A critical component to any tenant screening process should be a 50-state national sex offender registry check. Although twenty-two US States currently have some form of residency law that restricts where sex offenders can live many States and cities do not. Many States do not allow sex offenders to live anywhere near children including schools, bus stops and daycare centers. Although sex offenders need someplace to live it is imperative that any landlord or property manager include a national sex offender search in their applicant screening process. A registered sex offender living in a vulnerable environment can lead to unnecessary injury to children. Rental properties are where most sex offenders end up living because of affordability and State law. Some sex offenders use their relative’s information instead of their own in the hopes of avoiding being recognized. This is another reason why it is so important for landlords to include a national sex offender search in their tenant screening process as it will weed out and expose these sex offenders and enable their rental dwellings to be family friendly and safe for children. To learn more about the use of sex offender records in the applicant screening process read recent TenantScreeningUSA.com press release: http://tenantscreeningusa.com/tenant-screening-news/sex-offender-registry-checks-key-component-of-tenant-screening-in-a-changing-suburban-landscape/
Time for Employers to Review Background Screening Policies
With so much emphasis on the criminal background check industry and the use of criminal history checks in the employment screening process, now is the time for employers to review their pre-employment background screening policies. The EEOC is not going away and filed two big law suits against big companies just recently because of how they used criminal background checks in the hiring process. Even though BMW, one of the larger companies hit with an EEOC law suit did not purposefully discriminate against certain people, its criminal history checks lead to an aggregate disproportionate amount of minorities being negatively affected by them. The EEOC is trying to stop wide spread criminal history sweeps that exclude many candidates that otherwise would be qualified for the job. Often time’s criminal records contain non violent offenses, no jail time, or even just arrest records that never lead to a conviction. The EEOC is making it clear that employers need to take a closer look at their employment screening policies particularly the use of criminal records in the hiring process. They are encouraging employers to take a deeper look at applicants without automatic rejections from the criminal history background check result. To learn more about this subject read recent CriminalBackgroundRecords.com press release: http://www.criminalbackgroundrecords.com/news/2013-8-8-Employers-Review-Background-Screening-Policies.html
Should College Kids be Screened the Same Way as Long Term Renters?
Recent press release suggests that college kids seeking short term or less than one year leases should be screened the same as long term renters. The risks that exist from long term renting also exist for short term renting. It is advised that every college student applying for the lease including any co-signers or guarantors be fully vetted prior to handing over the keys. Thorough and fact based tenant screening help landlords and property managers make decisions that will promote the 3 P’s (People, Property and Perception). It is also psychological that short term renters would take less care of the property as would someone who intends to live there for a long time. In some aspects short term leases are more risky than long-term rentals and certainly warrant the same level of tenant checks as their counterpart. To learn more about this subject read recent TenantScreeningUSA.com press release: http://tenantscreeningusa.com/tenant-screening-news/with-summer-here-back-to-school-is-near-tenant-screening-college-kids/
Has the Driver been Background Checked
Recent news shows that some school districts did not properly background screen drivers used to transport students to and from school. Some of these students have disabilities and are vulnerable as with younger children. Even students utilizing a limo service to get to the prom are being transported by a driver who may not have a permit and certainly has not been properly background checked. One such instance recently occurred in Portland when city inspectors caught 12 limos and party buses going to the high school prom without permits. Safe transportation of students to and from school is the responsibility of the school district while limousine service for going to the prom is the responsibility of the parents. To learn more about why background screening of drivers transporting children around is so important read recent CriminalBackgroundRecords.com press release: http://www.criminalbackgroundrecords.com/news/2013-7-15-Taking-a-Taxi-or-Limo.html
Making Summer Camps Safer for Kids
