Since it is the homeowners association’s (HOA) duty to protect the interests and property of its members, it would behoove then to find out as much as they can about potential members who wish to purchase property in the neighborhood. To some, this may seem like prying, but, just like with employers who deal with sensitive or valuable materials, who must weed out job seekers with questionable backgrounds, so, too, must the HOA sift through potential buyers and do what is best for the community.

To help them along in this process, there are a number of steps they can take:

• Background Checks: a thorough background check should turn up any undesirable traits or activities associated with the potential tenant. This can be done by sending a formal inquiry to local or state officials for any information about possible criminal activity of the applicant. However, it should be noted that such requests cannot be processed without the consent of the applicant.
• Tenant Screening: there are times, however, when an a criminal background won’t turn up anything at all about an applicant, but that does not mean, necessarily, that the applicant doesn’t have any negatives that will ultimately prove harmful to the HOA and the community. That is when tenant screening comes in. tenant screening will examine aspects of the applicant’s life, like credit rating or financial stability, for negatives that may prove detrimental to the integrity of the community and the HOA.
• Employee Background Check: as an HOA representative, you can also do an employee background check to find out if there are anything in the applicants work record, life tardiness or absenteeism, that would indicate that the he/she would not be a good fit for the community. A person’s work habit says a lot about an individual and is usually a good indicator of whether the candidate would be a positive addition to the community.

Some people might say that the HOA’s rules are too intrusive or restrictive. But when you consider what all the association has at stake, that vigilance is understandable. Tenants pay anywhere from $200 to $400 per month for the services rendered by the HOA. Those services can range from garbage collection to security. Some HOAs even provide recreational services like pools and parks.

So the HOA, and its members, must weigh what is best for the whole community against a few minor inconveniences for an individual member. And that is not always an easy job.