How Criminal Background Checks and Verifying Your Applicants SSN

Fits into Your Tenant Screening Model

 

Tenant Screening and Resident Screening also known as Applicant Screening or Rental Screening is the process of discovering whether or not a potential renter meets an already established rental acceptance criteria.  This article seeks to explain that criminal background checks and social security number validations discover information about an applicant that could reveal data inconsistent with that provided on a rental application.  It will also bring to light the benefits of adding these additional screening components to your existing tenant screening processes, and how they can aid in keeping your community safe while at the same time preventing costly evictions, lawsuits and even property damage.

 

Why should I pay for Criminal Background Checks as part of my Tenant Screening process?

Performing a statewide criminal background check or national criminal background check used to take more than a day to complete, making it difficult for apartment unit leasing agents to make quick decisions on perspective tenants.  Now most applicants apply to many rental properties before moving in to one and do not have the patience or the liberty to wait more than a day to find out if they have been accepted. If you are one of those residential communities that never ran criminal checks because they took to long, it may now be time to re-consider.

 

These days property owners, apartment managers and landlords have the dual responsibility of running both a profitable operation and providing a safe environment for their residents to live in.  They understand that running a profitable apartment rental business and keeping their community safe are not conflicting initiatives. 

 

What is Considered Negligent Leasing in the Apartment Industry Today?

When a lease is signed prematurely it can result into negligent leasing.  To avoid the risks associated with premature leasing it is recommended that you complete a series of background checks including a criminal background check and social security number validation on your applicant(s) prior to signing a lease.  These background checks can reveal applicant fraud and past criminal convictions that are considered rejectionable offenses and can be filtered out prior to leasing.  Verifying the information disclosed on a rental application is the responsibility of the party leasing the apartment unit.  Conducting employment verifications internally or outsourcing them is also highly recommended prior to leasing.

 

Recidivism in the form of repeat offenders can be discovered by running a simple criminal background check prior to signing a lease.  You can reduce your exposure to real risks present when screening new tenants by running criminal background checks.  Properties trying to avoid theft, violence and property damage by previous offenders can accomplish this by running a criminal history check on applicants before accepting them and signing a lease. 

 

CriminalBackgroundRecords.com makes the criminal background checking process easy and does it by meeting the demands of realtors, landlords, property managers, property owners and apartment leasing agents in the USA.  Adding a criminal background check and social security number validation to your applicant screening model will benefit your overall goals of profitability and community safety.

 

CriminalBackgroundRecords.com provides criminal background checks and social security number validations in the form of professional informational reports.  We do this online for a reasonable fee, and provide exceptional service to all our clients.  We offer criminal background checks at the state, county, and national levels and grant generous discounts to qualified businesses and organizations throughout the United States of America. 

 

We only serve the American Marketplace.

 

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CriminalBackgroundRecords.com is “An Information Enterprises Solution”

The staff at CriminalBackgroundRecords.com has heard from human resources managers, individuals and other corporate personnel throughout the United States regarding issues pertaining to employment screening practices.  What we have found is that there is a lot of confusion and uncertainty regarding the FCRA (Fair Credit Reporting Act) and what real life employment screening practices need to do to remain or become compliant. The top issues on this list include how to appropriately use public records like criminal background checks in the business world, how to protect yourself from applicant fraud, and how to ensure that your company has procedures compliant with applicable law relating to hiring, firing or promoting of employees primarily as defined in the FCRA.  This article addresses these concerns and demonstrates why using a background check provider like CriminalBackgroundRecords.com is a wise choice in today’s market place.  The availability and feasibility of quality criminal background checks, along with social security validation, gives employers the ability to effectively screen applicants within their desired timeframe demanded by the industry.

Today there is another tool available to employers in addition to criminal background checks.   This tool is the social security number & address history trace.  This important new component to a sound employment screening model is known as an SSN Trace, SSN Validation, or SSN Check.  This quick search can determine if the SSN being used by an applicant is in fact valid, and to ensure that this applicant is in truth who they claim to be.  Performing a criminal background check today in conjunction with an SSN Validation and address history trace is a wise choice. 

Commonly asked Employment Screening Questions:

• Do all employers need to have applicants or employees sign a release form before performing a background check?  YES, and must give disclosure (FCRA - 1681B).
• If an applicant/employee requests to review a copy of their criminal background record, does the employer need to show or provide a copy of the criminal record to the applicant?  NO, under federal law you are not required too, unless there is an adverse action.  However, state laws vary; for instance Massachusetts Law gives all employees full access to their files at their place of employment.
• If an employer takes adverse action on an applicant or employee because of a criminal background check, does the employer need to give notice stating that a criminal background check has adversely affected them? YES, employers must notify the applicant.
• Are employers required to keep criminal background checks on file?  Currently this is up to the judgment of the employer.
• Knowing that a county criminal search is the most trusted criminal history check available in the USA today, why do employers run instant state or instant national criminal background checks first and not county checks?  Coverage - They want a larger area covered to enhance their chances of finding a record if in fact one exists.  Speed - A county search can take days to complete and in order to not create a bottleneck in employment screening processes, the faster searches are preferred.  NOTE:  The quality of instant criminal searches has dramatically improved over the years.  Statewide instant criminal background checks & the National instant criminal background check if accessed through a provider like CriminalBackgroundRecords.com are now very reliable.

