Property crimes are at an all time high in today's world, and landlords need to feel they can trust the person they are handing the keys over to. Tenant fraud involving property damage, unpaid monthly payments, false credit reports, and criminal activity has increased exponentially over the last few years. Tenant screening is an essential step in order to feel safe and trust the identity and record of the renter. Proper screening involves several steps, which will be outlined below.

1. Obtain proper identification from the tenant. Verification of the entries on the rental application is a first round screening attempt. Names, addresses, social security numbers (where applicable) should match and be correctly verified for accuracy. Proper identification would include drivers licenses, birth certificates, or a valid US passport.

2. Require the tenant to fill out an extensive rental application. The application should include at a minimum the name, current and previous addresses, primary and secondary phone numbers, work and salary information, and bank accounts. Also included should be a section on credit history, with questions directly related to their ability to make payments with their current salary and expenses. In addition, the prospective renter should be able to list at least two references the landlord can contact for further verification. These items are essential; the rest is up to the jurisdiction of the landlord.

3.The next essential step is to obtain an accurate tenant background check. These checks will alert the landlord to a number of major issues that should raise red flags. A proper background check will include previous criminal activity and sex offender status. It should also include arrests nationwide, not solely in the state of application.

These checks will also display employment history, previous addresses, and alias information. As stated previously, these fields should be double-checked against the rental application to detect any possible errors or possible forgeries. This information could raise some red flags if certain fields are misrepresented or inaccurate.

4. Obtaining a credit history is imperative and should be included with the tenant background check. These reports will list the future tenant's credit mishaps, late payments, bankruptcies, and previous addresses. This information should be a major part of the decision-making process.

Landlords today are generally not responsible for the fees associated with the background checks. It is very common in the real estate market today to include these charges in the rental application fees. The tenant should be aware of the charges and what they are being used for. It is their right to know. If there are any complaints, then the landlord can make a responsible decision as to the character of the individual as this may also be used as further tenant screening.

Whether you are the landlord of a single unit or an extensive complex, tenant screening is not only a good practice, but it will save you money and time in the long run. Good renters are hard to come by and unfortunately there are more horror stories than good. You do not have to be one of those victims. Simple tenant screening with tenant background checks will give you all of the information you need to make the right decision.