Landlord Question and Answer Forum

Are all credit checks $50 and up, we are a small 23 unit property and I am not sure what company to go through Kim in Fl

Kim, no there are reasonably priced reports available. The credit report is only one report of several you will need to adequately screen a new tenant. You should find all the reports you need for no more than $25-$30 per applicant. Good luck. Bill Gray www.thelandlorddoctor.com www.theinformedlandlord.com

Posted by Bill G, FL on Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Kim, are you not charging each applicant for the credit check? I believe that CA allows up to $35 per applicant and this takes into account my time and cost. There are agencies on-line that have various plans for you to choose from. If you have several applicants, check each one and approve/disapprove before you check the next one. Anyone that is not checked, you must return their credit check fee. On a side note....I've switch to having a RE agency to find my tenants for me. They charge 1/2 months rent. For this they show the property, take care of the application, check them out, advertise, run a credit check and give me their opinion about the applicant(s). Now all I do is review the application and credit report before giving my approval. After approval, the agency does the inspection with the tenant(s), collects all deposit/rent balances, if due. I handle everything after that. No more waiting for no-shows :-)

Posted by Stan M, CA on Tuesday, December 1, 2009