ATS Inc. = Best Background Check for Landlords

This year American Tenant Screen, or ATS Inc., celebrates our 25^th year in business as the best background check service provider on the web! We are proud that we've been around this long, and boast that we were the first tenant screening service provider with an internet presence in the late 1990’s.

ATS Inc.’s website  is extremely user-friendly because we offer reports for landlords 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year .We are also extremely proud of our rating A+ with the Better Business bureau.

http://www.alwaysscreen.com

In addition to tenant credit checks, we offer free lease forms, tons of landlord advice, and a several choices to help you get the most comprehensive renters background check. You can decide if you want your tenant screening to include eviction checks, sex offender reports and much more!

Thanks again for making us the best choice for new landlords, property managers, real estate investors and agents!!!

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Eviction Secrets Revealed!

You might think evictions only happen to tenants who are financially irresponsible or those who can’t afford rent checks for one reason or another. However, sometimes evictions happen to very wealthy people who were just very bad tenants. That is why you must perform eviction checks on all your tenant applicants, regardless of their income level.

Last week, several media outlets reported that troubled star, Amanda Bynes, was evicted from her NYC apartment. Bynes, who is reportedly worth $4 million, was kicked out following an arrest and numerous complaints. Neighbors say she was smoking in the hallways and very rude to the doormen.

Whitney Houston’s daughter, Bobbi Kristina Brown, denied rumors she was evicted from her Georgia apartment last week. Brown, who is also reportedly worth several million dollars, claims she moved because of discord with neighbors. However, the neighbors claim Brown threw loud parties and they had to file at least 10 complaints with police and property management.

Eviction checks and landlord references  are imperative, because they can tell you invaluable things about a tenant that credit checks and employment history cannot.

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What to look for in a tenant background check

Paying a tenant screening service to provide you with thorough tenant screening reports doesn’t make a bit of difference if you don’t take the time to read through them, carefully discerning the most important information to help with your decision of whether or not to rent to that particular applicant.  

Here are a few landlord tips for what to look for when poring over the tenant background check and application:

• Take careful note of any collections flags. Applicants with collections actions against them are much more prone to skipping payments or requiring eviction proceedings sometime down the road – and you don’t want that to be your road.
• Calculate the income to rent ratio. Tenants who make less than two times the rent amount are more likely to pay late, skip rent or stop paying all together. Also, if possible factor in the average amount for utilities at your rental property (something you already should know) as well as any loan amounts or credit card balances listed on the tenant credit check. Adding up all those expenses against the applicant’s income will give you a pretty clear picture of whether or not they are likely to be able to meet their financial obligations to you. Conversely, tenants who make more than three times the rent amount are much less likely to have payment issues.
• Be very wary of tenants who don’t have a bank account and only want to deal in cash. This can often be a sign of a problem, either with the person’s credit history or with their criminal record.

Contact ATS Inc today to find out how we can help with your tenant screening services. 

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For new landlords, knowledge is power

Landlords who are new to the business can sometimes be naïve to the amount of things they need to know right off the bat. It’s not enough to have a great rental property ready for a tenant, or to have researched the market to figure out an appropriate amount to ask for in rent. There are rules and laws and inside information every new landlord should find out before getting that first lease signed. 

Because you don’t know what you don’t know, we’ve made it easy by outlining the most important things a new landlord should research before beginning your business. 

1. Become very familiar with the state landlord-tenant laws in the state where your rental property is located. 
2. Read, internalize and follow the federal Fair Housing Act of 1968 and the federal Fair Housing Act Amendments Act of 1988, to make sure you’re not breaking any laws regarding discrimination when screening and accepting (or rejecting) prospective tenants.
3. Research a reputable tenant screening service to carry out this most important part of your business. If you sign up with the first (or cheapest) fly-by-night screening service you find on the internet, chances are you’ll get what you pay for.
4. Join and participate in the local landlord association where you are. You can make  great contacts and get tips and insider info from this local resource.
5. Check into the building codes for your neighborhood, as well as any neighborhood association laws and rules that your tenants (and you) might be expected to adhere to. 
6. Find a good lawyer who specializes in landlord-tenant law, and use that resource to check leases, eviction notices and any other legal documents or forms of communication between you and your tenant.  

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Landlords, increase your luck by utilizing a professional tenant screening service

Every landlord seems to have a horror story of a problem tenant who passed the tenant screening process with flying colors but still managed to be habitually late with the monthly rental payment, or destroyed the rental property, or disrespected the neighbors. Does this mean tenant screening isn’t worth it? Is it a waste of time and money hire a tenant screening service, to conduct a background check and pull someone’s credit report? Is it a waste of time to check references?

