Frequently Asked Questions

The answer depends on which platform you are using

For Optimum-10 , a TenantTracks Screening Report belongs only to you as our customer, the individual end-user.

While a tenant applicant, cooperating Realtor or landlord-client MAY VIEW OUR REPORTS, you may never make a copy or send a TenantTracks OPTIMUM10 Screening report via fax or email to anyone including the tenant applicant or the client property owner (if Realtor or Property Manager). Applicants may request a free copy of their report from us and must supply a valid photo-ID to get ther copy.

The reason is to help guard against identity-theft as you can not guarantee the security and afety of that report once it leaves your office. You should either shred the report or lock it in a securefiling cabinet when your review is complete. Reports are held in our system for 60 days and then disassembled and removed from our server. If you need to obtain a report older than 60 days, a $7.50 fee applies to un-archive that report.

All TenantTracks Screening Reports must be safeguarded. You are subject to penalties per the Fair Credit Reporting Act for violation of this policy.

For Open Access, those Screening Reports can be shared with tenants and clients freely, there are no restrictions.

The decision to print a report is yours to make.

Our system stores every report you process in your secure account for 60 days so you can always go back and look at it again. After 60 days, the reports are still available but put in cold cyber storage; there is a fee to access reports older than 60 days.

How you decide to store your reports is your choice, but if you do print them, remember you must keep them locked in a secure filing cabinet to prevent others from viewing the sensitive information contained in the credit report or shred them after reviewing them.

The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) provides a framework detailing how we all must comply and use TenantTracks Screening Reports.

The law is very strict and details how one complies with the requirements of accessing 3rd party sensitive data. Many of the items are common sense but due to the growing problem of Identity Theft, we take these obligations seriously and so should you. Click here to get a copy of the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

Yes you must provide a rejection letter called an "Adverse Action Notice" to all applications that you deny.

We provide an automated process for you to comply with this requirement. You simply select  "Applicant Denial Letter" and click the applicants name from the picklist and our system automatically fills out the form for you. All you have to do is drop it in the mail or hand it to your rental applicant.

This Adverse Action Notice includes the required language allowing a tenant to contact our company if the wish to dispute any information on the TenantTracks Screening Report.

We do not let our customers pick and choose which report components they run, we provide a comprehensive report containing the information needed to make an informed rental decision.

By providing a comprehensive package instead of a picklist to choose report components we lessen the risk of a discrimination claim so our customers use a consistent, level and uniform screening process for every application.

We know of some individuals being accused of discrimination by selecting certain types of applicants they perform a complete background check upon and others they did a limited search on. If you pick and choose which applicants to process, you absolutely put yourself at risk of being accused of a Fair Housing Act Violation.

For example, some people may only use a credit report to evaluate a tenant's ability to pay if they have a job, but they might ask for a criminal report and eviction if that applicant is on Section-8. This is a dangerous practice and to avoid discrimination acquisitions you need to gather the same information on each and every rental applicant and process each application in the same consistent manner. Professional property owners and managers always get a complete background check on all their perspective rental applicants, and so should you!

We also suggest that you write down your screening policy on your rental applications so everyone is subject to the same process and it is clearly stated. We encourage you to get a TenantTracks Screening report on every applicant over the age of 18 to assure maximum safety for your property and other tenants living on the premises.

In general, negative information is limited to 7 years on your credit data and public records once the file has been closed.

Certain items like bankruptcy report for 10 years and Tax Liens remain until paid.

This information is supplied by property management companies and landlords who provide valuable information regarding their own tenant's rental performance, including;

• Notice to Quit Served
• Summons and Complaint Served
• Paid Rent after the Grace Period
• Partial Rent Payment Made
• Notice of Lease Violation Sent
• No Rent Payment Made and No Legal Action Commenced
• Cash for Keys

Cash for Keys is a rapidly growing problem for all of us in the rental housing industry. Imagine what message we give a tenant that stopped paying rent and is living for free only to be rewarded for this negative behavior and paid money by the owner and to move-out and not be evicted!

This practice is growing in use because it's quicker and less costly than a formal eviction but it is also the most dangerous activity in the apartment rental business. This non-paying tenant tenant will not show up in any court record search or other database and that is why we encourage all our users to report, "Cash for Keys." into our Tenant Performance Database.

Both OPEN ACCESS and OPT-10 reports provide the same information. TenantTracks provides our customers with a comprehensive package of information allowing them to make better informed leasing decisions regarding perspective tenants.

