rental/residence history. An Applicant Decision, based upon the specific Applicant Qualifying Criteria of the rental property, can also be included when ordering a rental background check.