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Frequently Asked Questions About Landlord History Reports:
Q: How much does it cost?
A: Nothing, its FREE. However, it would be nice if you are willing to take a couple minutes to add your comments about your last two landlords. Pull their reports too, and add your comments about your renting experience.
Q: How can I find out about my Landlord before I rent?
A: The only valid option is to pull a free landlord history report from the RPA.
Q: Does the system pull a background check on my landlord every time the report is ran?
A: Yes most of the report is created by gathering the most accurate up to date info at the time you run the report, however, criminal records are checked periodically by the RPA-- meaning that the results from the criminal background portion are comming from the most recent background check, which may or may not be from today's date.
Q: How long does it take to create the report?
A: The report is created instantly within a matter of several seconds. Technology allows hundreds of thousands of records to be checked in mili-seconds. Depending on your internet speed it may take up to 40 seconds for the complete report.
Q: How do I know if I can trust my landlord?
A: As a renter you should check several things before renting. Although the RPA landlord background history report is helpful it should not be used as the sole deciding factor. If your landlord hasn't properly registered with the RPA, this may be a red flag. You can always ask them why they haven't registered.
Q: What's a good landlord risk score vs bad landlord risk score.
A: The higher the score the lower the risk. The RPA issues extreme caution for any landlord with a risk less than 550. Landlords and Apartments with such a low rating may have a history of problems. A color coded risk bar is available at the bottom of each report. Most trustworthy landlords / apartments will be in the "Green" section and not in red or orange.
Q: How can I rate my landlord or apartment?
A: Renter comments about their renting experiences, both positive and negative comments are important to help other renters like yourself learn about the rental before they rent. To rate your apartment or landlord you can do so by running a report on the landlord/ apartment scrolling down to the "Renters Comments" section and click on "Add your comments" link.
Q: Does my landlord know when I pull a backround report on them.
A: No, your information is never gathered so your landlord will not know whether you pulled a report on them.
Q: Can I get a police report on my landlord?
A: The RPA background process checks criminal records that come from police reports, so your report will contain this information.
Q: Not sure whether to rent an apartment?
A: Look at all the facs and listen to your gut instincts. Most apartments / rentals require a one year lease, can you happily live in the rental for the entire term?
Q: What are some tips on screening my landlord?
A: Enter as much information as possible for the search criteria. Many rental properties may be associated by several names and addresses. For example if you are renting a home from a landlord and search only by the rental address, you may not find complaints that are associated with the landlord or his management company. Also when pulling a report on a rental property such as "Acme Meadows Apartments" you would want to search using the business name "Rental Management Firm" too.
Try searching by:
1- Rental Address / Landlord Name / Property Name or Business Name
2- Rental Address / Manager Name / Property Name or Business Name
3- Rental Address / Owner Name / Property Name or Business Name
4- Business Address / Owner or Manager or Landlord / Property Name or Business
Q: Can Risk Scores vary for the same property?
A: Yes, scores are calculated at the time the report is ran and are based off of the search criteria you used. Registered landlords records will all be linked together, so when pulling a report on a RPA Approved landlord the scores should remain the same no matter the variations of data used to search their history. However, landlords that haven't taken the time to register may show slightly different scores for the same property until our system is able to match business names, addresses to their rental properties.
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Landlords
