Most of the time, landlords put their hard-earned money in improving their properties to attract prospective tenants. They always want to make it a point to maintain the neat and tidy appearance of the property that they put up for rent. Because of this, they will do everything that they can to make sure that their new tenant will take care of the property.
Since they cannot rely on their instincts entirely to know if they can trust their possible renter, they will avail tenant screening services. It will help them get to know the people who will occupy their property. But is it worth it to invest your money in this kind of service? Here are several reasons to convince you that tenant screening practice is a must before handing over your keys to someone who wants to live in your rental home.
Protects Your Property
Perhaps the most significant advantage that you will get when you avail tenant screening services is the added protection for your rental property. This type of service will help you screen your rental applicants to see if they have any records of damaging properties, violence, or any other crimes that could put your property at risk. Screening services will also let you know if your rental applicants have eviction records. It will allow you to see the kind of renter they used to be in the past.
But remember, there are several states, cities, and federal courts that seek to limit the landlords’ ability to use the eviction and criminal histories of their rental applicants during their tenant screening process. This provision is part of the Tenant Protection Act of 2019. If the US Senate and US House of Congress passed this bill and the President approved it, the tenant screening provider will no longer have the right to show your applicant’s eviction records on their report if the incidents took place more than three years ago.
Protects Your Welfare
Since you will allow someone to use the home that you built using your life savings, you must trust that person to take care of your property by following the Fair Housing Act (FHA). With the help of tenant screening service providers, you will be able to find a trustworthy applicant while reducing the risk of facing FHA lawsuits. Also, tenant screening will allow you to know if the person is responsible enough to pay their rental dues on time.
Protects Your Other Tenants And The Community
If you own several properties for rent, you can use the tenant screening report to help you determine if the person will put your other renters and the rest of the community at risk. The screening service provider will do a background check using different databases like the sex offender list, the Interpol records, and the terrorist watch list. Your report from your investigator will let you weigh in if the person has the capabilities to hurt someone from your community.
Hiring a tenant screening process can become a tedious job, especially if you do not have any information about your renter. Fortunately, most tenant screeners nowadays have the skills to gather information about someone before you begin to allow them to live in your home.
By determining if they deserve your trust from the start, you will know the kind of person he/she is so you do not need to encounter stress and headaches in taking care of your rental property in the long run. As a result, it will give you more peace of mind since your property ended up with the right person.