When Vancouver-based property management company Advent Real Estate Services started using Certn’s background screening, it found that the services helped solve all kinds of problems — including ones it didn’t expect background checks could help with. Certn helps Advent conduct identity verification and perform credit checks on its Canadian tenants. Certn also helps it handle applicant and tenant data compliantly, which is a responsibility it takes very seriously.
What are some of the other ways Canadian property managers can benefit from a background screening provider like Certn? Here are some other use cases for background screening that can help property managers.
Speed Up Tenant Verification
First things first, as a property manager you need to get the information you need quickly, and you need to be able to trust its accuracy. As the case study explores, there are many different types of background screening tools that help property managers obtain the information they need to make informed decisions when deciding who to rent to. Certn's background screening experts are also here to advise you on which tools you're legally permitted to use in Canada or other jurisdictions.
What types of background screening can you order for tenant screening?
Credit Checks
Working in property management, you know that credit checks help you determine if an applicant is likely to pay rent on time. Credit checks are a standard part of a Canadian property manager's screening process, and we always start here when building custom programs for our property management clients.
Tenant Questionnaires
You probably have a version of a standard questionnaire that you send to people who are interested in one of your properties. Right?
These questionnaires help you gain valuable information, such as whether prospective tenants have pets or require parking. We know that managing all this paperwork, even if they're digital PDFs through email, is a challenge. One of the benefits of using Certn is that our background check API can integrate with real estate and property management software, so managing the back and forth, and storing this personal information compliantly, can be even easier for you and your team.
Digital Reference Checks
You can further eliminate unnecessary back and forth and follow-up by sending out digital reference checks. Digital reference checks can be ordered and quickly sent to prospective renters with the click of a button from Certn’s platform. You can leave the rest to us and our automated tasks and reminders, easy approvals, and real-time dashboards. Digital reference checks are a faster way to learn more about who you might be renting to with 24/7 customer support if anyone needs help along the way.
Identity Verification
If your business is global and you rent to people in different cities all over the world and/or you process applications from people who aren’t yet living in your city, then identity verification provides an extra layer of protection. Instant ID verification through OneID confirms that the person is who they claim to be and ensures that background checks are performed on the correct, verified identity.
Public Records Checks
It’s harder to restore public trust than it is to lose it. In Canada, property managers can pair background checks with our Softcheck public records check service for added assurance when evaluating applications. This is another way to protect your reputation and brand image, while also protecting your other tenants.
Taken together, these background screenings services make it easier for property managers to find the right tenants quickly without the hassle. Background screening can be done quickly, right from an applicant’s smartphone. With results ready in minutes, you’ll have easy access to important information faster. As a result, you can reduce your vacancy rates and avoid losing out on revenue.
Streamline Tenant Screening
Certn’s credit checks, reference checks, and identity verification make tenant screening faster and more efficient. However, it’s possible to streamline the tenant screening and rental process even more by initiating everything directly from your website instead of back and forth via email or through a rental office.
With Certn’s open background check API, you can easily put application forms, questionnaires, and the background screening you require directly on your website.
This is how it works if you integrate Certn’s platform with your existing real estate or property management software:
- Renters navigate to your website and browse what units you have available
- They pick the unit and as part of your standard application process, fill in the tenant questionnaire, provide references you can contact as needed, and authorize the screening tools you want to use
- They submit their application and run the background screening without any follow-up from you
- That’s it! You don’t have to do anything other than review the applications and background screening reports as they come in
The Certn way saves time and makes property managers' process of finding tenants a simple and painless process.
Managing Rental Properties Remotely
Managing several properties across the country or even in multiple countries also becomes easier with the help of the right background check provider. How so? One helpful hack that our clients find especially handy has to do with our instant identity verification.
Fraud and identity theft are growing problems in Canada. Tenants can use falsified information to rent a property, sometimes leading to disastrous consequences, like this 2022 Toronto example. And while all property managers are vulnerable, property managers and real estate companies that can’t meet with potential tenants in person are more susceptible to this type of risk.
Identity verification helps to address this concern, making it easier to rent international properties or rent to international tenants who aren’t yet in your city. Another benefit is that it also provides property managers with a copy of the applicant’s ID, which they can then easily and securely store within their files. It’s a hack that helps make it easier to obtain the information you need in a compliant and secure way. It’s also an approach that’s more secure than email and that’s easier for you to integrate into your files along with the other documents and information you collect.
Want to see what these background screening benefits look like in action? Book your demo now to learn more about how you can build a custom property manager screening program for your company and streamline your operations.
