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Author: LQueiros Big gold star, 5000 posts Top Favorite Fools Feste Award Nominee! Old School Fool Add to my Favorite Fools Ignore this person (you won't see their posts anymore) Number: of 4763  
Subject: Tenant Screening Website: LandlordStation Date: 5/1/2012 8:42 AM
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I recently used a new-to-me website for tenant screening and was very happy with it. If anyone's looking for a recommended site, try:
http://www.landlordstation.com/

DETAILED credit report WITH a credit score, criminal, bankruptcies, foreclosures, medical collections, employment summary, aliases & past history address for $29.95.

No membership or site-inspection required. The tenant must grant approve the request via their email address before the information is released. I find that this gives a much more detailed credit report than your standard pass/fail that other non-site-inspection tenant screening sites provide.

http://www.landlordstation.com/faq/
How does a tenant confirm their identity?

When a report is ordered an email is automatically sent to the tenant. This email contains a link that will take the tenant to the verification page where they will input their personal information including Social Security number and Date of Birth. The tenant will then be asked to answer several questions pulled from their public files which will enable us to verify their identity. Once the tenant has successfully verified their identity and authorized the report, the report will be run.


It's associated with the TransUnion Credit Bureau:
http://www.landlordstation.com/about/
Landlord Station is an authorized Credit Marketing Partner of TransUnion through its SmartMove credit gateway. We provide 24/7 Internet access to credit reports, nationwide criminal searches, eviction notices and other personal information to Landlords for their use in determining the suitability of potential tenants.

In the credit section, the report I received included creditor name, designation of account (individual/joint/authorized user), open date, close date, rating (paid as agreed, 60 days past due, collection, charged-off, etc), past due amount, balance, terms ($197 mo/due monthly, etc) and comments (acct closed by creditor, acct closed by consumer, etc.).

Sections for collections, employment history, public records, and creditor inquires. Also criminal, aliases, and previous addresses.

Pretty thorough. It didn't have a monthly payment calendar of current/30/60/90 like you might get with your own credit bureau report. But the above data combined with a credit score made for a very legible report.

With a clear listing of existing debt balances and minimum monthly amounts due I could get a reasonable overview of the applicant's debt load vs income and how that would impact the ability to pay the rent.

I received the report almost instantaneously once the applicant ok'd its release (they say up to 24hrs on the site).

One of my applicants this time around did come up with a criminal background - a "threatening" charge out-of-state in 2008. So these things are definitely worth pulling. I went with another applicant without the criminal background.

HTH,

Laura
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