IMPORTANT WEBSITES TO ASSIST WITH SCREENING TENANTS
As I mentioned before, the screening process is, in my opinion, the most important part of the rental process. The landlord should spend sufficient time trying to ensure the chosen tenant can live up to and abide by the rental agreement.
Below are some websites I find very helpful when screening my tenants.
CCAP - Wisconsin's Consolidated Court Automation Program - This free tool lets you access all state court filings in Wisconsin, except paternity lawsuits and juvenile delinquency petitions. It includes criminal lawsuits; civil lawsuits (including eviction actions); divorces; harassment injunctions; replevins (repossession of vehicles); foreclosures; money judgments; etc.
Milwaukee Municipal Court Case Information System (MMCCIS) - This free website lets you enter a person's name to see whether they have received any municipal tickets in the City of Milwaukee for things like possession of drugs, possession of drug paraphernalia, battery, traffic violations, etc. Note that receiving a municipal ticket is not the same as being charged with a crime. Municipal tickets are just civil forfeitures (fines).
Family Watchdog - This free website lets you search for convicted sex offenders throughout the United States by name or location.
Wisconsin's Sex Offender Registry - Run by Wisconsin's Department of Corrections, this free website lets you search by name or location to determine whether a person has been convicted as a sex offender in the state.
PACER - Bankruptcy filings in the Eastern District of Wisconsin - This website lets you search (for a nominal cost) to determine whether a person has ever filed for bankruptcy in the Eastern District (including Milwaukee) of Wisconsin.
Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions - This free website helps commercial landlords check the status of a prospective tenant that is a business entity (LLC, SC, INC, LP, etc.). It lets you search its database and tells you whether the entity exists, who its registered agent is, their address, and whether the business entity is delinquent in its state filings.
Landlord Services, LLC - This company, based in Green Bay, is endorsed by the Apartment Association of Wisconsin (AASEW) and will run credit and criminal background checks on your rental applicants.
City of Milwaukee Property Recording Data and Department of Neighborhood Services Property Recording - Both sites let you enter an address and find out who owns the property. This is especially useful when screening applicants, and you want to verify that their prior landlord is really their prior landlord, not a family member or friend who will tell you what a great tenant they are.
SSN Validator: This site lets you enter a Social Security number and provides basic information, such as whether the SSN was issued, the approximate issue date, the issuing state, and whether the person it was issued to is deceased. This information will help you determine whether the SSN an applicant lists on your rental application is legitimate. Use of this site is free.
