Hire a Tenant Screening Service That Tailors The Reports to Your Needs

Every tenant is different, and therefore no two rental applications or tenant screening reports will look the same. Each time you’re vetting potential tenants, it’s of the utmost importance to get the necessary background information about them to ensure they are who they say they are, with the job they claim to hold, and the clean rental history they say they have.

But every circumstance is a little bit different, and you shouldn’t be forced to pay for a lump of tenant screening services if you don’t necessarily need all of them. Perhaps you already have verified a person’s employment. Perhaps they’ve provided you with a recent copy of their credit report. Whatever the circumstances are, you should hire a professional tenant screening service that is willing and able to tailor the screening service to your needs, only generating those reports you really need and not wasting your time and your applicant’s money with frivolous checks and duplicate reports.

When searching for the right tenant screening service, find out whether they offer different levels of background screening services. Research until you find a reputable company that offers everything from single a la carte screening services, to full-service background screening packages that check everything from employment verification and previous eviction reports to criminal records and sex offender registries. 

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Wisconsin Steps Up to Make Tenant Screening Easier

Tenant screening is a critical step toward a landlord’s successful relationship with a tenant. Recognizing this, the Wisconsin legislature is making it easier for tenant screening information to make into the hands of landlords who need it most.

In the past, local ordinances and laws have made it difficult for landlords to have access to important information regarding a tenant’s previous rental history, credit information, criminal history and other details. But a new statewide law makes it illegal for any city, town, village or county to enforce such ordinances that keep necessary tenant screening information under cover.

The law makes it clear that landlords are free to obtain and use any of the following information with respect to a tenant or prospective tenant: Monthly household income; employment information; rental history; credit report; court records related to criminal history, including arrest and conviction records, to which there is public access; and identifying information such as a Social Security number.

Those in the Wisconsin legislature clearly understand that landlords are not trying to violate a person’s privacy rights by obtaining this information. On the contrary, they’re just trying to protect their own assets and make the most intelligent decision for their business interests (without unlawfully discriminating against anyone, of course). Hopefully more states will follow suit.

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Not everybody wants a one-year lease

A yearlong lease is a pretty standard length of time for a rental property that is a tenant’s primary residence. But sometimes a tenant will ask to do a longer lease or a shorter lease. Landlords should consider the pros and cons to both when deciding whether to grant a special request for the least term. First and foremost, perform a thorough background check, credit report and rental history on the applicant as part of the tenant screening process. This will give you a clear indication of what type of lease will suit both of you best.

Two-year lease. If a tenant applicant requests a lease term that is longer than the standard one-year lease, and they have excellent credit, references and employment history, don’t be scared to sign them up for the long haul. Not all tenants wish to be nomads, moving every year to a different place. Sometimes really qualified, respectful renters just want the stability of knowing they can stay put for awhile in a home they love. If you find these folks, count your blessings.

Six-month lease. If a tenant wants a six-month lease and they pass the tenant screening process with flying colors, talk to them about the reasons behind the shorter lease. Will they be going on an extended trip? Will they be moving for their job, or getting married? Are they in the military and might be deployed or transferred to a different base? Get to the bottom of the half-year request, and if you feel comfortable with possibly having to find new tenants twice in one year, go for it.

Month-to-month lease. If you find a tenant who is interested in a month-to-month lease, beware — especially if they don’t have a good credit score or employment history. However, if you just want someone in the property for as long as you both can make the situation work, it might be worth it. The benefit is you can easily kick out the tenant at the end of the month if they aren’t paying rent. And if they do pay the rent on time, then you bought yourselves one more month of a mutually beneficial arrangement.

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