State Criminal Reports vs Multistate Criminal Reports
We want to help educate you on the difference regarding State Criminal Reports vs Multistate Criminal Reports. The reality is you run the risk of missing a huge chunk of criminal data when running state reports for tenant screening. The cost is literally a few dollars more to run a multistate criminal report and you can reduce the liabilities tremendously.
The common misconception is that criminal history is tied to a persons social security number. This is not true, criminal history is only searched only by a persons name and date of birth. The reason we would need an applicants social security number is because that is how we get alias names. With criminal history being searched by name and date of birth people will try to hide criminal history under their alias names such as Kathy, Kat, Katy, etc., when in reality their criminal history would be listed under their birth name Katherine. Same goes for men, many names fall under the alias of someone such Rick, Ricky, Rich, etc. when the criminal history would actually be listed under Richard.
So you can see why it is important to run a multistate search, especially if your applicant has moved around. They may have criminal history in a different state, you would never know it by running the state they currently live in. If you would like more information about this, or information about how to change your package (for current clients) email us at: info@acutraq.com.
We hate to see landlords get taken advantage of by applicants who know how to work the system. We provide some of the most comprehensive reports available on the market today, but those tools can only help if you are educated about them and understand the difference. Contact us if there is anything we can do to help. See below for more great information.
Why did someone else’s criminal record show up on my background report?
