FAQ
Answers to the most common questions.
- How do I check to determine that TVS Tenant Verification Service Inc. is a Company that operates a legitimate Internet business ?
- What does a credit report tell me?
- Is there a membership fee?
- Do you offer volume discounts?
- How can I tell the applicant that his/her application has not been accepted?
- What should I do with credit reports when applications are denied?
- Do I require written consent from the applicant to run a credit check?
- Why was there no Fico Score or no Record Found on my prospective tenant?
- Identity theft. Can it affect me and how do I protect myself?
- What are your days and hours of operation?
- Can I obtain rental forms from this website?
- How do I pay?
- Does TVS Tenant Verification Service share its database with 3rd parties or participate in spam e-mail programs?
- How do I report Tenant Pay Habits?
- What is the turnaround time for TVS reports?
- I have login problems. How should I proceed?
- How Accurate is your Data?
- Which documents should I provide to become a member?
- Why can't I obtain reports by Transunion?
- Why Credit Reports have Changed?
- I am having trouble retrieving my reports
- Where is the data stored, that I as a landlord enter into your website?
- How often is the data purged?
- How is it safeguarded?
- Has your data storage server ever been compromised?
- The phone bill is in my spouse’s name, can I still send it?
- What do I do if the phone bill is in a company name?
- What if the phone bill is under a family plan?
- What do I do If my phone is through my computer (VOIP)?
- Why I am being asked to provide answers to security questions?
- When am I going to be asked the security questions?
- How do security questions work?
- How can I change my security questions?
- How often will I be asked the security questions?
- My login has been disabled because I could not correctly answer the security questions. What should I do?
How do I check to determine that TVS Tenant Verification Service Inc. is a Company that operates a legitimate Internet business ?
- Check our reliability status by clicking on the BBB logo at the home page which states that TVS has been in business since 2000 and a BBB member since 2001.
- Click on the CyberTrust logo for verification of a certified secure site.
- You likely found TVS on Google, or on one of the other major search engines, or were referred by a friend/associate. A fraudulent/deceptive company would not remain on a major search engine too long as complaints would/should dictate that the listing be deactivated. Your friend/associate should be able to tell you if they have had problems. If they have referred you, they are obviously satisfied with the service and have not been subjected to fraudulent/deceptive practices.
- Fraudulent Companies more often than not solicit up front fees from you. They want your money before you find out they are not legitimate. TVS does not request any up front fees. It is a pay-as-you-go service which means low risk.
- TIP: When you use a Credit Card for online purchases or any other purchases your Credit Card Issuer will do a charge back to the Merchant where it is deemed that a fraud has taken place. And...Fraudulent Operators (generally) do not have credit card capability.
What does a credit report tell me?
- A credit report assists in establishing the identity of your Prospective Tenant by comparing their personal information to that entered on the rental application.
- A credit report in most instances lists current and previous addresses and current and previous employer(s).
- A credit report will list collections, liens and legal items.
- A credit report lists all credit accounts and pay patterns associated to them. For example, are they current or delinquent?
- A credit report lists bankruptcies.
- A credit report via TVS gives you a risk predictor score based on current experience and history.
- A credit report will validate the SSN/SIN. This is an important feature as delinquent tenants often provide false information on rental applications. The SSN/SIN will generally pull a credit history even if the name has been misspelled, or a wrong date of birth given.
- A credit report is one of the most important components in your tenant screening process.
Is there a membership fee?
No, there is no membership fee associated with this service. TVS is a no-risk service. If after one or two credit checks you do not like the service, there is no obligation to use the service - and you have not invested anything in it. We are confident that you will like our efficient, expedient service.
Do you offer volume discounts?
TVS offers volume discounts to Members that request 10 or more credit checks per month.
How can I tell the applicant that his/her application has not been accepted?
There are a number of ways in which that can be done. Here are two suggestions:
- Favorable consideration was not given your application to rent as there were other more suitable candidates.
- Favorable consideration was not given your application to rent as it did not meet our (my) criteria for tenancy.
If you reject an Applicant as a result of a Credit, Criminal or Eviction Search, then you must provide them with a Declined Applicant Notice.
