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Archive for September, 2009

Top 3 Tips for Successful Background Checks

September 8th, 2009

Have you ever run a background check on yourself? You’d be surprised at what would come up if you did. If negative information is in there, it could cost you a job, a loan, or a relationship. By performing a background check on yourself, you can fix what’s wrong and be aware of what others are seeing.

There is a countless number of commercials constantly reminding you to check your credit, but you shouldn’t stop there. Private investigators frequently discover that their own clients don’t know what’s in their background check.

You don’t have to spend a lot of money to save yourself what could be a big surprise. You can start by putting your own name into a Google search. Type your name inside a set of parentheses and see what happens. If your name is really common or someone famous shares your name with you, you might not get helpful results. Otherwise, you should see results. If you see court documents or records of trials, you should look into them further.

The next thing you can do is look on the judicial website for your city, county and state. Most states have user-friendly online searches you can use from home. In Connecticut, you can search by topic like Family and Civil, Housing, Criminal, Small Claims, etc. Look for yourself in these areas to make sure there aren’t outstanding warrants or lawsuits in which you’ve been named.

Tip number three is to subscribe to a service that actively keeps track of your background. There are a lot of companies who do this for a small fee. Some are good, and some aren’t very reputable. These companies keep track of information for a living. They create databases from all kinds of sources. The price they charge for a subscription is usually well worth not having to do all of that legwork yourself. You can usually subscribe to these services annually.

Remember that even though you can find hundreds of these services–not all of them are great. A bad service won’t have access to a lot of information. They won’t be able to get you much information. Look for companies that offer money-back guarantees. If they’re willing to put their money on the line, they’re more likely to provide a good service. Also look for companies that give you their preliminary results right away and have some sort of telephone number for customer service.

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The Benefits of a Landlord Background Check

September 6th, 2009

The benefits of a landlord background check cannot be underestimated. Investing in rental properties can be financially advantageous to anyone seeking to earn an additional income. It’s is truly one way to earn a significant amount of money. However, all of the great things that come with owning rental properties can be negated if you choose the wrong tenant. A poor choice of a tenant can result in a loss in money which is why performing a background check is recommended.

A background check on a tenant can help you make an informed decision about who resides in your rental property. Background checks can help you avoid renting to a convicted criminal such as a murderer that could endanger the lives of others. Likewise, if your rental property is located near a school than you wouldn’t want to rent to a convicted sex offender. Doing so could cause serious problems for both the renter and cause tension in the neighborhood. You wouldn’t want to rent to anyone that could cause a problem in the community. A thorough back ground check will provide you information on everything from misdemeanors to more serious felonies. If you have a prospective tenant that has spent time in jail for check fraud it would be in your best interest to pass on this tenant. You would only know to keep looking by doing a background check.

Similarly, a background check can also provide information on a tenant’s ability to pay rent. Credit checks are ideal for determining whether or not an individual is fiscally responsible. The lower the credit score and the more delinquencies on a credit report the more of a risk a person is to rent to. If you are not able to obtain a credit report you can always perform a public records background check. This type of background check will list any judgments that a person has against them as filed in court by a creditor. These judgments can include liens, a bankruptcy and even judgments for evictions. A background check can reveal how a person handles their finances. Knowing if your potential tenant has long term employment and is capable of affording and paying timely rent is vital.

The failure to perform the necessary background check can lead to severe problems for a landlord. Depending on the tenancy laws in your state you will have to file for eviction to remove a tenant that is either destructive to your property or the community or that doesn’t pay rent. After pursuing an eviction you will have to seek your lost rent or property damage recovery through a civil judgment in court. It could take forever to get your money which is why a landlord background check should be a requirement for any potential tenant viewing your rental property.

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Access to free death records provides information, peace of mind

September 3rd, 2009

The Internet is full of sources for vital records, including free death records. The reasons for accessing these records are equally numerous. Death records can provide insight into family history when studying genealogy. They can also be useful for issues of inheritance. In many cases, however, only the most basic information is available to those who have not paid a fee.

Free services will typically provide such information as the decedent’s full name, date of death and birth, and social security number. If more specific information is needed, a paid report may have to be purchased. With this costlier and more exhaustive report, information gatherers can find out such details as time and place of death, as well as the official cause of death. Although the simplest way to obtain this information is typically to pay for it, there are other options available to help you get free death records if you have the time and determination to do the work yourself.

Government agencies in the district in which the decedent passed away will also have detailed information about his or her death. The cost of accessing these records is typically nonexistent or negligible. However, there are a few drawbacks to free death records provided by government agencies. First of all, the person seeking the information must know where the decedent passed away, or they will be unable to contact the correct local agency. Also, information accessed in this way may be more difficult to understand that that which has been prepared by a service.

When considering utilizing an online service to search for free death records, it is important to keep in mind that free services sometimes come with strings attached. The website may offer a free report, but only if the user participates in some other offer that costs money. Alternatively, the free report may be obtained through a “preview” of the site’s services, requiring the user to enter billing information and then remember to cancel the service before the free trial expires.

There are any number of websites, services, and government agencies that provide free death records. But as in most areas of life, convenience often comes at a premium. It is up to the information seeker to decide how much money they are willing to spend versus how much time they are willing to devote to the search. Whatever method one uses, death statistics are out there waiting to be uncovered.

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Employer Background Checks are a Fact of Life in Today’s Job Market

September 1st, 2009

More and more job seekers are finding that employer background checks are becoming a common part of the application process. Employers are wanting to know more about their applicant histories to make sure that the person they choose for a position won’t have any surprises in their personal or professional life that could adversely affect the company. They can further protect prospective employers by ensuring that their applicant choices do not have criminal records, a serious concern in many professions.

Employer background check companies also free up value time in the company’s human resource department by conducting professional and legal verification of an applicant’s professional and personal references. They are well versed in what the law will and will not allow a prospective employer to ask regarding a former employee’s work history, and they further protect prospective employers by ensuring that the right questions are asked to obtain the most amount of information regarding an applicant’s work history. Employer background check companies can also provide information on a prospective applicant’s credit history, allowing the employer to see if the applicant is responsible in their personal financial life. Personal responsibility is a valuable indicator of an applicant’s professional responsibility.

Employers now have many resources available to conduct employer background checks. Many companies offer this confidential service to prospective employers and they are able to quickly compile complete reports, usually within twenty-four hours. Fees can range from as little as a few dollars to $50-$60, depending on the depth of the applicant report. Employers should carefully check a company to make sure that the reports they will receive are adequate for their human resource needs.

As more employers turn to employer background checks, applicants will realize the importance of having a good, clean background record. Employers now have access to more information about an applicant’s past than was ever possible a few years ago. They no longer have to trust a prospective applicant to provide accurate information regarding professional, personal or criminal history, and then hope for the best. The truth is only a few clicks, and a few dollars, away on any prospective employee.

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