Why I Ran a Background Check On Myself
I typed in my name and the results had me speechless!
Sunday June 28th, 2020 - 12:15pm
Have you ever looked yourself up online or wondered what a landlord might find if they searched for you? I did, and the results shocked me! These services listed the names of my ex-boyfriends, my best friend, my parents, aunt, uncle, even my young son’s name. My employment history appeared along with links to my social media accounts. Scary and unbelievable!
It also taught me why nowadays, it’s more important than ever to check your online reputation before you apply for a rental home. A google search would probably be the first instinct for most when searching for a person or themselves. But now there are background search services focused on delivering all kinds of personal data quickly, and easily in one report.
Here's why it's important to know what's on your background check before you apply for your ideal home - many landlords check applicants' backgrounds, so your history could really make a big difference in your apartment search. Landlords or property managers generally aren't looking for immaculate background checks, but certain red flags, such as bankruptcies, lower credit scores, and past evictions might make them more likely to reject an applicant.
Search With Just Your Name And State You Live In
With these websites, you can search dozens of databases by just entering your name and the state you live in. You could find birth, death, and marriage records, addresses, employment history, public criminal records, and much more!
In the past, it was an extremely complicated process to search for background information about yourself. You would have to go find out what the government had on you by asking around and chasing paper trails. With these new background search services, you can easily see all your information online.
I knew I had to search myself to see what a background search could reveal about me. The search was very easy to do and the results were fast. I was legitimately shocked at the sheer amount of accurate details my report provided. I couldn’t believe that anyone would be able to learn all of this about my life with just the click of a mouse.
I tried half a dozen different background search services and found more than 5 correct previous addresses and my actual current address!
Sex Offenders in Your Area
I was also able to see if people in my neighborhood are sex offenders, which is an invaluable tool if you have children or young loved ones that visit your home.
Know Your Rights
Federal law prohibits landlords from choosing tenants based on race, color, national origin, religion, disability, handicap, sex or familial status. If you feel you are discriminated against while applying for apartments, contact your local state's Fair Employment and Housing bureau to file a housing discrimination complaint.
Bottom Line
I would absolutely recommend running a background search to anyone looking to rent a home. In this day and age, the technology exists to easily keep your online reputation clean through these websites. You might find out erroneous or damaging details that will prevent you from getting into your perfect rental home.
Bottom line, if you pre-plan, you may have time to fix these issues.