The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) & Background Checks (Public Records) for Employment Purposes
(Sections 604, 606, & 615 of the FCRA explain the responsibilities of using consumer reports for employment purposes.)

CriminalBackgroundRecords.com adheres to part 2 of section 613 of the FCRA
CriminalBackgroundRecords.com (a site owned and operated by Information Enterprises Inc.) has customers that use its criminal background checks for employment purposes.  For such customers the site maintains strict procedures to ensure that whenever a criminal history record is found in conjunction with legitimate employment purposes, that it is confirmed through a county background check to ensure that the record in question is in fact current and accurate.  These policies are in place so that employers can be confident that the criminal information they are receiving is both complete and current.

The FCRA is designed primarily to protect the privacy of consumer report information and to guarantee that the information supplied by consumer reporting agencies is as accurate as possible. Amendments to the FCRA — which went into effect September 30, 1997 — significantly increase the legal obligations of employers who use consumer reports. Congress expanded employer responsibilities because of concern that inaccurate or incomplete consumer reports could cause applicants to be denied jobs or cause employees to be denied promotions unjustly. The amendments ensure (1) that individuals are aware that consumer reports may be used for employment purposes and agree to such use, and (2) that individuals are notified promptly if information in a consumer report may result in a negative employment decision.   Federal Trade Commission – Details and URL found at the bottom of this document

Most of today’s employers perform criminal background checks on their applicants.  They also pull other consumer reports as part of their pre-employment screening processes.  And some employers even perform background checks on current employees (usually for reassignment, promotion or retention purposes).  Not all employers are the same, for instance; one employer may only want a reference check while others may want to see driving records and criminal history reports.  For security jobs or high level positions usually an investigative consumer report will be ordered.  This report differs from the others in one key aspect; it includes interviews with the applicant’s friends, neighbors, and associates which addresses the very character of the person.  An investigative consumer report has separate legal issues concerning it.  These investigative reports have stricter compliance issues than regular consumer reports like credit checks or criminal history checks and therefore have specific guidelines associated with them that are spelled out in the FCRA (You can read them in Section 606 - Disclosure of investigative consumer reports).

CriminalBackgroundRecords.com actively incorporates compliance issues into its product offering, and constantly is enhancing the quality of its background reports.  A sound screening policy that we would recommend to employers is to run a social security validation check along with a statewide or national criminal check first and then if a record is found (that would adversely effect the applicant) to then run a county search where the record was found in.  This ensures you are getting the most accurate and complete record available before making any employment related decisions based in part or in whole by the public record information we provided.

Bundled Employment Screening Background Check Packages are now available from CriminalBackgroundRecords.com and include combinations of varying criminal background checks and a social security validation & address history trace.  Each option includes a free National Sex Offender Check, Terrorist Database Search & USA Most Wanted List Search.  Please visit us online at:  www.CriminalBackgroundRecords.com where you can become a member for free and start accessing quality criminal background checks today, over the Internet in minutes!

If you are interested in reading more about employment screening background checks practices and the use of consumer reports; we recommend that you, employers, and human resource professionals throughout the United States read the following article from the Federal Trade Commission under “Facts for Businesses” titled:  “Using Consumer Reports:  What Employers Need to Know” found at the following URL:  www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/business/credit/bus08.shtm

This has been a CriminalBackgroundRecords.com News Publication - All rights reserved
CriminalBackgroundRecords.com is “An Information Enterprises Solution”

CriminalBackgroundRecords.com has been conducting criminal background checks over the Internet for over 7 years and has never had a breach in its security safeguards.  Not only is our transactional information encrypted and kept confidential, we also implement third party solutions to further enhance our overall security efforts. 

We also have in place the following Security Safeguards:

• We have been a long time user of Scan Alert’s Hacker Safe product; (recently changed to McAfee SECURE). This product helps us protect our customers from identity theft, credit card fraud, spyware, spam, viruses and online scams.  Our site is tested and certified every day to make sure we pass the rigorous McAfee Secure Security Scan.  You will notice the active McAfee Secure logo on our homepage along with today’s date, this shows that the site has passed all security tests as of today.

• We encrypt the information captured and transferred over the Internet on our site.  We have a GeoTrust Secure Site Seal on our site indicating that the information you send to this site is secured using SSL encryption — the industry standard method for safely transferring information over the Internet.