Each TenantTracks Screening report is actually a package of seven different reports combined into one, a TenantTracks Screening Report includes:

1. Trans Union Credit report with summary box and a Vantage Score

2. National Criminal Report including a sex-offender search

3. Terrorist Watch-List Search

4. National eviction report 

5. TenantTracks Internal Eviction Database for MA, CT, RI and NH cases

6. TenantTracks Tenant Performance Database

7. A People Search providing Alias Names and Pevious Address History

This combination of information, especially the TenantTracks Eviction Database provides a comprehensive package of information allowing our subscribers to make better informed leasing decisions.

TenantTracks prides itself on having the best available data for more accurate tenant background checks.

In Connecticut, our eviction database is updated daily. In addition to CT, we also purchase and store eviction records from MA, RI and NH making our reports New England's most accurate screening report because in addition to the dtatbase, we also search these records for ALIAS NAME eviction matches. If an applicant has changed their name, there is a high probability we will find that case.

BETTER DATA, BETTER RESULTS!

To be successful in the apartment rental business you must mitigate risk.

For operators of multi-family property the risk of renting to an individual who has a high probability of non-payment of rent or creating a criminal nuisance in your apartments is your biggest threat.

Tenant Screening is the best tool available to separate the fact form fiction concerning the information supplied on your rental application; good decisions yield good results, use TenantTracks Screening Reports.

One of the most frequently asked questions is what's the difference between a FICO Score and a Vantage Score?

The simple answer is, today there is little difference between the two scores. Fico stands for Fair Isiac Corporation and is a privately owned company whereas Vantage is owned by all three major credit bureaus.

They both use a score range of 350 to 850 but they differ in how they weigh some aspects of a consumers credit profile and history. For instance, percentage of available credit, number of recent Inquiries, late payment history each has a different weight on the consumer's score, but in the end the overall credit score for that consumer is fairly consistent with each other.

It is our experience that Vantage is becoming the more popular model as afterall it is owned by the credit bureaus themselves.

Placing an alert or a freeze on your record with credit bureaus can help prevent fraudulent activity and identity theft from damaging your credit history and score.

A credit freeze eliminates access to your credit reports until you lift the freeze with a credit bureau account and a PIN. A fraud alert requires that creditors verify your identity before extending you additional credit.

Credit freezes and fraud alerts are free and a freeze offers better protection. A fraud alerts expire after a year unless you extend it and a credit freeze last until you lift them and a credit freeze may be reinstated for free.

A fraud alert is a warning placed on your credit record that tells potential lenders to contact you and verify your identity before extending new credit. If someone tries to open a new credit card or borrow money in your name, a phone call from the lender will tip you off, and you can prevent the new account from being opened.

A credit freeze is also known as a security freeze and prevents lenders from accessing your credit report without authorization. Credit card issuers and lenders usually want to see your credit history before approving you for financing, so they can’t issue a new credit to you or someone pretending to be you until you authorize them to access your credit report.

You can unfreeze your credit to allow lenders see your credit report if you want to open a new account. This might also be necessary if you’re renting an apartment or applying for insurance, both of which usually require a credit check.

All TenantTracks background checks are SOFT INQUIRIES and do not have an impact on an applicant's credit score

Optimum 10 and Open Access are two different account types offered by TenantTracks for tenant screening. Here’s a breakdown of the key differences:

Optimum 10:
Cost: $27 per report

Account Setup:

• Requires an initial office site inspection ($64) and an annual compliance fee ($35, waived upon renewal if you run 50 reports per year)   

Permissible Purpose:

• Requires proof of “Permissible Purpose” to run background checks   

Social Security Number:

• Can run screening reports on applicants without a Social Security Number   

Report Access:

• Reports must be safeguarded and cannot be copied to third parties, but all parties involved in the transaction can view them.  

Open Access:
Cost: $37.50 per report

Account Setup:

• No additional costs or requirements beyond online acceptance of TransUnion’s terms and conditions   

Permissible Purpose:

• No proof of “Permissible Purpose” required   

Social Security Number:

• Requires a Social Security Number or Taxpayer ID for screening reports
• Report Access:No restrictions on report sharing 

In essence, Optimum 10 offers a more affordable option for landlords who need to run frequent screenings and are willing to meet certain requirements. Open Access is a more flexible option for those who need occasional screenings.

The reports are quickly processed through a secure internet connection and return information usually in 30 seconds.

Another great TenantTracks feature is your background reports are automatically stored in your account for you to review up to 60 days after the report is run. Reports older than 60 days are dismantled and archived. If an archived report is needed for any reason, there is a $7.50 fee to unarchive the report.

