I saw a news segment about criminal activity in rental properties in North Carolina.
The featured landlord said that more thorough criminal background checks would help curve the current problem because as it stands right now, the criminals send an individual in to rent an apartment that does not have a criminal history and then, once the apartment is secured, they (the criminals) move in and set up shop.
Here is the problem as I see it: If in fact the featured landlord is correct and these criminals send in an individual without a criminal record to apply for an apartment how will a more detailed criminal background check solve the current problem? Perhaps what these landlords should do is pay closer attention to the tenants in their apartments and the day-to-day activity going on in those apartments.
Encourage other tenants to setup a tenant watch by offering a decrease in their rent for participating.
Install security cameras within the complex and the vestibules.
Hire security.
Make your complex a gated community, which would force visitors to check in, therefore creating an accountability system so you know who is visiting whom within your complex.
Deal with behavior that is detrimental to the safety of your tenants in a swift and harsh manner.
A tenant's history is important, but not nearly as important as their current status.
Just because someone does not have a criminal record does not mean they will make a good tenant.
I can't count how many times in the past few months people have made the 6 0'Clock news for crimes of moral turpitude yet upon their being hired, or accepted as a tenant their criminal and credit check came back clean as a whistle.
So bottom line is, checking someone's credit or criminal history is not a guarantee that you're getting a responsible, law-abiding tenant.
I grew up in one of the toughest housing projects in the South Bronx during a time when gangs ran amok.
We had thieves, addicts and purse-snatchers, but we also had tenants that didn't tolerate nonsense.
Our mothers formed a tenant association in the buildings.
If you did not live there and were not going to visit someone in the building, you weren't allowed in.
The hoodlums respected our boundaries and kept their activities in the streets or back alleys.
My point? The neighbors took a stance supported by the landlord.
They took the age-old adage "It takes a village.
" Everyone makes mistakes in life and with the way our criminal justice system operates today, there's a higher probability that renters are going to have some kind of criminal activity in their file.
If you are arrested - not convicted- arrested for a crime, it goes on your record and does not come off even if the case is dismissed, charges unfounded or you're acquitted.
This follows you through your life until you can hire an attorney to petition the Governors office to clear your record.
If you cannot do this, you're stuck with trying to explain and in the meantime, you're being denied employment and, now, a place to live.
In a world where legislatures tell us "You're innocent until proven guilty," I would wholeheartedly agree that this is very unfair.
A more thorough criminal background check won't help you weed out undesirables anymore than a credit check will ensure that your tenant won't trash your apartment/house, break the lease or pay you on time every month.
All of these things just give us a false sense of security.
The featured landlord said that more thorough criminal background checks would help curve the current problem because as it stands right now, the criminals send an individual in to rent an apartment that does not have a criminal history and then, once the apartment is secured, they (the criminals) move in and set up shop.
Here is the problem as I see it: If in fact the featured landlord is correct and these criminals send in an individual without a criminal record to apply for an apartment how will a more detailed criminal background check solve the current problem? Perhaps what these landlords should do is pay closer attention to the tenants in their apartments and the day-to-day activity going on in those apartments.
Encourage other tenants to setup a tenant watch by offering a decrease in their rent for participating.
Install security cameras within the complex and the vestibules.
Hire security.
Make your complex a gated community, which would force visitors to check in, therefore creating an accountability system so you know who is visiting whom within your complex.
Deal with behavior that is detrimental to the safety of your tenants in a swift and harsh manner.
A tenant's history is important, but not nearly as important as their current status.
Just because someone does not have a criminal record does not mean they will make a good tenant.
I can't count how many times in the past few months people have made the 6 0'Clock news for crimes of moral turpitude yet upon their being hired, or accepted as a tenant their criminal and credit check came back clean as a whistle.
So bottom line is, checking someone's credit or criminal history is not a guarantee that you're getting a responsible, law-abiding tenant.
I grew up in one of the toughest housing projects in the South Bronx during a time when gangs ran amok.
We had thieves, addicts and purse-snatchers, but we also had tenants that didn't tolerate nonsense.
Our mothers formed a tenant association in the buildings.
If you did not live there and were not going to visit someone in the building, you weren't allowed in.
The hoodlums respected our boundaries and kept their activities in the streets or back alleys.
My point? The neighbors took a stance supported by the landlord.
They took the age-old adage "It takes a village.
" Everyone makes mistakes in life and with the way our criminal justice system operates today, there's a higher probability that renters are going to have some kind of criminal activity in their file.
If you are arrested - not convicted- arrested for a crime, it goes on your record and does not come off even if the case is dismissed, charges unfounded or you're acquitted.
This follows you through your life until you can hire an attorney to petition the Governors office to clear your record.
If you cannot do this, you're stuck with trying to explain and in the meantime, you're being denied employment and, now, a place to live.
In a world where legislatures tell us "You're innocent until proven guilty," I would wholeheartedly agree that this is very unfair.
A more thorough criminal background check won't help you weed out undesirables anymore than a credit check will ensure that your tenant won't trash your apartment/house, break the lease or pay you on time every month.
All of these things just give us a false sense of security.
Source...