Hi all, I am using RentRedi for tenant screenings and receive this message for the criminal report for all my applicants: A criminal search cannot be completed for your applicant because certain local regulations necessitate the implementation of a 2-phase screening process and confirmation of implementing a 2-phase screening process has not been provided.I am in Cook County, IL and it recently became law that credit and other screenings have to be reviewed and accepted first before a criminal report can be viewed.

So many roads equally as good that nobody talks about, and for good reason.

Okay, maybe not "criminal", but a severe hit on any chance of the average person building long term wealth in homeownership.Median household income 2019: $83,260Median household income 2024: $83,730Median home price 2019: $254,700Median home price 2024: $407,500This is why we're in such a tough situation across the country.I get real estate "always goes up", but at some point you priceout an entire generation.

Looks like a tough road ahead

This post seems to reference Texas, which is easier to deal with than say Washington where you could be criminally prosecuted for contacting someone in pre-foreclosure.

We were adamant that the concerned tenant was mistaken as the new tenant came back with zero criminal history (other than minor traffic).

Welcome to the Skeptical Investor article right here on BP! A frank, hopefully insightful, dive into real estate and financial markets. From one real estate investor to another.
-------
This week, we’re talkin’ the ...

I absolutely recommend using a rental screening tool, not just for credit scores, but criminal history, eviction history, and job verification.

When you’re self-managing, the key is finding a screening service that’s FCRA-compliant, offers direct client support, and values accuracy over speed of results :Full Credit Reports with FICO Scores (soft-pull preferred so it doesn’t impact the applicant’s credit).Nationwide Criminal and Eviction Searches that are manually verified for accuracy.Employment and Income Verification Tools that connect directly to payroll or bank data instead of relying on uploaded documents.Identity Verification Features that confirm facial biometrics and ID authenticity to prevent fraud.You’ll want something that integrates easily with your application workflow — whether you send applicants a link or manually enter their info — and delivers reports within a few hours.Feel free to message me any time if you’d like to chat.

Many landlords do this and then verify the info by checking ID.Just make sure you store it securely — shred paper copies when they’re no longer needed and keep digital files encrypted or password-protected.Hope that helps — it’s extra work upfront but saves you headaches down the road if you ever need to track someone down for unpaid rent.Yeah I think I need to make something like that and collect it myself.