Screening Applicants Without a Social Security Number

 Did you know that if you have an applicant who has lived in the United States for a period of time but does not provide a Social Security Number (SSN) from the Social Security Administration you can still run a criminal and eviction report as these records are searched using name and date of birth not SSN. While it is easier for RHAWA to screen applicants who have a SSN, or Social Insurance Number issued from British Columbia. RHAWA can still provide credit, criminal, and eviction searches on any applicant over the age of eighteen with a US issued SSN. SSN is but one way of many to identify the prospective tenant. You can also request employment and rental verifications to check what kind of tenant they have been in the past and verifying that they bring in sufficient income. 

You can also access credit information if your applicant has an Individual Tax Identification Number (ITIN)? Leslea Bowling, Code Compliance Analyst with Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections, shared vital information about the use of ITIN numbers. An ITIN number is a number issued by the IRS. The number is given to those who do not have an SSN. There are times where these numbers are issued to individuals where their immigration status requires both an SSN and ITIN. One thing to keep in mind when using ITIN numbers, is that if an applicant does not have a SSN, they may not have been able to establish credit history. You may want to consider other methods of verification for them to meet your credit requirement, have them provide direct payment history from various companies they currently have a good standing credit with. They can provide payment history for a cell phone, cable, internet, car, previous rent, or utilities.  

If you have an applicant who is coming from out of the country running a criminal and eviction search may be useful. When you have out of country applicants, there are other ways to try and verify identity, credit, and rental history. When verifying identification, you can ask to see a copy of their passport or if they are a student, ask for their student ID card. To verify rental history, ask if they have any references from previous rental housing providers. If the applicant is a student and is not going to be the one responsible for paying the rent, you can require a credit check from the guarantor/co-signer.