Interpret eviction records correctly to avoid errors in judgment

If you are a landlord or property manager who uses tenant screening as a reliable tool to weed out potentially bad tenants and find the best ones, congratulations – you’re doing yourself and your business a big favor. But if part of that tenant screening report includes an eviction record, your interpretation and actions regarding the results could open you up to discrimination claims, not to mention unfairly denying a potentially wonderful tenant the chance to live on your property. 

The use of eviction records can be very helpful, but be careful about the way you use them. So when requesting an eviction records search, keep these things in mind:

• The date of the judgment: According to the Fair Credit Reporting Act, civil suits, civil judgments, and records cannot be taken into account in the rental decision if they are older than seven years or until the governing statute of limitations has expired, whichever period is longer.
• The number of records returned:  A single offense may be due to special circumstances, while a list of offenses most likely indicates a much larger problem. If there is a single offense, ask the applicant to explain the situation, and contact the former landlord to back up their story. 
• The information contained in the record:  Any system that returns instant results has the potential for error. Verify that what you receive matches other information provided by your applicant or other areas of their tenant screening report. 

If you follow these guidelines and leave room for a frank discussion with your tenant applicant and his or her previous landlords, you could do both of you a favor and avoid an error in judgment that costs somebody a great place to live, and costs you a good tenant. 

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Tenant screening service should help you interpret the results, not just spit out a report

Most property owners understand the importance of tenant screening, but many are still a bit lost about how best to use all the information gleaned from background checks and credit reports. The best way to make the tenant screening process as simple and clear as possible is to hire a tenant screening service that not only provides accurate reports but also qualifies the information. This rare extra step allows the landlord to make an informed, quantifiable decision about who should become their next tenant.

At ATS, the landlord sets the criteria for the hiring decision. In other words, you pick what is most important to you in regards to the background check, and ATS returns an approval, conditional approval or denial based on what was found regarding the criteria you set. This system not only simplifies the screening process, it also creates a uniform decision that negates any question of bias and helps eliminate any subconscious discrimination against an applicant.

For even greater efficiency, ATS offers its clients pre-filled denial notice and Fair Credit Reporting Act compliance letters, to help landlords deal with the legalities involved with making the best decision for their property while maintaining a balance of fairness and objectivity.

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