Absolutely not. Let’s be honest: There are dishonest people out there. There are tenants who appear to be something they’re not. There are also decent tenants with a reliable history who become victims of circumstances beyond their control. The greatest way to shield yourself from this kind of bad luck is to employ the very best tenant screening service, to gather all the pertinent facts about a potential tenant before offering them the keys to your property.

It’s true, there is a little bit of luck involved with picking the right tenant. There’s a healthy dose of gut instinct, too. But that instinct should be backed by solid facts supporting your decision, whether it’s to say yes or no to a potential tenant. Selecting someone to sign a lease might seem like a giant leap of faith; while there is a bit of trust involved in the decision, that trust is made much stronger when you have all the knowledge necessary about someone’s criminal record, employment, credit and landlord history from which to draw. 

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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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Up in Smoke: When a Tenant Smokes, the Damage Can Be Devastating

If you asked, some landlords would say they wish there was one more detail a tenant screening service could tell them about a prospective tenant — whether or not the person smokes.

Many landlords don’t like to accept tenants who smoke because of the damage that cigarette smoke does to walls, carpeting and furniture (let alone the potential for burn marks on the floors and complaints by nonsmoking neighbors who live close by and prefer to breathe smoke-free air.) But many applicants are good at hiding the fact that they are smokers.

If you ask an applicant whether he smokes and he says “only outside” or “only occasionally,” consider that answer to be “yes.” Someone might usually smoke outside, but during those long cold winter months, you can’t be sure your tenant isn’t staying curled up in his living room for a smoke instead of shivering on his porch.

When you advertise your property, be sure to include that you’re looking for nonsmoking tenants only; that should help weed out many regular smokers. And even if the tenant you find says he or she doesn’t smoke, include the rule in the rental agreement that there will be no smoking on the premises, and make sure they initial it. You might even want to stipulate that if smoke damage is found on the premises, the needed cleaning and repairs will come out of the tenant’s security deposit. 

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Know Fair Housing Laws

When landlords are new to the business, there are two things they need to learn right away. One is the value of using a professional tenant screening service to screen their applicants and give them crucial information on an applicant’s credit, employment, criminal record and rental history. The other is the importance of familiarizing themselves with the Fair Housing laws in their area and their state.

Fair Housing laws are in place to protect both tenant and landlord, but in order to be protected by the law, you have to know what that law is. Landlords can’t plead ignorance when it comes to Fair Housing issues, because it is their duty to learn and uphold the law when doing business.

In essence, fair housing laws are put in place to ensure there will be equal access to housing for all people. There can’t be any discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, national origin, ancestry, sexual orientation, age, familial status, children, marital status, veteran status or membership in the armed services, the receiving of public assistance, or physical or mental disability.

To learn more about the law, landlords should visit the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) website. Also check your state’s Housing Department for state regulations and possible training classes on the law. You can also check with your county’s government seat for any local laws regarding Fair Housing issues. Remember that ignorance on this subject will not get you off the hook if you’re ever faced with a complaint or lawsuit accusing you of violating Fair Housing law.

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Before Buying Investment Property, Consider This

Are you thinking about buying investment property and hoping to make a second income from leasing that property? There are a few critical things you should consider when deciding what property to buy.

1. How many tenants could you get from the property? If it’s a single-family home, chances are you’ll only have one source of income for rent. If that tenant falls behind on payments there won’t be any money coming to you to help pay the mortgage. In a duplex or other multi-family housing situation, you’ll have multiple income streams. Then again, more tenants means more maintenance and, perhaps, more hassles.

2. Make sure the building is inspected by a qualified, reputable home inspector. You don’t want any surprises when it comes to necessary repairs or upgrades before you can even begin leasing the space.

3. Check the comparables. Find out how much similar properties in the neighborhood are charging for rent, and what that includes (sewer, trash, parking, other utilities). If your rental income expectations are too high for the area, it’s best to keep looking.

4. Come up with a plan for how the property will be managed. Will you serve as the landlord, or hire a property manager? Will you inspect the property regularly? Do you have a relationship with a nearby repairman to do routine maintenance and repairs when necessary?

5. Consider the location. If you’ve never owned an investment property, you’re probably going to want one that is close to where you live. Buying and leasing a building in a different town can be more of a hassle than you bargained for.

Credit reports can tell a lot about a potential tenant, but they do not show whether someone has a previous eviction notice. Fill in the blanks on a prospective tenant’s background by using a tenant screening service to see important details about their rental history.