Good Criminal Check?

Question

Hello,

As an active buy&hold landlord type, I often have to run criminal checks on people.  I have been using SentryLink.  They do a national level search for about $20.  Problem though.  It's happened twice.  I had people apply who had felonies.  They disclosed on their application and in the phone interview.  Ran Sentrylink - no hit.  Yet I know these people had felonies, and I know that they were adults when they did it.

I used to use Intelius, but it's expensive.  Forty bucks for the same search.  And I don't know if it's any better.  I was doing statewide searches with them, but statewide isn't very good IMHO.  People are too mobile.

Anybody know a good, accurate criminal search provider?

- Jerry Kaidor

Ariel O. · Answer

@Jerome Kaidor

There is an adage that applies here:

Cheap, Fast, Good, Pick 2.

The vast majority of landlords/property managers want a criminal check, but it's not their primary concern (as opposed to credit, evictions etc). Most screening companies won't give you that level of county/state in depth search that will usually turn up most felonies, mainly because of cost , lack of demand, and marketplace knowledge.

Here's the issue: The multi state searches, and Intelius searches too (which are not FCRA compliant and can get you in real trouble,btw), are database searches. You can only have data in there that is able to be purchased or assembled from the state and local jurisdictions. So there's a ton that's missed.

The best way to do it is to check each county they lived in that comes back from the address trace. If you're incredibly paranoid you can do the counties adjacent, as well as counties worked in. If you're lucky they lived in one of the states that has a state level repository that is as reliable as a county level search.

Some states offer online searches, but even then it's not perfect. For example CT only offers data going back 7 years, so you have to know that and find someone who has older data.

I don't know that it would cost you $160 like @Kenneth LaVoie posted so many years ago, but it would be in the $50 and up  range + court fees if there was no real volume. What you want basically is a criminal search equivalent to the ones done for managerial or mid level employment background checks and they're just not cheap. Remember you're putting boots on the ground to get a lot of the data.

Screening is an art and a science, good luck.

Steve Babiak · Answer

read @Kenneth LaVoie 's post in this next thread:

http://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/52/topics/3145...

Amy A. · Answer

Along with the credit report to verify past addresses, I Google the person's name plus their state.  Sometimes local police records will come up.  I also do a search within their local newspaper.  Sometimes arrests come up, sometimes honor roll lists.  Often the criminal's age will be listed as well, so I can get an idea if it's the same person.  I know, a million people will follow my post telling me that it was just an arrest and they might not have been guilty.  I next ask the applicant about what I found, shut up and let them talk.  They will usually give me more  information that will help me in my decision.

Jerome Kaidor · Answer

Yes, I always get a full credit report.  And the address trail is one of the most important parts of it.   I use Google maps heavily.  Go look at each address.  Maybe there's a for-rent banner with a telephone number in front of it.  I once had a prospective give an address on McKinley in Fresno.  Looked at it with Google street view, and it was a tropical fish store.  Bunking with the Bettas?  I told the prospective what I found.  "Does that mean I don't get the apartment?"   "Yup, that's what that means."

Eviction reports are a joke.  Except when the prospective has an unusual name.

Steve Babiak · Answer

This nugget is worth remembering. You do this same thing for eviction records AND to get past landlord references. The past landlords have to be researched (usually via the local tax assessor), and contacted once you have identified who the past landlord(s) is/are.

And the address history is a very important component of the credit report, and that is why I always suggest that you must get a FULL credit report, not just some score or pass/fail or accept/reject.

Steve Babiak · Answer

Good Criminal Check?

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