What should I do with credit reports when applications are denied?
You should ensure that the credit report is sufficiently shredded. You should keep the signed Authorization for three years in the event TVS is audited or the Applicant makes an allegation that you did not have consent to obtain a copy of his/her credit history. Privacy laws dictate that you must safeguard this confidential information.
After the five year period you may shred the Authorization/Rental Application as the statute of limitations will have run out.
Do I require written consent from the applicant to run a credit check?
Yes, you must have the written consent of the applicant to obtain a copy of his/her credit file. Most Rental Application Forms have the consent clause just above the signature on the last page. You can obtain a Rental Application from the TVS website under "online forms."
TVS takes seriously its responsibility to protect Consumer privacy and will report all matters for Police investigation where credit information has been misused or obtained under false pretences. The Fair Credit Reporting Act provides for a severe penalty where a Consumer's information has been obtained under false pretences. Section 619 of FCRA refers...
Section 619. Obtaining information under false pretenses [15 U.S.C. § 1681q]
Any person who knowingly and willfully obtains information on a consumer from a consumer reporting agency under false pretenses shall be fined under title 18, United States Code, imprisoned for not more than two years, or both.
If you cannot show that you had authorization or consent to obtain a Consumer's credit history, you will be in breach of the Agreement that you signed with TVS Tenant Verification Service Inc. This will result in immediate cancellation of the TVS Service and/or other repercussions as noted above where the matter has escalated.
Why was there no Fico Score or no Record Found on my prospective tenant?
NO Fico Score: Where the rating comes back as No Score available this is likely the reason why.
The Applicant does not have any credit history that has been reported in the last six months because there were no accounts or trade balances that were active and being reported on which would generate a FICO score. In this instance it is likely that the Applicant has OLD accounts that have not been paid and have been closed by the Credit Grantor. If there was a SCORE in this instance it would be less than 600 and a rating less than C+. Credit Worthiness has not been established. No Score Available = red flag and further due diligence should be conducted. Refer to landlord criteria below.
No Record Found : Please note that this is different than No Fico Score and these are the reasons why there is No Record Found:.
- Prospective Tenant is young and has not yet established a credit file.
- Prospective Tenant has not been able to establish a credit history because of poor/sporadic employment. This is often the case when no credit history is available , request employer's pay stub to verify employment and bi-weekly income or copy of bank statement. Does he/she have a bank account?
- You entered the wrong personal information such as name, date of birth, SSN (USA) or SIN (CDN), address... OR
- Prospective Tenant has provided you with false information to ensure that you do not find his/her credit history. Many high risk tenants misspell their name, provide a wrong date of birth and will leave out the last one or two addresses that they have been at because they know that the reference will not be a good one. Be aware that this could happen to you. Look at two pieces of I.D. and request a pay stub or income tax return from the previous year to verify Identity information provided to you.
- Prospective Tenant is on a Disability or Income Assistance Allowance and does not have a credit file because it is difficult to obtain credit.
- Prospective Tenant is a new arrival to the country and has not yet established a credit history.
- Prospective Tenant has been incarcerated for a long period of time.
Having no credit file = red flag and your tenant screening should include further due diligence.
Visit www.criminalfraud.com click on Landlord Fraud.
Landlord Criteria should include
- Credit Worthiness
- credit report
- bank statement
- adequate bi-weekly or monthly income
- Tenant Worthiness
Identity theft. Can it affect me and how do I protect myself?
Yes. Identity theft is on the rise in North America and is a huge concern with many industries - including the Residential Rental Industry.
One of the benefits of obtaining a credit report is that you can compare the information on the rental application to that on the credit report. Often bad or delinquent tenants will give false or erroneous information on the application; for example, leave a letter out of the last name, give a wrong date of birth, leave the most current addresses out because they owe rental fees with the previous landlord, etc.
If you encounter a case of identity theft the credit report will assist you in verifying that. Here is how: "So, Mr/Ms Prospective Tenant, can you tell me with which Financial Institution you have your credit cards?" "Can you tell me what the balance is on that account?" "Have you ever had a car loan?"
