Realtors and property owners all over the United States are seeing how important it is to verify international prospective tenants. Although background check investigations are a common practice for prospective tenants on a national level too, there is little information on how to do this when the tenant comes from another country and has recently arrived to the U.S. Or even more complicated when they have not even arrived the U.S. yet. The truth is that background checks in other countries do not work the same, so that is why having expert investigators’ advice and help is so important.

Where to look for international background check providers

The first step is to choose a provider. It is important to start by checking reputable private investigation firms with headquarters in the U.S. the reason is simple: they will understand your needs and will be able to deliver the information you need. Plus, you will be able to communicate with them instead of losing time and effort in trying to explain your needs when another language is involved.

Second, look for a provider who has local investigators on the ground where you need them. It is better to deal with a U.S. company, but this investigation firm will need to have access to the information sources and expert private investigators in Asia, Europe, Africa or wherever you need them. Local private investigators will know the law, and will know what are the reliable and official sources of information that they need to consult in order to provide real evidence.

Do not rely on database searches alone

The work of a private investigator cannot be replaced by a database search. We cannot emphasize on this aspect more. People unfamiliar with the way other countries court systems work perform the equivalent of just pushing a few buttons to see if someone has a criminal record in a national database. The truth is that in most places those are outdated and do not include information about crimes prosecuted in local districts. Plus, checking criminal records only is not enough. Prospective tenants may have had issues in the past that have not made it to a court. They could be ISIS followers and have been public about it, but since the property owner decided that a database search was enough, they never learned about their way of life.  A trained professional investigator can verify employment and education, birth records, identity, verify ID and passport and documents, reputation and more.

Hire a complete background check investigation

Realtors, property owners and home-owner associations frequently ask why is it important to go beyond criminal and bankruptcy records searches for prospective tenants. As mentioned before, the character of a person is shown in the places where people work and socialize, not in court or bankruptcy records. If a person had a violent past, it is most likely that those who worked with them in the past would have noticed. Or if they have radical ideas, they would have probably published something about it online. The more thorough the background check investigation is, the more possibilities of choosing the right tenant and avoiding risks.  Don’t put your company or neighbors at risk.

If you are renting a property, or have a real estate company and need to verify applicants from foreign countries, contact us for a free quote. We can help you minimize your risk.

C. Wright
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