Businesses of all kinds are using social media, mostly as a marketing and public relations tool.
Facebook pages, Twitter feeds, LinkedIn profiles and Pinterest accounts are
quickly becoming must-haves in many industries. Interacting with consumers,
gaining followers, promoting products and services … it all can be done online
for free through social media sites.
But some businesses are finding another use for social
media: Background checks. It’s a
tempting practice, the ease with which you can look up a potential employee or
tenant on Facebook to see what kind of person you’re about to hire – or accept
as a tenant. But is it a good idea?
We think it’s a risky endeavor for a few reasons. First of
all, there are privacy concerns associated with using people’s personal
information and photos to make a judgment about their potential as a tenant. In
fact, Fair Housing laws are in place to keep such discrimination at bay.
Second,
it’s too easy to make a mistake. There are tons of folks out there with the
same name, and you can’t be absolutely sure you’ve got the right Jane Doe’s
Facebook page or Twitter feed. And even if you’re sure it’s the right person,
the inferences you make about what you see could very well be false. For
instance, just because Jane has a lot of photos of herself with two big dogs
doesn’t mean they’re her dogs and will potentially be moving into your rental
property with her.
It’s best to stick to
the tried and true tenant screening
methods of having the tenant applicant undergo a credit check, background check and employment verification. Leave the social media to your marketing
plan
Visit ATS Inc's homepage for more information about our Tenant Screening Services
