I am interviewing tenants and would like to do a background check on them. Can you provide what service you are using for this. Also, if anyone has a great landlord/tenant lease for the state of NJ. Please share.
Rental Property Investor · Ankeny, IA · Member since 2017 · 2k+ posts · 3k+ votes
7y
@Angeline Mentor
MySmartMove for credit, nationwide eviction, and criminal history. I like that the applicant pays them directly so I don’t handle any money. I also do free prescreening of verifying employment, calling prior landlords, and open source internet of social media and state/county criminal court systems.
Blue Springs, MO · Member since 2015 · 481 posts · 313 votes
7y
Disclaimer: I only have one property so far. I am not affiliated with any sites mentioned.
I use Cozy.co for background checks and collecting rent. I don't use the other features they offer (application, maintenance requests, document sharing, listing syndication). I wrote a detailed post about it here:
I am not in NJ, so I can't help with a lease. Sometimes a local landlords' association or real estate investors' association will have a lease you can use, if you are a member.
Rental Property Investor · Baltimore, MD · Member since 2019 · 84 posts · 23 votes
7y
I'm actually using a property management software to manage my rental property and the app is Tellus. They partner with Naborly and they have a free screening service. I've used their reports to choose my tenant and the report is comprehensive and thorough.
Rental Property Investor · Ankeny, IA · Member since 2017 · 2k+ posts · 3k+ votes
7y
@Angeline Mentor
MySmartMove for credit, nationwide eviction, and criminal history. I like that the applicant pays them directly so I don’t handle any money. I also do free prescreening of verifying employment, calling prior landlords, and open source internet of social media and state/county criminal court systems.
They are actually offering 15% off of your first screening when you use the code NEWUSER. They have 3 packages ranging from $20-$35, but they all at least include background checks and previous address history. I usually go with the Premium package because it also offers credit reports and a "tenant score" which ranks a candidate on their likeliness to default on a lease.
there are better coupons online. CAA20 takes off 20%
However, with naborly being free, why use paid services at all?
I tried the Tellus app on android, and it's buggy as hell. I stopped using it immediately
I always wonder how a company who give their services for free makes money. Do you know how naborly does it? I'm not sure if I want to create a liability for myself by putting my potential tenants in security risk. I know that some other screening services sites will bill prospective tenants directly so I don't even have to collect fees for it.