Frustrated screening first tenants

Rental Property Investor · Minneapolis, MN · Member since 2019 · 85 posts · 22 votes

Ready to rent and has received a few applications. Nightmare comes when we try to screen criminal /credit /eviction. We tried verticalrent.com and Mysmartmove.com. They both require tenant to fill in information themselves, and when doing detailed record verticalrent required is to pay and the tenant to pay as well. What do you use to screen and is it possible to put in all the info without tenant doing it themselves? Thanks!

0 Reply

67 views

Most Popular Reply

Jim K.

Handyman · Pittsburgh, PA · Member since 2018 · 5k+ posts · 13k+ votes

@Mo Muigai

My wife and I are local landlords in our area. We do mysmartmove.com, too, and we pay. But that's a last check for us, to catch things out-of-state that we might have missed, and to get a credit check. Our first check is our county's criminal and civil records and our state's unified records system.

If you're going to be local, there's very little comparison between being able to look at the actual court documents versus getting some kind of condensed report.

We also very carefully check social media. It's not so much the things that people say on their own Facebook, it's the things people's friends and relatives say that give you the bread crumbs you need to find more information.

5 Reply

See this reply in the discussion

26 Replies

Jump to latestLatest

Sort by

Jim K.
Handyman · Pittsburgh, PA · Member since 2018 · 5k+ posts · 13k+ votes
6y
@Mo Muigai
My wife and I are local landlords in our area. We do mysmartmove.com, too, and we pay. But that's a last check for us, to catch things out-of-state that we might have missed, and to get a credit check. Our first check is our county's criminal and civil records and our state's unified records system.
If you're going to be local, there's very little comparison between being able to look at the actual court documents versus getting some kind of condensed report.
We also very carefully check social media. It's not so much the things that people say on their own Facebook, it's the things people's friends and relatives say that give you the bread crumbs you need to find more information.
5 Reply
Polo VazquezPro Member
Real Estate Agent · McAllen, TX · Member since 2017 · 382 posts · 281 votes
6y
I believe rentprep allows you to put all the information yourself. You just need name and social. I for sure it has the option for you to pay. Not sure if it has the option for them to pay though but you can always charge them to apply and use that money to pay for the credit/bakcground check
2 Reply
Dennis M.
Rental Property Investor · Erie, PA · Member since 2018 · 6k+ posts · 9k+ votes
6y
If you want to try to do everything through software programs and on autopilot then yes your going to have a bunch hoops and expense . If you just a few rentals do it the old fashioned way as Jim and his wife do and I do . You’ll find more out in a ten second search on their Facebook profile than all those stupid programs ever will
4 Reply
Brian Ellis
Rental Property Investor · South shore, MA · Member since 2017 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
6y
As @Dennis M. mentioned, a lot of the times you will get a "clear" background check on those softwares, later finding out they have a history on google.
For Background checks I just use the internet. I will use Cozy for credit check since I utilize the other features it provides. And I pay to have it done. In MA you aren't allowed to charge the applicant, I did that a couple times without knowing and ended up having to send out multiple checks to reimburse the ones I denied.
1 Reply
Corby GoadeBusiness Member
Investor · Boise, ID · Member since 2014 · 3k+ posts · 3k+ votes
6y
If you are just managing a few doors, Cozy is great. Every market is different, but in my market, tenants expect to pay those fees and the report is delivered electronically to us. Handle everything as professionally as possible and if you follow fair housing screening guidelines to a "T," it will actually simplify the process for you and make it less expensive and time consuming for you and prospective tenants.
1 Reply
Nathan GesnerBusiness Member
Moderator
Real Estate Broker · Cody, WY · Member since 2010 · 28k+ posts · 41k+ votes
6y
What are you trying to accomplish? Having tenants enter their information reduces your workload dramatically. I am in a small city of 9,000 and I require all applications be filled out online, by the tenant. If they are 90 years old and don't have a computer, I send them to the library or offer to fill it out with them in my office for an additional $20.
The DIY Landlord Book4.7248 Reviews
Website View Page
2 Reply
Linda S.
Investor · Richmond, VA · Member since 2016 · 1k+ posts · 2k+ votes
6y
@Mo Muigai,
If you are trying to prescreen, then check out your local general district court. Also, check FB/instgram/etc, you can figure someone out by their page, and also who they are friends with, what they like, etc.