• Firewalls (both software & hardware).  Sensitive data like our customers personally identifiable information is kept secure and confidential and only released for billing and other functions necessary for fulfilling your background check search request.

• Trust.  We are an Accredited Business with the Better Business Bureau (BBB). We have been a member since 2002.  Currently our BBB Rating is A+ (the highest possible ranking).

• Internal Procedures.  Limitations on personnel password access to our servers, databases and other critical systems are strictly enforced.

CriminalBackgroundRecords.com is serious when it comes to securing and protecting the data sent to and from its website.  CriminalBackgroundRecords.com feels the best way to protect its customer’s online identity is by protecting the information they enter on the site including their personally identifiable information. Due to the sensitive nature of the information captured and sent on CriminalBackgroundRecords.com, all transactions are stored in non-publicly accessible areas and are transmitted in encrypted form.

We employ these and other security safeguards to help protect all personally identifiable information our users provide to us from loss, misuse, and/or unauthorized alteration. As a transactional website we handle the facilitation of Credit Card, PayPal, and Google Checkout orders and do so with current SSL Encryption technology.  Whenever we ask you to transmit sensitive information, such as a credit card number, your address etc., that information is encrypted and not decipherable until it reaches its final destination.

For more on CriminalBackgroundRecords.com Security Features visit the sites Security Page at:  www.CriminalBackgroundRecords.com/security.html

This has been a CriminalBackgroundRecords.com News Publication - All rights reserved
CriminalBackgroundRecords.com is “An Information Enterprises Solution”

With this new Blog, end users of criminal reports, industry people, and information technology persons can all converge on one front to address their questions, concerns and ideas.  The word "blog" is just a shortened word for "web log" that has gained in popularity and now is considered a word of its own with its own meaning.  Blogs have become increasingly popular on the Internet and have allowed people who are far away from each other to come together on a website they share a mutual interest in.  Sharing ideas, commentary, news and concerns regarding the background retrieval industry (with people all across the USA) is now possible and very easy to do.  So please visit us at blog.CriminalBackgroundRecords.com and start voicing your opinion today.

Blogs are found on many websites and are usually maintained by an individual, company or organization that adds regular ongoing entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other information for others to read.  CriminalBackgroundRecords.com's new interactive Blog now allows browsers and users to ask questions like, "What happens when someone goes to court for a proposed crime?" or "what is the difference between a felony, misdemeanor or infraction offense?"  With the new fully functioning blog, people can educate each other as to what a felony, misdemeanor, and infraction are, as well as how certain sentencing works in the USA. 

This online blog is for everyone from criminal history searching experts to someone wanting clarification on their own criminal record.  Now there is a platform and place to voice criminal background industry questions.  A place to find out what exactly makes up a criminal conviction record to why a criminal record can be different than an arrest record.  It is a free place to learn, question, and confront common truths and misconceptions pertaining to the criminal background retrieval industry.  Get educated on police policies, US court system operations, US department of corrections and US law. 

The USA is comprised of 50 individual states representing 3,143 counties.  At CriminalBackgroundRecords.com you can conduct a county criminal background check in any county in the USA.  You can also conduct a criminal background check at the state level in 48 states.  National criminal checks are also available and include additional free searches like a national sex offender check and terrorist list search.

Below is a breakdown of the major criminal background checks available in the USA
(all of which can be searched at CriminalBackgroundRecords.com)

County Criminal Background Check:
A county search is the most current, accurate and complete search available in the US today.  However, you need to know the state and county you want to perform this search in; otherwise it will not be effective.  This search entails having a professional court researcher manually pull the complete record in question for you.  It typically takes a day or more for your search results to come in.  County criminal background checks go back seven years and include felony and misdemeanor conviction records.

Statewide Criminal Background Check:
The statewide criminal background search is the most popular criminal background check used today in the USA.  Statewide criminal checks are available in forty-eight states.  This search includes all commonly looked for information including department of corrections info, bodily characteristics, sentence info, case number and court records (including felony convictions and misdemeanor offenses).

CriminalBackgroundRecords.com online statewide criminal searches include a free national sex offender report, free terrorist database criminal background check, and a free US most wanted criminal database search. 

Multi-State Criminal Background Check:
Multi-State criminal searches can cover two or more full states and usually include additional free searches like a sex offender registry check, the terrorist database search (which is maintained by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), and lists such international terrorists sometimes called Specially Designated Nationals or SDNs), and a free criminal check of the US Most Wanted list including FBI, Secret Service and Americas most wanted criminals.

National Criminal Background Check:
CriminalBackgroundRecords.com has an instant national criminal background check which consists of 46 US states.  This search includes a national sex offender check and other free criminal background checks made available to the US market as public records.