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 the next, we strongly recommend entering the applicant's middle name or initial to get 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: In the event an applicant is denied because of 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
Similar Matches:
When you run an eviction check, the results will not only show exact matches but it may also include close or similar matches, which may sometimes include other individuals' eviction records. This is because the other individual's name, date of birth, or address may match or be similar to your applicant's.
Similar Matches are NOT mistakes. This is to be expected, and it is how most eviction records work.
Close or similar matches are extremely helpful when typos are involved. For example, if the court mistakenly entered the name as John B Smith, instead of John A Smith and our system only provided exact matches, your applicant could have an eviction record that you would never see. However, since our system also provides close or similar matches, it would show you the record with the typo.
If your applicant does have an eviction record, then there should be records listed on the report that do 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, which helps remove any records that would not be compliant with your local laws and regulations. This verification is based on the Landlord or Property Managers' 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 other factors that have initiated 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" in 1-3 business days to check for updates.
"Report Not Available Due to Regulatory Restrictions."
This message means that the jurisdiction for which this report was ordered may not allow this data to be used for tenant screening purposes. 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.