Being in charge of a tenant or employment screening can be tedious. After all, there is so much information out there. So, how do you weed through it all and still get the results you need in a timely manner?

You can make your search a lot easier and a lot more efficient by following these 3 tips:

1. Start by looking at credit reports

Because they’re an unbiased source of information, credit reports give you a great look at exactly who you’re dealing with. By looking through them, you’ll be able to see what kind of debts your prospective tenant or employee has, how long they’ve had them, and how good they are at paying them off.

If you’re searching for the perfect tenant, credit reports are the best way to tell if your tenant is actually going to pay his rent in full and on time.

If you’re doing an employee background check, a person’s credit report will show you how responsible they are. They may not tell you exactly what kind of employee the person will be, but they’ll give you a look at how the person handles the duties and responsibilities of his personal life – traits that usually extend into the office.

2. Always do a renter eviction search

If you’re thinking about renting your property to someone, you’ll need to know if they’ve ever been evicted from anyplace else. By doing a renter eviction search, you can see what, if anything, pops up – along with the circumstances surrounding it.

If you’re doing an employee background check, this is also good information to have. After all, if your potential employee makes a habit of being evicted, it could definitely jeopardize his ability to remain fully committed to his job!

But why do you need to do a separate renter eviction search? Won’t eviction information show up on credit reports?

Not always!

Credit reports only go back about 7 years or so. A renter eviction search can go back much further than that.

3. Don’t forget to do a criminal background check

While the laws in your state may prohibit you from using a person’s criminal past against them during a tenant or employment screening, you still need to know what kind of person you’re dealing with. After all, someone could have spotless credit reports – but a lengthy criminal past! If you want to be as thorough as possible, you’ll need to cover both civil and criminal histories.