To verify your applicant is the person they claim to be, we suggest that you get at least one form of a photo ID from them.

The information needed to process an Opt-10 TenantTracks Screening Report is:

• Applicants First and Last Name
• Date of Birth
• Current address including, Street Name and Number, City, State and Zip Code
• Social Security Number

Credentialing is an industry term to determine if you can receive a full credit report.

Credentialed users get a complete credit report showing all the trade lines and account information, non-credentialed users get the personal information, employment history, warning messages and  the FICO Score.

To be credentialed you must operate your business from an office location and this can be a home based office but must be a separate room used exclusively as an office.

To be a credentialed user you need,

• Password protected computer that the screen does not face a doorway preventing others to view the monitor
• Locking file cabinet
• Document shredder
• Basic paperwork proving you have permissible purpose to obtain credit reports

We will inspect the physical office location and if you qualify, we will enable your account to the status of "Credentialed User."

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Permissible Purpose means one must have a legitimate reason to request credit sensitive data on a 3rd party.

Our customers need a legitimate reason to investigate another persons background, renting an apartment is one such legitimate reason. You also need the applicants written permission to obtain a credit report.

We supply a sample Apartment Rental Application and a Credit Release and Waiver form that contain the required written tenant authorization language.

Our customers whether they are rental property owners, property management companies or real estate rental agencies all would qualify for receiving credit reports and have a "Permissible Purpose" to obtain such information but all are subject to the credentialing process.

One needs a legitimate reason to investigate another person's background, renting apartments is such a legitimate reason.

Just login to your account, from the “OPEN ACCESS Dashboard” you will do everything….To get started;
 
1. Click “Run Background Check” from the left hand menu.

2. Decide who pays for the report, Landlord / Rental Agent or the rental applicant.
 
3. Add a Property.  All applications must be linked to a property.
If this is your first report, complete the fields on the right side of the page under “Add New Property.” After adding a property, it will be saved and appear under “Choose Existing Property” for future reports.
 
4. Enter Rental Details and Terms. Enter dollar amounts for Security Deposit and Rent Amount, the “Unit Number” is an optional field.
 
5. Enter Applicant Information. Enter your applicant’s email address and applicant's cell phone number. The cell-phone # is optional but needed for text messaging the applicant that there is a request for a background check.

PLEASE verify that the applicant’s email address is correct. If entered incorrectly, your applicant will not receive our email link and a new application must be created, this is a "fatal error" in TransUnion's system.

DO NOT USE THE SAME EMAIL ADDRESS FOR MORE THAN ONE APPLICANT. Each applicant needs THEIR OWN UNIQUE EMAIL ADDRESS. Applicants can always create a free Gmail or Hotmail account. If you try to send two applicants a request for a background report using the same email...fatal errors may occur and there are no refunds once a report is underway at the credit bureau.

6. Submit the application and we notify your applicant by email and text message (if cell# provided) to respond to your request for a background report.
 
7. The applicant receives our system email. Once they accept the request, Trans Union will ask Identity Verification questions (IDMA)  based upon information within their credit report. Once they pass the IDMA-Questions your report will run and we will notify you by email that the report has been completed and is ready to view.
 
8. To View Your Report, login to your account and the applicant's report link will be on your dashboard. To view older reports, select “View Your Reports” and then locate your applicant’s name and select “Open Application” to view that report.
 
9. If a tenant requests a copy of their background screening report...YES, YOU MAY GIVE IT TO THEM

10. Reports are kept for 60 days on your dashboard, Please print them before they expire if you wish to save a copy.

Please call us at 888-610-4710 if you have any questions, we are here to help. 

To verify your applicant is the person they claim to be, we suggest that you get at least one form of a photo ID from them.

The information needed to process an OPEN ACCESS TenantTracks Screening Report is

• The Email Address of the rental applicant
• Their cell phone number if available so we can also send them a text message that a background check is being requested

The Answer is dependant on how quickly your rental applicant responds.

Applicants must receive the system email we send, click on the link provided in the email and agree to have a background check preformed. Then they pay for the report, provide their personal information (Name, DOB, Address and SS#) and then pass an identity verification test from TransUnion.

Sometimes they deny the request and the report will never run. Or they will fail the identity test and must contact Trans Union to become manually verified. The time it takes to run the report once all the steps are completed is about 30 seconds but it can take minutes or hours to complete the steps that are required leading up to the report running.