Renter’s Advice and Resources

Tenant background checks make up a perfectly normal part of the rental process. Whether you’re signing a long-term lease or just a month-to-month agreement, most landlords will want to know if you’re trustworthy, financially stable, and free of a criminal past before agreeing to take you in.

The tenant screening process is designed to protect landlords against careless or fraudulent tenants. Unfortunately, the screenings sometimes report misleading information about a tenant, particularly if the tenant’s previous situation contained a tumultuous landlord-tenant relationship. Sometimes, a tenant may have to dispute the findings of a tenant screening when they do not properly reflect the […]

Landlords use tenant screening as a method to protect their asset: the apartment. The rationale is that the more effective tenant screening they can conduct upfront, the less likely they’ll end up with a tenant who doesn’t pay rent or is likely to damage the property. Here’s the information that you can expect to disclose […]

Tenant screening is a process that most landlords and property management companies use to verify the credentials of a potential renter. The reports produced from tenant screening can range from a simple credit check to a registered sex offender check. Because a great amount of information is disclosed during the tenant screening process, all potential […]

One of the most difficult obstacles an applicant may face if having failed a renter background check. In many cases this may be all it takes for your application (and application fees) to be set aside and rejected. However, it does not mean it is the end of your ability to rent, and it may […]

As you prepare to move to a new location, you will most likely be interviewed in a tenant screening by your new community representative. Although you may feel confident going forward, it is still a good idea to prepare yourself for whatever challenges may lie within your screening. Here are 5 things to consider as […]

At some point in your life as a renter, the situation may present itself that you need to move out of your apartment before your apartment lease has expired. Often, the early termination of a rental agreement results in expensive penalties or the loss of your security deposit; so you may ask yourself, “Can I […]

After days or weeks of apartment hunting, you’ve finally found the ideal apartment within your price range. Eager to land the apartment, you ask to fill out an application, only to discover that you need proof of employment. You’re not sure how to go about providing proof and wonder why the landlord finds it necessary. […]

Whether leaving a job or a community where you have built a positive reputation it is never a bad idea to get a reference. Even if you think that you may not need it, you never know when you are in a situation when you wish you had it, and management may have turned over by then. Hindsight is 20/20, so have the foresight to prepare for the future.