Tenant Criminal Background Check | RealSerious.com

Protect your rental property and community…

Provide your applicant’s name and email address. We’ll then verify their identity and obtain their permission to release a copy of a multi-state criminal background check and their official credit report.

No monthly fees – pay as you go.

tenant criminal report

What’s included in a tenant criminal report?

Millions of criminal records are searched for each applicant by our source, TransUnion and/or its partners, and may include data from the following:

• Multiple State Repositories*
• FBI’s Most Wanted
• Sex Offender Public Registries
• Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC)
• Clerk of the Court (Local Courthouses)
• Department of Corrections

See a sample report.

Turnaround Times: Most results are delivered within just a few seconds of an applicant verifying their identity, but some applicants may take longer to return (sometimes as long as a day or two) depending on factors like common names, possible hits, or local jurisdiction delays.

*DISCLAIMER: No tenant criminal background check is 100% complete. Coverage for our standard tenant screening may vary due to (1) jurisdictions limiting what records are eligible to return and (2) TransUnion and/or its partners limiting records that do not meet their data quality standards. As of November 2024, criminal records are available to return in the following jurisdictions that have a green dot in the “In Network” column below…

No tenant criminal background check is 100% complete.

Unfortunately, landlords do not have access to all of the investigative tools used by law enforcement to perform a thorough criminal background check. However, they do have access to consumer reporting agencies (e.g., TransUnion and its partners) by using a service such as RealSerious.com.

Even though you’re not finger-printing your applicant, you can still search a wide breath of criminal reports to make sure you have good visibility to who you are considering granting tenancy.

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Tenant Criminal Background Check Coverage

This information applies only to our criminal report included in our standard tenant screening service. If a jurisdiction is NOT covered (NO green dot in the “In Network” column), then it’s possible that if a criminal conviction occurred there, it may not be reported.

Search by state and then county to see if its “In Network”

Search:

State	County	In Network	Initial Clear Avg Turnaround Time	Potential Hit Avg Turnaround Time

State	County	In Network	Initial Clear Avg Turnaround Time	Potential Hit Avg Turnaround Time
Alabama	Autauga		< 1 Hour	< 1 Day
Alabama	Baldwin		< 1 Hour	< 1 Day
Alabama	Barbour		< 1 Hour	< 1 Day
Alabama	Bibb		< 1 Hour	< 1 Day
Alabama	Blount		< 1 Hour	< 1 Day
Alabama	Bullock		< 1 Hour	< 1 Day
Alabama	Butler		< 1 Hour	< 1 Day
Alabama	Calhoun		< 1 Hour	< 1 Day
Alabama	Chambers		< 1 Hour	< 1 Day
Alabama	Cherokee		< 1 Hour	< 1 Day

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Clear and easy-to-read tenant criminal reports.

A tenant criminal report from RealSerious.com can assist you in making confident decisions when selecting residents.

Have you seen our sample report?

Frequently Asked Questions

Have a question of your own? Contact us.

How much does a tenant criminal background check cost?

Our current pricing for our standard service, which includes a multi-state criminal record search plus a tenant credit report, is available on our homepage at RealSerious.com.

How long does it take to receive a tenant criminal report?

The speed at which a tenant criminal report can be delivered relies on how fast the prospective tenant verifies their identity and when the consumer reporting agency finishes its research. The ID verification process can be completed in less than 5 minutes, but if the applicant is busy at work or unavailable, then research will commence when they have a moment to complete the process. Most criminal reports are delivered within just a few seconds, but some applicants may take longer to return (sometimes as long as a day or two) depending on factors like common names, possible hits, or local jurisdiction delays.

How far back does a tenant criminal background check go?

As a general rule, you could expect most jurisdictions to look back at least 7 years but there are some jurisdictions that restrict the look-back period to fewer than 7 years and also prohibit the use of certain types of criminal convictions. As a precaution, we suggest contacting a local legal authority before acting on any information found in a tenant criminal report.

What if my prospective tenant is from a different country?

Applicants originating from outside of the U.S. can be a challenge to screen unless they have been here for several months and have an ITIN (Individual Taxpayer Identification Number). Without much history in the U.S. and an ITIN, our service would not reveal much information because we do not partner with consumer reporting agencies outside of the U.S.

Can I speak to someone to help me understand a tenant criminal report?

Yes! Call us at 800.599.2192 Mon-Fri 9am-5pm Eastern. After hours? Use our contact form and one of our team members can respond by email, even on weekends and most holidays.