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July/August 2008 Issue
RentGrow "In the Know"
Quality Criminal Screening - What You Need to Know
In the twenty-first century, criminal screening is as necessary as credit checks (if not more so). But with credit checks, the process is straightforward because there are three established national bureaus. Criminal data is much more decentralized. Consider this: there are thousands of county courts, state courts, departments of correction, and other records repositories. Hundreds of criminal-data companies collect and package the data. Finally, the technology used for tracking and gathering criminal records is in its infancy, and constantly evolving.
So what questions do you need to keep in mind as you evaluate criminal screening products and vendors? Here are three important ones:
- As we mentioned above, hundreds of data companies exist that retrieve and collect criminal records. Some have better technology and relationships connecting them with the courts, and some have regional strengths and weaknesses. Many, unfortunately, don’t tap into the best available sources. In fact, many tap into just one criminal data provider, often because there is a criminal data provider under the parent company’s umbrella.
- How often are the data providers researched and updated? Because technology is constantly evolving, a data provider that was a great source six months ago might not be now if it hasn’t kept up with the latest technological advances. The reverse is also true: a data provider that didn’t provide the best information a year ago might have taken the necessary steps to improve its collection methods. Criminal screening products should be updated on an ongoing basis in order to get the best results. This doesn’t mean yearly or even quarterly—ongoing means regularly.
- It would be irresponsible and ineffective to rely only on a screening program to automatically guarantee a match between a criminal record and your applicant every time. Some level of human review and due diligence is necessary, yet not all vendors offer this human touch. Not only that but criminal records can be confusing and contain codes and language only experts would understand. Vendors that have specialists on staff to decipher the codes will take a huge burden off your leasing staff.
At RentGrow, our Premium National Criminal Screening product takes these questions into account—and provides answers:
- As an independent company, dedicated to serving the Multifamily Industry, RentGrow works hard to select and partner with dozens of the best criminal data providers.
- Our specialized public records department is constantly researching and incorporating the best available data sources. We determine which ones have the best coverage on a regional and local basis and select and plug the best ones into our product.
- On each applicant, if no criminal records are found, the RentGrow system provides immediate results. If records are found, our analysts eliminate false positives, review criminal records, apply your criteria, and render the decision. In other words, RentGrow’s criminal screening experts provide the human touch
© 2008, RentGrow, Inc., Resident Screening Experts. For permission to reprint this article or to sign up to receive "In The Know," send an email to newsletter@rentgrow.com.
If you have additional questions about criminal screening policies or any other aspects of your resident screening strategy you can contact RentGrow at http://www.rentgrow.com,
1-800-RENTGROW (1-800-736-8476). |
