What Can a Landlord Include in a Tenant Background Check?

There are several reasons for landlords to conduct background checks on every prospective renter. These checks can help determine whether a tenant will be respectful, safe, trustworthy, and able to pay rent regularly and on time. They can also help identify potential indications of a tenant’s predilection for violence, posing a threat to neighbors, or financial instability due to poor credit history.

Proposed Tenant Background Check Bans Draw Criticism

For the formerly incarcerated, re-entering society is fraught with challenges. Reform advocates have made consistent efforts to simplify that path, including ban the box laws to expand employment access. A stable, safe place to live is also difficult for many people with criminal records to find.

Navigating the Dilemma of Tenant Background Checks

Tenant background checks have always been a fixture of the rental process, but the landscape has become murky and complex. At a time when some municipalities have acted to ban such vetting outright, many landlords nationwide still don’t know what to expect. Property owners may wonder if the potential hassle is worthwhile even in areas where such vetting remains legal.