Professional tenant background checks that include criminal history checks have proven to reduce crime in rental neighborhoods. Some cities in the USA over the past few years have enacted new law making it mandatory for landlords and property managers to perform tenant background checks including a criminal background check on all new renters prior to signing a lease. One such city in Utah noticed up to a 30% reduction in calls for police and fire services in high rental neighborhoods since making tenant background checks mandatory.
Of course the USA is a free country and people enjoy their freedom and don’t like being forced into anything especially the government telling them how to run their business. But the bottom line here is good tenant screening performed by a professional background screening company which includes a criminal history check should be performed on potential renters anyway, mandatory or not, that is just common sense.
To read more about mandatory tenant background checks and how such programs enacted at the local government level have fared in recent years and why adding criminal history checks to tenant screening programs makes sense whether it is mandatory or voluntarily please read recent press release found here.