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The application
process for renting an apartment in the United States includes
reports on credit, rental histories, previous evictions and
criminal background checks. Of these, criminal background checks
are one of the most important determinates in leasing to
applicants. Professional Background Services, Inc. can
perform these record checks for you.
"I rented my home for
the summer to a seemingly nice family with two small children. I
didn’t know when we signed the rental agreement that the husband
had recently been convicted for securities fraud and was
scheduled to do prison time while his wife & children would be
renting my home. When they moved out the damages were in excess
of the security deposit (kids crayoned on walls, dog dug holes &
soiled carpets & so forth) I could have lived with this, but in
addition since it was a furnished summer rental we had an
agreement for them to pay the phone bill – well shortly after
they moved out I received a phone bill for $3,100.00. Apparently
the husband was making collect calls from prison several times a
day! This rental came from a reputable Real estate company and I
assumed (wrongly) that the real estate company would have some
background info on their clients. How could your service have
helped me avoid this unfortunate experience?"
Consider the
following statistics from the Department of Justice:
U.S.
Criminal Statistics
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A murder is committed every
19 minutes. |
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A rape is committed every 6
minutes. |
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A violent crime is committed
every 19 seconds. |
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A theft is committed every 4
seconds. |
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A property crime is
committed every 3 seconds. |
U.S.
Recidivism Statistics
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Within three years, 67.5% of
prisoners were rearrested for new offenses (almost
exclusively felonies or serious misdemeanors). |
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Within three years, 2.5% of
released rapists were arrested for another rape. |
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Within three years, 1.2% of
those who had served time for homicide were arrested for
another homicide. |
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The 272,111 offenders
discharged in 1994 had accumulated 4.1 million arrest
charges before their most recent imprisonments and
another 744,000 charges within three years of release. |
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Released prisoners with the
highest re-arrest rate were robbers (70.2%), burglars
(74.0%), larcenists (74.6%), and motor vehicle thieves
(78.8%). |
A Department of
Justice report also noted that 48% of the households broken into
were rental units.
The importance
of criminal background checks cannot be overstated. Property
owners owe it to their residents and employees to protect them
from foreseeable harm. Failure to do so could constitute a
breach of contract. In apartment owner premises liability suits,
the average non-jury award is $500,000; the average jury award
is $1 million.
Why should you
do criminal background checks? The National Multi Housing
Council (NMHC), the National Apartment Association (NAA), and
other industry organizations agree that convicted criminals
“pose a risk to the residents and employees of multifamily
housing communities.” Criminal background checks help reduce
crimes on apartment premises, mitigate liability, minimize
exposure, and improve property values.
ALWAYS verify tenants by doing proper
Background checks.
Something to remember - no tenant at all
is better than a bad one – Don’t learn this the hard way!!
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