Never rely solely on a credit report or any background screening results offered by your applicant.
The Importance of Background Screening in the Age of AI
At a time when the capabilities of Artificial Intelligence (AI) continue to grow each day, it is more important than ever to depend on your own reliable resources to qualify a new tenant. Application fraud has become easy for anyone with internet access and a basic knowledge of how to use AI, thus turning the Information Age into the Age of Deception.
The first step in combatting this deception is to never rely solely on a credit report or any background screening results offered by your applicant. Trust only those that you purchase yourself from a reliable, established screening resource.
Fortunately, an AAOA credit check for landlords and a tenant background check cannot be altered to falsify their results. The information supplied by our databases is permanent and unchangeable by us, our clients or the applicant.
What does a legitimate screening report tell you about your applicant?
In addition to a complete credit report and score as well as Identity Verification, nine distinct reports are included in an AAOA Premium background screening:
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Past Address History (PATH) The PATH report searches numerous databases to identify key information on your prospective tenant. It is an invaluable asset, especially when used in combination with eviction and criminal reports. PATH will cross-reference addresses on potential eviction records to find strong matches. In addition, all alias names found through PATH are automatically used for instant criminal searches. This means more accuracy at no additional cost to you.
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National Eviction Utilizing the applicant’s SSN, the database is searched for eviction filings and judgments for the past seven years. However, only cases that went through the court system will appear on the report. If legal proceedings were not filed and a judgment not rendered, it will not appear in the eviction search results.
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TeleCheck® Check Verification Since you expect to be paid monthly, the last thing you want is a tenant who has a history of writing bad checks. The TeleCheck® databases provide landlords and property managers with continually updated information, including bad check activity as it occurs, automated inquiries using the consumer’s identification (Driver’s License or State ID) and checking account data.
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Screen Your Tenant Today!
Gain peace of mind with AAOA’s credit, criminal, and eviction reports.
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National Criminal Like all of the AAOA reports, the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) limits a criminal records search to the past seven years and includes instant records where the individual was convicted. Arrests without conviction are not included. The search covers the Circuit, Municipal, Superior and/or District Courts and includes the most current and past felony and misdemeanor convictions as well as some traffic violations available online.
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Sex Offender The sex offender search is similar to the criminal search. Results are for convictions only and do not include arrests. A national sex offender database instantly checks all 50 states, saving you time and giving you the assurance that your tenants will be safe. Results may show an offender’s name, photo, date of birth, physical description, address, crime and crime location.
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Federal A search is made of the Specially Designated Nations and Blocked Persons list maintained by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the U.S. Department of the Treasury. OFAC administers and enforces economic and trade sanctions based on United States foreign policy and national security goals against targeted foreign countries, terrorists, international narcotics traffickers and those engaged in activities related to the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
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Terrorist As part of its enforcement efforts, OFAC publishes a list of individuals and companies owned or controlled by, or acting for or on behalf of, targeted countries. It also lists individuals, groups and entities, such as terrorists and narcotics traffickers designated under programs that are not country specific. Collectively, such individuals and companies are called “Specially Designated Nationals” or SDNs. Their assets are blocked by law and American individuals and companies are generally prohibited from dealing with SDNs. Terrorist check results have the applicant’s full name, date of birth if known, address, country, title and sanctioned program.
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Social Security Fraud Verification (SSN Fraud) The Social Security Number Fraud Check will uncover whether your applicant is who they say they are and whether they are using the SSN of another person, living or dead. Identity fraud is one of the fastest growing crimes in the U.S. and a landlord or property manager who does not verify an applicant’s identity is an easy target for fraud. The SSN Fraud report searches more than 19 billion public and proprietary records to instantly verify basic data and potentially fraudulent identities.
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Civil Judgments and Tax Liens A civil background check is a record of claims, judgments, and lawsuits that are filed in county or federal courts. Per gov, a federal tax lien is the government’s legal claim against a person’s property when they neglect or fail to pay a tax debt. The lien protects the government’s interest in all their property, including real estate, personal property and financial assets.
As of 2017, civil judgments and tax liens no longer appear on credit reports compiled by the three major credit bureaus nor do they offer Social Security Fraud Verification. Because AAOA believes that this is vital information to know about an applicant, these three reports have been added to the Premium Package at no extra cost to our members.
As the general public becomes more skilled in the use of AI, the number of counterfeit lease applications and supporting documentation will increase. Landlords are encouraged to look out for anything that does not seem right and to utilize the tools provided by AAOA.
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