This information is listed under trades/accounts on the credit report. It will tell you who the credit grantor is, when the account was opened, the balance, past due payments and the rating of that account. If Mr/Ms Prospective Tenant cannot give you that feedback, then you are likely dealing with an impersonator (Identity Thief). For further information on identity theft and landlord fraud...visit www.criminalfraud.com.
What are your days and hours of operation?
Monday to Friday: 8 am to 5 pm
Saturday: 8 am to Noon
(Pacific Time)
Sunday closed
Can I obtain rental forms from this website?
TVS has two forms that you can use during the application process; a Rental Application Form and a Notice to Tenant that advises the Prospective Tenant of the consequences should he/she leave you stuck with unpaid rental fees or damaged rental property.
Other forms are available to members on our website. For a complete list of forms visit our affiliate website at www.landlordeguide.com. There you will find every form that your rental business requires.
How do I pay?
TVS requires an online payment at the time of ordering. You can pay by
either Visa or MasterCard. Credit card payments are processed through
Global Payments Inc. which is one of the world's largest payment processors.
Your payment is processed in a secure and confidential environment. TVS
does not keep member's credit card information on file under any circumstance.
Does TVS Tenant Verification Service share its database with 3rd parties or participate in spam e-mail programs?
TVS is bound by Privacy Laws. It does not share its database with 3rd parties and it does not participate in spam e-mail programs. The only e-mail you are likely to receive from TVS is the Welcome Letter. Important notices may be sent out periodically that advise of website changes, etc. Only important e-mails will be sent to you.
How do I report Tenant Pay Habits?
You can report Tenant Pay Habits to the TVS database.
When you advise your Tenant(s) that you report Tenant Pay Habits to a Credit Reporting Agency on the 3rd day of each month, chances are that the rent cheque will be there on time. All TVS members can report Tenant Pay Habits.
What is the turnaround time for TVS reports?
Credit, criminal and eviction reports are pulled within a minute and posted to your secure online account, 24/7.
I have login problems. How should I proceed?
Our web site requires permission to use cookies on your machine. If you are experiencing problems when logging in, perhaps this permission has been denied. This can be for several different reasons, but they are all under your control:
- you may have disallowed cookies altogether in your browser.
- you may have the privacy policy in your browser or internet security software/firewall set to a level that stops cookies from being used by this site.
Cookies in this site are used to keep the privacy of your information and reports and keep you logged on.
Cookies are not used in any way that abuses your privacy or security.
Please change your settings to allow cookies either in your browser or firewall. If you choose not to, we're afraid that we cannot bring you online services.
How Accurate is your Data?
TVS is a provider of information obtained from Experian and Lexis Nexis and they in turn obtain their information from many different sources and data bases. TVS does not verify or guarantee the accuracy of such data.
All data should be verified or discussed with the Individual whom it belongs to. If any of the data is incorrect, they should contact TVS for information on how to correct the inaccurate information that may be on file with the various Companies or data bases.
Which documents should I provide to become a member?
Please click on the appropriate link below to find out which documents are required from you:
| LANDLORD | REALTOR | PROPERTY MANAGER |
Why can't I obtain reports by Transunion?
Any Member deemed to reside in anyone of the Atlantic Provinces hereby acknowledges that TVS cannot obtain Consumer Credit Reports for them from Trans Union of Canada. In order to obtain a Consumer Credit Decision Report, TVS Members are obliged to use Equifax. Members may also obtain full Consumer Credit Reports with Equifax, however they are required to have a site inspection as per explanation.
Why Credit Reports have Changed?
If you have not used our service since January 2007 then you will notice changes to the credit report that you receive online. Please refer to sample reports prior to ordering same.
An End User (You) is now required to have a physical site inspection of the office from which you conduct your landlord business.
If you page through the sign up process it will be explained to you in Options 1 & 2. If you require further explanation please contacts us and one of the Customer Service Reps will explain in more detail.
In large part this is due to the huge problem of Identity Theft which the Federal Trade Commission is attempting to curtail. You can no longer get a full credit report without having a site inspection. The TVS CDR can be ordered (refer to sample before you order) without the site inspection and provides adequate information to determine credit worthiness. The TVS Credit Decision Report is what 90 % of our members get now.