Keeping kids safe is a priority for parents and the community at large. With large numbers of children going to summer camps it is becoming more common for camp staff including counselor’s, leaders and volunteers to be background checked before being allowed care and supervision over the camp children. Some consider camp an extension of school and thus the same safety concerns must be addressed. As camp staff often come from out of state a national criminal check and national sex offender check should be conducted prior to hiring. While other aspects are important as well such as are the staff trained in CPR and are the facilities clean and safe, knowing the staff has been properly vetted adds another layer of safety to an at risk population. To learn more about background screening of summer camp staff read recent CriminalBackgroundRecords.com press release: http://www.criminalbackgroundrecords.com/news/2013-6-21-Summer-Camps-and-Background-Checks.html
People, Property and Perception 3 ways to Successful Renting
Three key areas for developing and maintaining financially sustainable and successful rental properties lies within the 3 P’s…. People, Property and Perception and it all starts with proper tenant screening. The look and feel of a property also involves people as good current long term renters help attract new good tenants while protecting current tenants and future tenants through thorough tenant checks also improves perception and enhancing the value of the property as a whole. A negative perception of a property and or the tenants that live there could soon turn into reality and scare off good long term tenants. Landlords and property managers should take care of People, Property and Perception to be successful for the long haul. To learn more about how people, property and perception make or break a rental property read recent TenantScreeningUSA.com press release: http://tenantscreeningusa.com/tenant-screening-news/three-areas-to-financial-success-with-rental-properties-it-all-starts-with-tenant-screening/
Data Mining and Use of Databases in Tenant Background Screening
Data mining occurs every day over the Internet with companies, organizations and government entities sorting through and analyzing large chunks of data to discover patterns and/or relationships. It is critical that everyone be cautious and careful about what kind of information they make available through the Internet and to which companies they trust with their personally identifiable information. Tenant background screening is no different, landlords and property managers should partner with a third party tenant screening company that protects and safeguards all sensitive information through its secure portals and systems including the protection of the renters information as well through the tenant selection process. To learn more about data mining and tenant background screening read recent TenantScreeningUSA.com press release: http://tenantscreeningusa.com/tenant-screening-news/data-mining-and-tenant-background-screening-is-on-line-too-easy/
Should Youth Sports Coaches be Background Checked?
The trend in America is certainly pointing to “Yes” as parents that leave their children with youth sport coaches and assistants for hours with no parental supervision would like to feel their children are in good hands. As recent news across the country suggests, the demand for background checks on coaches and assistants in youth sports leagues is growing. Typically these non-for profit organizations do not have much money, but proper background screening these days is extremely affordable and a great tool in risk mitigation. In California they are already pushing for a new bill that requires all youth sports coaches to be background checked. To learn more about background screening of youth sports league coaches read recent CriminalBackgroundRecords.com press release: http://www.criminalbackgroundrecords.com/news/CBR-Highly-Recommends-Background-Screening-for-Youth-League-Coaches.html
Cutting out Tenant Checks not a Good Place to Cut Corners
Property managers and owners hit hard by Hurricane Sandy and other natural disasters are trying to get ready for the summer tourism season. Many might try to eliminate tenant checks on short term rentals in order to save a few bucks but that is not a good place to cut corners. Average tenant checks are very affordable and cost around $25 to perform and can save the landlord from potential income loss, property damage and property reputation damage. Desperate property managers looking to cut expenses this summer should think twice before cutting out tenant checks. To learn more about how desperate renting can lead to lapses in tenant screening read recent TenantScreeningUSA.com press release: http://tenantscreeningusa.com/tenant-screening-news/desperate-renting-leads-to-lapses-in-tenant-screening/
Father Must be Background Checked to Attend Daughters Dance
Believe it or not an elementary school made it mandatory for fathers to get a background check before they could accompany their daughters to the annual father-daughter dance. In light of the recent Newton, CT tragedy schools are trying to do everything they can to prevent such an occurrence from happening at their schools and although the intentions are good, this act may be going too far without adding any new significant safety benefits. For a father that lives with his daughter to have to undergo a background check prior to taking his little princess to a school dance can be humiliating and angering and as one parent put it, “an invasion of privacy”. To learn more about this subject and new school policies involving criminal background checks read recent CriminalBackgroundRecords.com press release: http://www.criminalbackgroundrecords.com/news/2013-4-5-Dance-Dads-and-Background-Checks.html