Questions About RentPrep

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What does FCRA certified mean?

The Fair Credit Reporting Act (http://www.ftc.gov/os/statutes/fcrajump.shtm), better known as the FCRA, is the guidelines that govern what information can be used in the decision-making process for renting to a possible tenant. Landlords need to know these laws or have a tenant screening company that has certified FCRA Certified Background Screeners compiling, reviewing, and completing their reports. Here at RentPrep we hire, train, and employ only FCRA certified screeners to make sure yo...

Can I use RentPrep for applicants for a commercial space?

Yes, you can use our service to run a background check on a tenant applicant for a commercial property if the principle of the company is personally guaranteeing the lease (which is a common practice in commercial real estate). We can run a search for commercial, we just have to run the search on an individual we cannot run a search on a company. You will need to have your applicant sign a disclosure that is allowing you to run a background check and credit check on them. This can be found on ...

Can I order just a credit check?

Yes, you can just order a credit check. The cost of a credit check is $14.95 if you're just ordering a credit check. If you add it on to an order it only costs $9.95 for the add-on. Also, the additional information provided on the background check can help explain credit situations. For example, a credit check may only reveal that there are public records/judgments filed with no details, but the background check will provide the dates, dollar amounts and creditor information in full.

Does RentPrep have a setup fee or monthly fee?

No, we do not currently have any setup or monthly fees to run a tenant screening report. Our service is free to setup and you only pay when you have a need. Many landlords use our service once a year, or even every other year, when their rental unit has a vacancy.

Does your report include screening for a husband AND wife or a couple?

All of our screening reports are run from the SSN. Therefore we charge per tenant applicant. Since we don't know how long they've been married, or if evictions are in one person's name and not the other, it's important to not trust "combined reports". Often this information is only relating to joint filings and not individual filings for items like judgments, evictions and bankruptcies. If you have a couple that is applying for the rental we suggest running separate screening reports on each a...

Tenant Screening for Canadian citizens?

If you're located in Canada and looking for tenant screening on a Canadian citizen you need to use a screening company located in Canada. We are located in Buffalo, NY and therefore we cannot run background checks on Canadian citizens.

How does RentPrep verify employment and verify income?

If you order a report that includes employment verification we actually call the current employer. We write notes based on our conversation and the information that the employer is willing to provide. This helps to verify that the applicant is employed, length of employment, and sometimes income verification. Some employers have a policy against providing income and salary information. We find about 30% of employers will not verify salary information. In some cases, the employer may use a ve...

If the applicant is an immigrant do you verify their right to work?

Our service does not currently verify the right to work for immigrants. This would typically be covered in an I-9 search and is connected to employment screening, not tenant screening.

Is your credit check a "hard pull" or "soft pull"?

Our credit check is a hard pull on the tenant applicant's credit. The only time a credit pull is considered a "soft pull" is when the consumer pulls the report on themselves. Anytime a report is run for a credit related reason (vehicle purchase, credit card, housing, employment, etc.) the credit bureaus need to identify the purpose of the pull. Pulling your credit report once for a specific reason, like housing, should have no impact on a credit score. It is only when the credit bureaus see mul...

Who pays for the background check? Tenant or Landlord?

Our Basic, Pro, and Platinum tenant background checks (https://www.rentprep.com/tenant-background-check/) are no tenant involvement. This means the landlord will pay for these reports (many landlords will charge an application fee up front to cover this cost). Our SmartMove reports provide the option to have the landlord or tenant applicant pay directly for the report.

If I run a screening report for a tenant, do I have to provide them a copy?

No, you do not have to personally provide them a copy. In fact, we advise against this because the report landlord's receive do not contain the proper disclaimers that a consumer copy contains. You can have the tenant reach out to RentPrep to see their report. If they would like a copy of the report please send them to this link to fill out a renters relations form. http://www.rentprep.com/resources/renters-relations/ We will have to confirm the identity of the renter before sharing the scre...

I see RentPrep and Fidelis Screening Solutions, why the two names?

The video on our about us page (http://www.rentprep.com/about/) covers this in detail. In short, the company name is Fidelis Screening Solutions and RentPrep is a brand of Fidelis Screening Solutions. Fidelis Screening Solutions is the original name, under which we began performing background checks for large property management companies. RentPrep was created to serve individual landlord and smaller property management companies under. The name difference helps us identify which service fits ...

Can I Pay with PayPal?

Unfortunately, PayPal is no longer part of our payment methods. We accept Mastercard, Visa, American Express, and Discover when you order through our secured online portal. We use SSL certificates provided by Verisign (same security your banks uses) in order to protect and secure your information.

Is my information secure? Will RentPrep sell my data?

We will never share or sell your information to a third party. We implement a variety of security measures to maintain the safety of your personal information when you place an order or enter, submit, or access your personal information. After a transaction, your private information (credit cards, social security numbers, financials, etc.) will not be stored on our servers.