Throughout the past six months, the CIC worked to increase the number of jurisdictions available to clients in the U.S. Criminal Database Scan. These expansions to our coverage demonstrate CIC’s commitment to excellence and remaining the nation’s most trusted provider of applicant background screening.
The following jurisdictions have been added:
In the recent weeks there has been many phishing emails circulating from the FTC, Paypal and Facebook just to name a few. Such scams try to fool people into giving away names, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, passwords and other personal data by sending emails that look as if they were sent from a legitimate company, especially ones we deal with on a frequent basis. This type of phishing emails normally include a link that takes them to a fake site mimicking the real company website by entering personal data which can compromise computers and be used for fraud.
Every week, another story makes headlines about the latest victims of ID theft and fraud and the hackers are getting cleverer. Recognizing the inherent risk in our everyday digital lives and taking the proper action to protect personally identifiable information (PII) will pay off in the long run.
1. Don’t be fooled by malware based phishing.
Frequently criminals will embed harmful computer programs called malware into emails and other digital web-based entities.
CIC, the nation’s leading provider of resident and employment screening solutions, is pleased to announce participation at this year’s National Apartment Association (NAA) Education Conference & Exposition, which will be held at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Convention Center in Las Vegas, June 24-27. CIC empowers organizations to hire and lease with confidence.
Goals require a plan of action. Sometimes the thing (goal) right in front of us takes the cake. I mean, whatever the goal is, that’s the one thing that makes the earth move. There will always be tasks list, objectives, strategy and tactics. At the end of the day you must be able to measure accomplishments, measure progress towards an established goal.
In the spirit of getting that one thing accomplished here are some proven applications (apps) that set in motion a method for accomplishing the goal at hand. The links below will take you to the website for the app.
Recently, The California State Legislature introduced a new bill which sought to amend §12955 of the Government Code, to include a criminal record as a basis upon which housing discrimination is prohibited. In what should be viewed as a big win for the rental industry the bill AB396, which sought to add restrictions to the use of criminal records in the rental decision, has been officially shelved for the remainder of the year.
UPDATE: The author, Mr. Jones-Sawyer, decided to shelve the measure this year and make it a “two-year bill.” CIC opposed AB396. For now, the bill will not see further legislative action until next year.
On Wednesday, May 27th the Appropriations Committee was scheduled to hear AB396 that would completely change the way criminal records are accessed and used during the rental screening process. The hearing was cancelled by the author for unknown reasons; however this doesn’t mean it is over and the rental housing industry must remain on its toes.
Despite several attempts from Assemblymember Jones-Sawyer to amend the flawed AB396, there are still numerous issues which landlords, property management companies, apartment associations and politicians should be aware.
The tenant screening process is your first and most important line of defense against the consequences of moving in the wrong tenants. With the uptick in eviction activity, proper screening can save you a significant amount of time and money down the road.
In addition to the increase in the number of evictions, more and more of those evictions are going to trial. Stephen Duringer, Esq., founder of the Duringer Law Group, one of the largest landlord tenant firms in California, specializing in tenant eviction advises his clients to screen prospective residents thoroughly, it is more important now than ever. His firm handles hundreds of evictions each month, including dozens of jury trials weekly, a marked increase over past years.
CIC, the nation’s most trusted supplier of information solutions for the multifamily housing industry, provides Experian RentBureau® data at no additional cost to clients receiving Experian® credit reports. Providing property managers with the most comprehensive reports, CIC helps mitigate undesirable rental risks.
Today, we live in the fast-paced world of changing technology. For most renters, the only check they write each month is to pay their rent. Property managers can entice renters to their properties by leveraging cutting-edge technology to automate the payment process for renters each month, while at the same time simplifying daily office operations. It’s a mutual win-win.
Forgetting to make a payment or mail a check becomes a thing of the past and renters do not always need access to a computer to utilize these types of services. With built-in convenience functions, accepting payments online can allow property managers to know if a payment was made or not. In the event that a payment was not made, an electronic notification can be sent to the renters and they can make alternative arrangements to pay.