Landlords to Take a Different Tact with Tenant Screening Without a Social Security Number

Some states, such as California, prohibit a landlord from inquiring about a tenant’s or prospective tenant’s immigration status or citizenship and requiring proof of legal residency or citizenship as a prerequisite to renting.

A SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER IS NOT REQUIRED TO RUN A TENANT SCREENING REPORT. With Position Realty we don’t only pull a credit report but we also run a tenant screening report. Call us Today!

The law does not prohibit a landlord from requiring documentation necessary to verify a prospective tenant’s identity or financial qualifications to rent, it may be necessary for a landlord to find other ways to screen a prospect who has no credit.You may want to decide to screen using personal references, and independent income verification.

According to a spokesperson for a national screening company, a social security number is not mandatory for a credit check. You can order a credit report with a name and address. However, when the prospect does not have a social security number, you are highly likely to get a “no hit” or “no report available” response. Before a person is noted by the credit bureaus, a file has to be created. The landlord’s act of requesting a report may be the very thing that initiates this person’s credit history. Still, ordering a tenant credit check may be worth a try to see what information might have been reported earlier.

Other Reports Available

  • A tenant background checks does not require a social security number. A full name and date of birth are crucial for determining if you have the right information.
  • Eviction reports are available without a social security number.

Unfortunately, you cannot receive a PATH report, the address history, which could create a hardship when cross-checking criminal and eviction reports. There is no doubt that a social security number is an important identifier when weeding out duplicate names.

Position Realty
Office: 480-213-5251

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