In VA, it's free and all you need is a name/locality, and you can quickly see eviction/criminal information per county. This is always step 1 for us and then require them to pay for their background check to make sure we're aware of any out of state activity.
1 Reply
Ned J.Pro Member
Investor · Manteca, CA · Member since 2017 · 1k+ posts · 2k+ votes
6y
Applicants fill out all the paperwork and pay for the credit and background check
My job is to review the information they provide and the results of these credit/Background serviced.... it’s not my job to hand hold them through the process and do all the work. I’ll spend some time calling and verifying the info about their job and previous landlord but that’s it
When you apply for a job, does the company put together your resume for you?

0 Reply
Brett B.
Rental Property Investor · n/a · Member since 2019 · 143 posts · 117 votes
6y
I used rentprep and the service was great. I fill in the tenants email address, pick the package, and they fill out their information and pay for it themselves. Less error on my end entering their information incorrectly and having to worry about collecting the fee. If they are serious about renting your unit, they should be able to fill out a simple online form. If that is a problem for them, I am guessing that is foreshadowing of a lot of future problems with that tenant.
2 Reply
Rob B.
Chicago, IL · Member since 2018 · 546 posts · 227 votes
6y
Just to echo some of what has been stated, most online rental management platforms these days have it where the tenant typically fills out their own information and pays for their own reports. Reason for this is due in part to the tendency of fraud to occur throughout the industry. Not at all saying this is something you would do by any means, but, as tenants apply for various apartments, fraudsters will try to collect that information themselves for the sake of "screening" when really they're just trying to get as many sensitive details as they can, including SSN and name. I think that you can get a lot of highly pertinent information while still keeping yourself protected as the landlord when you screen using a service.
By having the tenant complete the application themselves you put the onus on them to get the application completed, and paid for, while not needing to deal with their sensitive information. This could potentially be a great way to curb any fears they might have. If entering it yourself is still the path forward, I'd probably recommend the old fashioned way.

