Background Checks without SS Number

[Cole Davis]

A prospective tenant with (great credit / clean background) of ours has a roommate that is here on a work permit. He has a Tax ID number but no Social Security number. Our current tenant screening company can only search criminal records by SS#. 

Has anyone been about to search criminal records by a Tax Id number? We've run a background check on just his name / birthdate (which was verified by his passport) and nothing is popping up in terms of criminal history. 

Thank you!

[Account Closed]

If they're working in the US legally, they will have a social security number.  Unless I had an applicant who was a verified foreign student, I required a SSN.  

http://www.irs.gov/Individuals/International-Taxpa...

http://www.ssa.gov/ssnumber/ss5doc.htm

In CA you can't ask someone their immigration status, but I didn't want to rent to illegal aliens, because they are a flight risk.  So, if they're working and they don't have a SSN, they're an illegal alien.  It's legal to say you only rent to people who have a SSN, though.

Tax ID numbers are only given to people who can't get a SSN.

So, why can't this tenant get a SSN?

If they're a foreign student here on a student visa, make them prove they're a student in good standing and ask to see their student visa in their passport.

It's true that even a legal alien won't have a credit history.  But, they'll probably want to establish one.  I wanted to know I could affect it, if they bailed on me.  This is one of the few real leverages you have with a problem tenant.  So, if they don't have a SSN, you won't have that leverage.  And it's legal to require one.

I agree with the above post that if you're okay with this person, to just not put them on the lease.  You can put them down as a long-term guest with your written permission which can be revoked at any time, if that person creates a problem.  Leave the other tenant financially responsible.  This way the tenant on the lease can kick the other one out, too, if it doesn't work out, and they don't have to break the lease and move, to get rid of the other guy.