While most tenants are fairly decent people, there is always the possibility and risk that you could find yourself getting an awful tenant. While many landlords just want to put people in their real estate, this can be risky sometimes. It is important for any landlord to decide who they should choose to live on their rental property and a tenant background check can help with this.
Why should you get a tenant background check in Palm Harbor, FL?
There are many reasons that you should get a tenant background check in Palm Harbor, FL from MacData Inc.. Deciding who you want to live within your rental property can be a difficult decision to make. Not every tenant that comes along with a good financial situation is the right tenant for your property. Many people believe that landlords simply want to suck the money out of people. However, this is not the case. It is also important that landlords keep their property safe and keep any other neighbors safe as well. There is a lot that goes into deciding on a tenant and here are some of the many reasons you should get a tenant background check:
When performing a tenant background check in Pinellas County, it is possible that you could run across some tenants with criminal histories. While having a criminal history is not a reason to deny someone living space, landlords should assess each tenant on a case-by-case basis. Not every tenant with a criminal history will be a safety problem, but sometimes, depending on the case, they could pose a safety issue for you, neighbors, or any other tenants you might have in the area. Furthermore, ensuring that your property will not be destroyed is also very important as well. The safety of your property and anyone living in it is very important as a landlord.
As a landlord in Florida, you are liable for a lot of different things. You are liable for the property you own and the people living in it. Furthermore, you are liable for your tenants’ safety and anything that could go wrong while a tenant is living in your rental property. When you get a background check in Palm Harbor, FL on a potential tenant, you have the right to deny them the ability to live in your rental property. However, as a landlord in Pinellas County, you must have a justification for your denial. According to the Fair Housing Laws, you can not deny a potential tenant the ability to live in your rental property based on discriminatory factors. Some of these discriminatory factors include:
In addition, you are allowed to deny a tenant admittance if they have a previous criminal history. However, you must be able to have a good justification for why. As a landlord, you must make it clear that his or her previous criminal record poses a potential risk for your property or for other tenants in your community.
Another reason that you should perform a tenant background check is that you end up making more money in the long term. When you perform a background check on tenants, you are showing them that you are in control of the community and property they are living in. You are essentially telling them that they must meet your criteria for living in your property, not the other way around. In the long run, this helps attract potential tenants that are more likely to stay long-term on your rental property. This saves you a lot of time, money, and stress because you will not have to be looking for a new tenant to replace them. Instead, you can just renew their contract and be done with the process in a much easier fashion.
What is more important in the Pinellas County area? Background Check or Credit Check?
While you might think that a credit check is more important to get from a potential tenant, sixty percent of landlords believe that a background check is more important. This is wild because many people believe that all landlords want to do is confiscate money. However, a background check in Palm Harbor, FL shows the level of safety that a tenant brings to a property and this can be far more important than the financial safety that they might be able to provide. You would not want a financially safe tenant to come in, wreck your property, and put other people at risk. However, at the end of the day, both are very important and both should be done when you screen a potential tenant. Any successful landlord will have a good screening process that they run their potential tenants through. This helps tenants realize that they should keep their financial situation in order, keep their property in check, and keep any other neighbors safe.
MacData Inc. Offers Extensive, Easy, and 24/7 Tenant Background Screening in the Pinellas County Area!
MacData Inc. offers 24/7 online background screening! That means that you can get a background screening anytime you want! 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and 365 days a year! No other company in Palm Harbor, FL has an offer like this one! Our products will meet your needs and our software is the most advanced and user-friendly interface around! Furthermore, it is a cost-effective method and does not require the expense of credit bureau compliance inspections. In fact, it is so simple you will even receive a pass or fail recommendation. We have helped thousands of individuals, businesses, and landlords in background screening processes for over ten years! Just give us a call at 386-254-4888 and we will put you on the line with one of our professional experts who will help guide you through the process and answer any questions that you might have!
Palm Harbor is a census-designated place and unincorporated community in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. As of the 2016 American Community Survey, the CDP had a population of 60,236.
The area that is now Palm Harbor was largely uninhabited until settlers began arriving in the 1860s. The area became known as ‘Curlew’, with the Curlew Pioneer Cemetery, established in 1869, and the Curlew Methodist Church. A post office named ‘Bay St. Joseph’ opened in 1878. In 1881, Henry B. Plant opened the San Marino Hotel in what later became Palm Harbor in 1885. The Gulf View Hotel also opened around that time. The Sutherland Improvement Company acquired land in the Curlew/Bay St. Joseph area and developed it into the settlement of Sutherland. In 1888 the Sutherland Post Office opened. The Orange Belt Railway reached Sutherland in 1890.
The name was changed to Palm Harbor in 1925. Sutherland boasted two beautiful hotels, the larger one becoming Southern College in 1902. It sat high on the bluff overlooking Sutherland Bayou and the Gulf of Mexico. Sutherland was thought to be named after the Duke of Sutherland, who visited these parts after landing at Tarpon Springs in 1887. Local pioneers dismiss this coincidence, pointing out that the name Sutherland is a shortening of Southern Land and Development Company, the group which originally platted the community in 1888.
Palm Harbor was once home to the Florida State Headquarters of the Ku Klux Klan when Donald Kersey, who was not a member of the Klan, allowed the organization to use his 13 acre property just north of Tampa Road on US-19 beginning in 1977. Kersey allowed the KKK to use his land when a portion of it was rezoned from commercial to residential which cost him a substantial amount of money. The KKK told Kersey that they needed to go underground to not gain any attention from authorities but that his land would be a great place to try to recruit people into the organization. Kersey stated that he told the zoning commission that he would make them pay for their zoning decisions which ended up bringing the Klan to the small unincorporated town. The land was sold in 2006 with a large strip mall built on it with a subdivision behind that structure. While Kersey got his revenge on the zoning committee with his actions, the locals did resist since the building was burned down on four separate occasions and the Palm Harbor Chamber of Commerce passed a resolution condemning the group and the actions of Mr. Kersey. Once his actions were known to locals, his house was set ablaze when someone tried to burn the KKK buildings down on the property. Although the land was sold in 2006, the KKK activity began to wane in the 1990s according to several locals who lived in the town during that time. No remnants of this exist in the present day town and many locals wish to keep it that way.
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