I am having trouble retrieving my reports
If you get a blank page when clicking a link to browse a TVS report, please verify that you are using the latest Adobe Acrobat version available. Check Adobe Acrobat website for the latest version.
Sometimes cleaning your browser's cache can do the trick
Where is the data stored, that I as a landlord enter into your website?
The data is stored on our secure website that is EI3PA compliant. The credit bureaus demand that consumer provided data is securely stored.
How often is the data purged?
The credit reports themselves are purged after three weeks from our online server and then stored for one year in an offline server. It is important to note that NO personal tenant/consumer information is stored at any time. The Consumer Report that you receive does not have any personal information on it. It verifies the DOB and SSN/SIN where provided but does not show it. There is no consumer information on TVS servers that could be used for identity theft purposes. Similarly when landlords apply for TVS membership, the personal information is electronically stripped from the file after 7 days.
How is it safeguarded?
EI3PA (search Google for explanation) This is a very high standard for securing a website. We have two sets of firewalls safeguarding the information, our servers are monitored 24/7 for intrusion and other problems, such as site down. Our Host Service Provider has contingency plans for things of this nature as does our IT Manager.
Has your data storage server ever been compromised?
No.
The phone bill is in my spouse’s name, can I still send it?
Yes, you can send the bill but you will also need to send a copy of your spouse's drivers license or provide an additional document along with the phone bill that has both your names on it.
What do I do if the phone bill is in a company name?
You still need to send the phone bill and you will also need to send a document that verifies you are part of that company.
What if the phone bill is under a family plan?
Send the phone bill and also include a piece of ID for the individual whose name appears on the bill.
What do I do If my phone is through my computer (VOIP)?
You should be able to print something from the provider showing your name and phone number. If this statement does not list your address you will need to submit a utility bill along with this to show your current address.
Why I am being asked to provide answers to security questions?
This is a security measure that most online companies have resorted to. Your financial institution and many brokerage type companies are doing it.
TVS is doing it to protect your account and the Experian provided data that is accessible with your username and password. Hackers and identity thieves are in partnership to steal personal information for fraudulent purposes. It is up to you the End User and to us the Reseller of Consumer information, to safeguard that to the best of our ability. Making sure that it is you... accessing the TVS database from a different IP address is the smart thing to do and it is the responsible thing to do.
When am I going to be asked the security questions?
TVS system will ask you security questions when any of the following events occur:
- You login to TVS for the first time on a computer after this security feature has been implemented.
- You login to TVS using a different computer/browser from the last login. Perhaps you are at a different location.
- If you clear your browser cookies or history browser. In other words your PC does not store TVS cookies.
How do security questions work?
When you correctly answer your security questions, a cookie is stored (for the session or for 30 days), so next time you login, you wont be asked again.
Beware that if you clear your cookies or browsing history (Firefox), or set your security level to high (Internet Explorer), you might have to answer questions each time you login to TVS. Check browser settings to ensure that cookies are not cleared when you close your browser at the end of the day.
You must answer 3 security questions, which TVS has chosen for you. After that... and at first login, you will be asked one question. If you answer correctly, you are in. If you do not answer correctly you will be given two more opportunities with the other two security questions that you answered. If you fail all 3 security questions, your login will be disabled and you will have to call TVS for reactivation. So be certain that you remember the answers you provide for the questions.
How can I change my security questions?
You can set your security questions from your "My Info" page, or go directly using this link.
Remember: you wont be able to edit previous answers provided. you can only set new ones. This is also a security measure to protect answers that only you should know.
How often will I be asked the security questions?
Security questions will last for the session. (until you close your browser or turn off your pc).
If you check the box "Don't ask me again on this computer", you won't be asked for the next 30 days.
My login has been disabled because I could not correctly answer the security questions. What should I do?
Call TVS during business hours toll free 877-974-9328 or 604-576-3004 so an Operator can reactivate your account. Or email info@tenantverification.com for assistance. Please provide a telephone # that you can be reached at.
