The Importance of a Background Check

Why should I run a Background Check?

Background checks: mandatory or unnecessary expense? We get this kind of question all of the time.  Landlords and employers alike often debate whether spending the money on potential candidates is worth it. However, you have to ask yourself, how valuable is your business or property?

If you answered VERY, then yes, background checks are mandatory. Too many people have learned the art of deception and trust us; you don’t want to be on the losing end of this game.

Let’s start with the basics.

What exactly is a “background check”?

A background check is a way to screen potential employees or tenants by checking their credit reports, criminal activity, eviction history, employment history, etc.

Why is it useful?

Background checks on employees or tenants are useful because facts don’t lie. For example if a person “seems nice” but has bad credit, two evictions, and is wanted for a felony in another state, you would may want to rethink how nice or responsible they actually are. Background checks also serve as a way to gauge liability. If a potential employee has several theft misdemeanors on their record, do you really want to trust them with a business credit card or your bookkeeping?

Aren’t people’s personal records hard to obtain and often outdated?

No. Our records are updated monthly and often, we can give you a report within 24 hours of receiving your request.

How do I know which background check to run? Is there a such thing as “too extensive” or  “not for me”?

We recommend always running a comprehensive credit check and nationwide criminal check. Background Check Solutions has many different packages to choose from but we recommend always over-checking rather under-checking. For example, someone may come clean when you run a state criminal report on them but may have been charged in other states for misdemeanors, or even worse, felonies. Wouldn’t you rather be absolutely sure rather than hire or rent; then have the shock of your life 6 months down the road?

Our advice?

Don’t take the risk! Run a background check on everyone. Just because they appear a certain way does not mean they don’t have prior evictions or felonies hiding in their closet. It is also against the law to discriminate so remember to treat all candidates equally and run the same background check on everyone.