FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
- A credit report assists in establishing the identity of your Prospective Residents by comparing their personal information to that entered on the rental application.
- A credit report in most instances lists current and previous addresses and current and previous employer(s).
- A credit report will list collections, liens, and legal items.
- A credit report lists all credit accounts and pay patterns associated with them. For example, are they current or delinquent?
- A credit report lists bankruptcies.
- A credit report via ACUTRAQ gives you a risk prediction score based on current experience and history.
- A credit report will validate the SSN/SIN. This is an important feature as delinquent residents often provide false information on rental applications.
- The SSN/SIN will generally pull a credit history even if the name has been misspelled, or a wrong date of birth given.
- A credit report is one of the most important components in your residents’ screening process.
Be aware that some residents screening companies only provide credit report summaries. ACUTRAQ obtains complete credit histories for its Members.
ACUTRAQ offers volume discounts to Members that request 51 or more credit checks or criminal background reports per month.
You should ensure that the credit report is sufficiently shredded. You should keep the signed Authorization for five years in the event ACUTRAQ is audited or the Applicant makes an allegation that you did not have consent to obtain a copy of his/her credit history. Privacy laws dictate that you must safeguard this confidential information. After the five year period you may shred the Authorization/Rental Application as the statute of limitations will have run out.
Yes, you must have the written consent of the applicant to obtain a copy of his/her credit file. Most Rental Application Forms have the consent clause just above the signature on the last page. You can obtain a Rental Application from the ACUTRAQ website under online forms. ACUTRAQ takes seriously its responsibility to protect Consumer privacy and will report all matters for Police investigation where credit information has been misused or obtained under false pretenses. The Fair Credit Reporting Act provides for a severe penalty where a Consumer’s information has been obtained under false pretenses. Section 619 of FCRA refers –
Section 619. Obtaining information under false pretenses [15 U.S.C. § 1681q]
Any person who knowingly and willfully obtains information on a consumer from a consumer reporting agency under false pretenses shall be fined under title 18, United States Code, imprisoned for not more than two years, or both.
If you cannot show that you had authorization or consent to obtain a Consumer’s credit history, you will be in breach of the Agreement that you signed with ACUTRAQ Residents Verification Service Inc. This will result in immediate cancellation of the ACUTRAQ Service and/or other repercussions as noted above where the matter has escalated.
These are generally the reasons why there is no credit history for an Individual:
- Prospective Residents is very young and has not yet established a credit history.
- Prospective Residents is on a Disability or Income Assistance Allowance and does not have a credit file.
- Prospective Residents has been incarcerated for a long period of time.
- Prospective Residents has not been able to establish a credit history because of poor/sporadic employment. This is often the case when no credit history is available.
- Prospective Residents is a new arrival to the country and has not yet established a credit history.
- Prospective Residents has provided you with false information to ensure that you do not find his/her credit history.
Many bad/delinquent residents misspell their name, provide a wrong date of birth and will leave out the last one or two addresses that they have been at because they know that the reference will not be a good one. Be aware that this could happen to you and that this is something you should guard against. Look at two pieces of I.D. and request a pay stub or income tax return from the previous year.
Having no credit file is a red flag in most instances, and your residents screening process should include further due diligence. Visit www.criminalfraud.com for TIPS/ADVICE on how to prevent fraud as a landlord. Also learn how to use the Credit Report as part of the interview process to verify the identity of your Prospective Residents.
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Yes. Identity theft is on the rise in North America and is a huge concern with many industries – including the Residential Rental Industry.One of the benefits of obtaining a credit report is that you can compare the information on the rental application to that on the credit report. Often bad or delinquent residents will give false or erroneous information on the application; for example, leave a letter out of the last name, give a wrong date of birth, leave the most current addresses out because they owe rental fees with the previous landlord, etc.If you encounter a case of identity theft the credit report will assist you in verifying that. Here is how: So, Mr/Ms Prospective Residents, can you tell me with which Financial Institution you have your credit cards? Can you tell me what the balance is on that account? Have you ever had a car loan? This information is listed under trades/accounts on the credit report. It will tell you who the credit grantor is, when the account was opened, the balance, past due payments and the rating of that account. If Mr/Ms Prospective Residents cannot give you that feedback, then you are likely dealing with an impersonator (Identity Thief). For further information on identity theft and landlord fraud visit www.criminalfraud.com.
Monday to Friday: 9 am to 5 pm (Central Standard Time)
On-line service is available 24 hours per day 7 days per week for pulling reports.
ACUTRAQ has a rental application form that you can use during the application process; a Rental Application Form and a Notice to Residents that advises the Prospective Residents of the consequences should she/he leave you stuck with unpaid rental fees or damaged rental property. There you will find every form that your rental business requires; it is your rental business so make sure that you have all the tools to do the job.
You will be billed on the first of each month for the reports you have run during the prior month. Payment is due by the 15th.
ACUTRAQ is bound by Privacy Laws. It does not share its database with 3rd parties and it does not participate in spam e-mail programs. The only e-mail you are likely to receive from ACUTRAQ is the Welcome Letter. Important notices may be sent out periodically that advise of website changes, etc. Only important e-mails will be sent to you.
Generally, the credit reports and criminal backgrounds are immediate when done on-line. They go directly to a mailbox on our website and are accessible immediately.
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