Modern background screening utilizes information from databases and county courthouses and both are essential for landlords and employers to make well informed leasing and employment related decisions. Although databases and court records are much more accurate and complete now than they were a decade or more ago they are still not perfect. Databases by nature are only as useful and reliable as the data entered into them. This requires constant quality control measures by database administrators and these efforts are essential to maintaining the integrity of the information being stored. Likewise county courthouses must maintain accurate, complete and legible court records and must be able to retrieve them in an efficient manner. Even now through background check database queries quite frequently records are discovered that are inaccurate, incomplete or outdated. When the Consumer Reporting Agency (CRA) or other entity that maintains such databases is notified about such a record, an investigation will begin. If it turns out the data was in fact inaccurate, incomplete, out dated or no longer a public record the CRA or other entity must delete the record(s) from their databases.
Federal law mandates that employers running background checks on potential job applicants such as criminal background checks must notify the applicant if something derogatory is reported. If a record is found that adversely affects the job applicant then the employer/CRA must send notification to this applicant. They need to let them know that a background search on them returned a record found that adversely affected them. This notification must give the applicant the opportunity to dispute the record(s) found. The procedure for filing a dispute must be included on the notification letter and the applicant must have ample time to open a dispute.
Access to relevant information is at the core of all background screening methodologies. Quite simply put; without access to current and accurate background records a background check would be worthless. In the end databases and court records both electronic and physical remain important for pre-employment background screening, tenant screening and all other forms of background screening. However, in order to have a fair and just system the consumer/applicant information must be accurate, secure and protected.
To learn more about databases and county court records and their application in the background screening arena please read recent CriminalBackgroundRecords.com press release.