Understanding Eviction Reports

Prior evictions may signal a tenant's inability to meet financial obligations or comply with lease agreements. Because of this, it is crucial to carefully assess eviction history, legal actions, and case outcomes when selecting tenants.

Eviction Reports are pulled by name, date of birth, and address, and are not indexed by Social Security Numbers (SSNs). Because an SSN is not used to distinguish one person from another, we strongly recommend entering the applicant's middle name or initial to achieve the most accurate results.

To ensure the accuracy of reports used in your approval process:

• Be sure to enter complete, accurate information into the search fields
• Verify information that can be taken into consideration in your area
• Enter middle initial or name

Pro Tip: If an applicant is denied due to information found in screening reports, Rentec Direct provides Denial Letter templates. Click here to access Denial Letter (Adverse Action Notice) for Public Records

Common Results

Exact Matches:

When a report is ordered and a record exactly matches the name and dob of the applicant, provided the jurisdiction reported the data correctly and is a reporting county, the information will show on your report indicating the type and disposition of the event.

Similar Matches:

When you run a background check, the results may also include close or similar matches, which may sometimes include other individuals' criminal records. This is because the other individual's name, date of birth, or address may match or be similar to your applicant's.  Many states require only exact match entries to be returned; however, if your state allows similar match, you may experience them.

False Positives: 

If your applicant does not have an eviction record, the report may show other individuals' eviction records if their data matches another party with an eviction record.

False Negatives:

You may receive a report which indicates no adverse records, even though your applicant may contain some.  False negatives can happen for numerous reasons, including:  

• The reportable limit has expired
• The state or jurisdiction that the record exists in is does not allow it to be exported
• The records available are not an exact match to the applicant (for example there could be a name misspelling, invalid or incomplete DOB, or other data mismatch)
• The record is too new and has not reached our data partners
• The record was not transmitted to our data partners
• Some counties do not make their eviction data available.

If your applicant does have an eviction record, then there should be records listed on the report that match your applicant. We recommend learning more about Nationwide vs. State or county-level reports here: Understanding Nationwide Reports

Note: We do not have any control over the information recorded in each database. We return the information to you that is available in the database, depending on the report you ordered, and we recommend verifying with your local guidelines for usage of reports in tenant screening, as they may vary. 

Our upstream vendors automatically apply known compliance verification to the results, helping remove any records that would not comply with your local laws and regulations. This verification is based on the Landlord or Property Manager's zip code, not the tenant's or property's zip code. Before using the information provided in the reports, be sure it complies with the laws and regulations that govern your location.

Common Notices / Errors

"This applicant cannot be conducted through the automated system at this time."

This message is often caused by the subject's common name or by other factors that trigger a manual review. While it can take 1-3 business days to release the report, it is typically completed much faster. Please choose "Reload From Source" to check for updates in 1-3 business days. 

"Report Not Available Due to Regulatory Restrictions."

This message indicates that the jurisdiction for which this report was ordered may not allow this data to be used for tenant screening. This does not indicate that the subject does or does not have an eviction record, but rather that the data is restricted from use in this manner.

Important Note: The Public records used in this system are made available as provided by the source. Rentec Direct, LLC, including its affiliates or vendors, does not warranty the accuracy or completeness of the information contained in the reports provided.