Background checks are a good idea for anyone renting out property because you really never know who may be trying to rent from you. The world unfortunately is not always a wholesome and safe place, as much as we would like it to be. Many people rent homes with the notion already in mind to sell drugs from it, use it as a flophouse, or worse.
A rigorous tenant screening process, including a background check, is an easy way to rule out potential problem tenants before it’s too late. A background check company will divulge a person’s court records and a credit score check will make it clear if the person in question has been burning financial bridges.
If you are questioning the intentions and morality of an already existing tenant that you did not check before leasing to, you can perform an online background check with the information you have on him. Should that background check come back incriminating, what is the next step? Should the landlord proceed to file an eviction? Below is a list of reasons you may decide to proceed:
A convicted sex offender who was not upfront with you about his past. This kind of tenant could be a real liability because he has already lied to you once–sex offenders are required by law to tell their landlords.
A violent criminal, domestic or other, could be a real liability. There is no point in risking renting to someone like this. He is a ticking time bomb, and unless he can supply you with proof of recent therapeutic activity to get past his problems, he is not worth the risk.
Drug trafficking charges. People who are arrested for possession are in a different class than people arrested for trafficking. It can mean the difference between a student who had trouble in his adolescence to a person in the Mexican mafia.
How can a landlord protect himself from scenarios like these? One answer lies in creating a good, clear lease. Also a good tenant screening process, including a background check and credit report. The lease should state that the landlord is able to legally break it upon the realization of illegal activities or information coming to light that the tenant is dangerous to himself or others. After a lease is signed with this clause included, the landlord has the authority to break the lease at any point.
Most states do however require a minimum of 30 days to vacate the evicted property. This is to protect renters and families so that they can find time to secure another residence. The laws regarding tenant-landlord relationships in every state in the US are based, all or in part, on the Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act that was created in 1972. This act regulates the relationship between landlord and tenant, permitting the majority of rights to the landlord.