Tenant screening and employment screening are obvious areas where background checks are essential, however self-storage unit rentals is another area yet mostly overlooked. There are certainly other areas where background screening can prove very useful. It is important to note that regardless of who or why background checks are utilized they need to be performed in compliance with local, State and Federal Laws most particularly the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). A professional third-party background screening or tenant screening company would be a best practice for self-storage facilities.
One area where background screening may not seem readily present is with the rental of self-storage units.
From insideselfstorage.com:
In fact, the easiest way to get around your security is to become a tenant. This may be shocking, but if you think about it, it’s quite brilliant. A thief who’s a tenant has easy access to units and can literally walk right past you without causing a doubt in your mind. You might have a break-in every month, increase security accordingly, and never know the burglar was right under your nose the whole time.
What’s even worse is these crimes won’t just cost you time and money; they’ll cost you customers and your company’s reputation as well. (insideselfstorage.com/articles/2016/06/screening-your-selfstorage-tenants-preventing-internal-threats-to-your-business.aspx)
Reports used in tenant screening that could be applied to self-storage rentals are credit reports, eviction record checks, criminal background checks and personal and professional reference checks. Criminal history records has come into question in recent history and highlights the need for self-storage landlords to work with a professional background screening company to help them create an effective and compliant background screening policy. The company can also provide all the necessary tenant background checks to help make it easy for the landlord to make intelligent, well informed decisions thus decreasing their level of risk.
From insideselfstorage.com:
The best thing you can do is initiate strict tenant-screening practices that include background, credit and rental-history checks. (insideselfstorage.com/articles/2016/06/screening-your-selfstorage-tenants-preventing-internal-threats-to-your-business.aspx)
Ultimately background checks used for employment or tenant screening or related service like self-storage rentals is about mitigating risk. Critical background check tools utilized in background screening can be customized for specific industries or areas including self-storage rentals. Professional tenant screening companies can help property managers in charge of rental units small and large and can also help self-storage landlords protect themselves, their other customers and ultimately the community.
To learn more about how implementing a thorough background screening policy as well as working with a professional tenant screening company can help thwart dangers presented by self-storage renters read recent TenantScreeningUSA.com press release: http://tenantscreeningusa.com/tenant-screening-news/recent-thefts-at-self-storage-units-highlight-need-to-think-outside-the-box-with-background-screening/