Tenant Credit Research options

Rehabbing, Fix and Flip, Rental Properties
1

I’ve been a big fan of National Tenant Network (www.ntnonline.com) and have promoted their services to other REIs here. However like all tenant research services (it would seem), they have placed strict limitations on obtaining credit reports on tenants.

The problem appears to be due to changes with the 3 big credit bureaus and identity theft. It would seem that in order to get these reports I need to have someone visit me, make sure I conform with their requirements, etc.

I have no problem in doing whatever needs to be done here, as I am running into a continual issue. NTN give a ‘Decision Point’ report in which their computers analyze the credit reports on behalf of their customers, give a score and make a determination of the tenant’s ability to pay rent, etc. The result is very little information that I can go by.

I can see eviction information which for me is the most important information in determining suitability of a tenant, but the courts here in AZ no longer require a social security no to file an eviction against a tenant and consequently its next to impossible to match on name whether my tenant has been evicted or someone with the same name. The only way I could validate this is to cross check with their credit report. As you can see, that’s where I fall short.

So I’m wondering if anyone has information of any other tenant research services that I could use for this? Or here’s another idea. I would be happy to pay another REI who is already able to run credit reports in the case when I get a tenant that I need to cross-validate information on. I clearly would prefer to be able to do this myself, but right now my hands are tied.

Anyone with any info, bright ideas, etc. on this?

V

2

Have you looked into what other provider’s do, such as “MrLandlord.com”??

Fortunately, my last batch of tenants had been with me for a while, a few years, so I can’t say if my screening service revised anything.

I often use the report to add up their monthly obligations, add in the rent, compare that to their monthly income, and see if they have anything left for food. Can the NTN report do this?? Doesn’t sound like it.

Screening services had been around for a little over 25 years, and prior to the existence of screening services, I had local PI firms pull credit reports, and their criteria seems to be wider, but a bit more expensive.

3

Thanks for the input. As luck would have it, I found one that could give me a ‘good ol’ fashioned credit report’, which I used today and leased a property to a tenant based on it.

If anyone is interested, here’s the company. They were very easy to get setup with and they charge about $15 a credit report, so its not too bad pricewise:

http://www.bestcheck.com

Hope this helps someone out.

V

4

Sounds good. Did they also have to come by and inspect your place?? How fast was it to set up??