1 Reply
Lacey Daebel
Rental Property Investor · Scottsdale, AZ · Member since 2019 · 15 posts · 13 votes
6y
@Mo Muigai I currently use cozy for my screening. They run the background and credit check in one fellow swoop. Tenant pays for the reports, I only need to plug in their name and email then the rest is up to them (preferred). I also use Cozy for my property management so the tenant, if approved, is already used to the site and I do not confuse them with multiple different links. I also require renters insurance nonnegotiable to rent my properties to which Cozy provides too.
One negative to it is the reports are not terribly conclusive and I may use mysmartmove or Zillow’s feature for my next property to compare what type of information is pulled.
0 Reply
Mo Muigai
OP
Rental Property Investor · Minneapolis, MN · Member since 2019 · 85 posts · 22 votes
6y
@Nathan G. What I need is to know what software to use. I want them to fill the info but the softwares I tried I do fill in and pay, and also they are required to fill in and also pay. I figured there has to be a better tool out there and that is what I’m looking to find out.
0 Reply
Mo Muigai
OP
Rental Property Investor · Minneapolis, MN · Member since 2019 · 85 posts · 22 votes
6y
@Linda S. After they pay what software do u use to run background and criminal record? Tied verticalrent didn’t go well
0 Reply
Linda S.
Investor · Richmond, VA · Member since 2016 · 1k+ posts · 2k+ votes
6y
@Mo Muigai,
We use cozy.co for the background checks, it should be pretty easy and that's where we collect rent too.
1 Reply
Mo Muigai
OP
Rental Property Investor · Minneapolis, MN · Member since 2019 · 85 posts · 22 votes
6y
@Ned J. I get you but my problem is that I need to know what site or software they can use. I tried verticalrent it didn’t work well, they needed me to pay to use it, enter info and then the tenant to do it as well costing over $50 per tenant. Is there a different software where they can do all the info, I pay (with application fee which is $40) and we both don’t have to get charged for it? I know when I rented I never paid for my criminal record directly I only paid $40 application fee and landlord did the rest
0 Reply
Mo Muigai
OP
Rental Property Investor · Minneapolis, MN · Member since 2019 · 85 posts · 22 votes
6y
@Linda S. Thank you! I think I was not clear at first! Such is what I’m looking for 🤩.
0 Reply
Nathan GesnerBusiness Member
Moderator
Real Estate Broker · Cody, WY · Member since 2010 · 28k+ posts · 41k+ votes
6y
Cozy.co or TenantCloud or mysmartmove.com should all work. A typical online screening requires the applicant to fill in the information and pay the fee. The screening is run and you get the results.
The DIY Landlord Book4.7248 Reviews
Website View Page
1 Reply
Mo Muigai
OP
Rental Property Investor · Minneapolis, MN · Member since 2019 · 85 posts · 22 votes
6y
@Ned J. If they pay, do you charge application fee then?
0 Reply
Mo Muigai
OP
Rental Property Investor · Minneapolis, MN · Member since 2019 · 85 posts · 22 votes
6y
@Brett Baginski sound fair, but what if they paid application fee? Do you refund or they still pay for the background check?
0 Reply
Mo Muigai
OP
Rental Property Investor · Minneapolis, MN · Member since 2019 · 85 posts · 22 votes
6y
@Rob B. I would love to have them do it themselves. Then do I need to charge application fee at all? They paid it already
0 Reply
Marion Lee
Real Estate Investor · Los Angeles, CA · Member since 2013 · 50 posts · 12 votes
6y
@Mo Muigai
I’ve used smartmove and cozy. I prefer smartmove. When screening tenants I tell them that application (a google form) is free and credit and background checks are $40. The $40 per adult is paid directly to the smartmove or cozy.
0 Reply
Michael King
Rental Property Investor · Navarre, FL · Member since 2019 · 913 posts · 640 votes
6y
One day the background check will disappear and it will be either a 'Facebook check' or 'Social Justice Profile'. I'm a ninja in that respect, as I don't do facebook.
0 Reply
Alan Grobmeier
Rental Property Investor · Phoenix, AZ · Member since 2013 · 919 posts · 911 votes
6y
@Mo Muigai, I use experianonline.com for my credit background checks. The applicant pays for that check, about $40 each, so I do NOT charge an application fee. Besides, I want as many ppl as possible applying and then pick the best candidate. I get a complete credit/background check that is usually about 5-6 pages long. I just 'connect the dots'. If they connect, great. If not, you're out. ;-)
0 Reply
John Matthew Johnston
Investor · Beaver Falls, PA · Member since 2015 · 275 posts · 82 votes
6y
@Mo Muigai I recently moved from Cozy to Zillow, I place our listing on FB market place, Zillow , Cozy and Craigslist. When someone contacts me I redirect to Zillow and have them fill out the Application on Zillow. I specifically tell them to not fill out the credit report or background check until after they fill out the Application on Zillow and I review it. Once I review the application and they meet my minimum criteria then and only then will I show the property. If they like it and want to move forward I tell them to now do the background and credit report(which they pay for). If everything comes back ok we proceed with the lease and collecting first months rent, SD and any additional pet fees.
0 Reply
Brett B.
Rental Property Investor · n/a · Member since 2019 · 143 posts · 117 votes
6y
Originally posted by @Mo Muigai:
@Brett Baginski sound fair, but what if they paid application fee? Do you refund or they still pay for the background check?

When you are sending them the background/credit check, you have the option to pay for it yourself or pass it along to the person. So if you collect an application fee upfront, I would just pay for the background check myself, assuming it is close to the cost.

0 Reply

Join the conversationCreate a free account to reply, vote on answers and follow this thread.