"According to his TenantAlert report, this guy pays less frequently than a broken slot machine."

The most obvious criteria is often left partially complete. A full, complete and current name must be provided for every resident. Since the presumption is you may have to ultimately sue for possession and back rent, it must be clear who the responsible parties are. When reviewing the name block on the application be sure it is properly spelled and a middle name is included. Be sure nicknames and every AKA (also known as) is also included.

Whenever a female tenant is an applicant be sure to obtain her maiden name as well as any former married names. This will help to obtain the proper screening report on the right person.

Children’s and other occupants names and complete identification are also important. Children may move in as minors, but be evicted later as adults. Additionally, complete names of children may be helpful later when trying to locate delinquent tenants for collection purposes.

Be sure the name of the primary tenant is clear as to generation and gender.  Confusion, whether intentional or not, is a significant factor when evaluating a prospective tenant.  The confusion over generation should be clarified between junior and senior or a II and III generation.  As to gender, it is not always clear, from a collection stand point, if the delinquent tenant/debtor is male or female.  This can be critical for a private investigator researching a debtor's assets.

Be aware of the following additional possibilities that may create confusion:

1.  Use of a nickname in the name block (e.g., Billy for William or Beth for Elizabeth)

2.  If a child from a previous marriage is included as a tenant, his surname may not be consistent with either of the adult applicants.  Clarifying the origin of his surname may help locating a delinquent tenant at a later date.

3.  Occasionally, an unmarried couple will use the same surname on an application to appear married.  See if the surname is consistent with the accompanying documentation. 

If this is a commercial property, be sure all of the various business names, fictitious business names, DBA's (doing business as), and corporate names are included along with the responsible individuals.  All of the business names used by the individuals can be verified through public records or through an information provider.  INFOMATCH, the information division at Fidelity, can verify business names, licensing status and ownership on any applicants.

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