What is the difference between a Background Check and a Credit Check?
A Background Check and Credit Check are both valuable tools for screening purposes and will provide the Landlord with different information.
Both Credit Checks and Background Checks are valuable Tenant Screening tools, but they serve different purposes:
Background Check:
- Searches 110,000+ databases across 240+ countries
- Provides information on:
- Employment history
- Historical addresses
- Education
- Criminal records
- Court decisions
- Public press mentions
- Useful for assessing a tenant’s personal history and trustworthiness
- Focuses on financial health
- Draws directly from Credit Bureau data (e.g., Equifax, TransUnion, Experian)
- Includes:
- Payment history (cell phone, credit cards, mortgages, auto loans)
- Collections
- Credit inquiries
- Credit score (300–900) - Higher scores = lower risk.
Together, Background Checks and Credit Checks provide Landlords with the best available screening information at an affordable price.
Landlords or Property Managers: Free Sign up HERE