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How to Use the Internet to Investigate Potential Renters
Quick tips for checking up on fishy inquiries.
| Do you ever get a funny feeling about a potential renter after receiving their inquiry or talking to them on the phone? When your gut instinct puts up a red flag, it's time to do a little investigating. And lucky for you, there is no need to hire Magnum PI to do the leg work for you these days.
1) First, check the Frequent Scam Inquiries page. If the inquiry that you got is on this page, delete it and never look back. If your inquirer hasn't yet shown up on our "Scammers Most Wanted" list, it's time to fill in the blanks of the information that they've given you. |
- Type their information into the basic “People Search” on the homepage. Does the information that pops up match the information they gave you? If the phone number doesn't match, don't assume the worst. The number they gave you could be unlisted or a cell or business phone number.
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Click the “Reverse Phone Number” tab and enter their information. Does their phone number match their name? Again, if the renter gave you their cell phone number or their number is unlisted, it probably will not have a match.
And if you have their address, click the “Reverse Address” tab and enter their given address into the field. Does the address match up with their name?
If the phone number and address that they gave you don't match up with their name, that's a pretty clear sign that your potential renter is may not who they say they are.
If your searches don't turn up any results, don't immediately assume that the renter is not legit. Renters may not show up if they are unlisted, only have a cell phone, or rent instead of own a primary home.
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4) Next, check Google.com.
- Search for “Their Name” in quotation marks. If the name is very common like “William Brown” try to narrow it down with the information that you have on hand like their city and state. Are their any search results for online communities like MySpace, Friendster, or LinkedIn? These sites are great for getting an idea of a person's character and demeanor.
- Search for their phone number. Type in without the parentheses around the area code for the best results. Does the number show up on unsavory sites or as the number for a business? If the renter gave you their cell phone number, it probably will not show up in the search results.
- Search for their email address. If nothing shows up, search for the part before the @yahoo.com, etc. This is also a potential way to find a person's online community site.
5) Lastly, if none of the above searches turn up any results… and you'd still like to consider renting to the fishy renter, use a government records site like: Government-Records.com or USARecordSearch.com. For a fee, these sites pull from tons of public records and can paint a pretty clear picture of your potential renter. That is if the renter gave you legitimate contact information. If the government doesn't have any record of them…. run.
This investigatory process has yet to be perfected, so if you have techniques for finding the skinny on potential renters, please send them our way.
ETA: Thanks to Robert for recommending Pipl.com. It is a very comprehensive search engine that pretty much combines all of the searches above.
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"I never quickly say the week is available. I then have the option to not rent to a suspect party without getting into any legal issues. I can easily say a family member is considering a visit at that time. "Do you have a weekend in June for 10 adults?" Red flag- this may be a graduation bash. It is a little more delicate to handle, but ask questions. Always smile when talking with a client on the phone, it comes through in your voice. It is a winning way to gain trust and land the booking." -Homeowner, Cape Cod, MA
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