{"id":587,"date":"2024-01-30T15:06:33","date_gmt":"2024-01-30T20:06:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tenantmagic.net\/tm-blog\/?p=587"},"modified":"2024-01-30T15:12:47","modified_gmt":"2024-01-30T20:12:47","slug":"rental-screening-red-flags","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tenantmagic.net\/tm-blog\/rental-screening-red-flags\/","title":{"rendered":"Needing Help With Rental Screening Red Flags"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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Identifying and understanding red flags in rental screening reports can be bewildering without assistance.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A history of bad customer service<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Not having help understanding red flags in a tenant screening report can result in major problems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Several years ago, I penned a blog post How’s this for customer service? <\/a>It focused on the glaring lack of customer service at Zillow<\/a>. The only means of communication was a web form on their site. It took over a week to receive an email response. Here\u2019s the response I received from Zillow regarding a query about their rental application program:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSince you submitted your original request a week ago, it\u2019s likely that you\u2019ve moved on or that you were able to self-resolve your issue. If you still need assistance, simply reply back to this email and we will be happy to help you.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A critical need for assistance<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Recently, an agent who had been using TenantMagic for nearly a decade switched brokerages. Her new company used Zillow and their rental application program. She received a completed application and background report that raised several questions about the authenticity of the applicant\u2019s data, especially when compared with the information provided in the Zillow background report. While the reports initially seemed satisfactory, a closer examination revealed some potential red flags.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite no longer using TenantMagic, she asked if I could review the reports with her to help make sense of them. She tried to contact someone at Zillow for assistance, but to no avail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Taking a deeper dive<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

We spent about 30 minutes reviewing the reports and concluded that the applicant had provided fraudulent information. This individual, in their early 30s, claimed to have a substantial monthly W2 income but lacked any credit history. Further investigation revealed that the phone numbers for the employer and previous landlord were not in service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key takeaways<\/h4>\n\n\n\n