Ohio city hopes to improve housing market with discounted tenant background screenings

One city in Ohio is hoping to reduce the amount of vacant housing in the community by offering landlords background screenings with no upfront costs. Lakewood Patch reports that city officials in Lakewood signed a deal with a database firm to help those looking for tenants to fill open houses and apartments. The new measure will allow them to find out whether a person has a criminal record and other important parts of their personal history. The city's law director, Kevin Butler, said landlords would save money under the new program. “From what we've been provided, packages for most searches will be heavily discounted from the normal pricing, which ranges from about $15 to $60 per search,” he told the news outlet. "This was part of Mayor Michael Summers' and city council's rental-housing initiatives, which begin in earnest in 2010." When trying to make sure that a future tenant in qualified, a landlord should have all tools at their disposal. Trying to get an unwanted person out of a residence can prove challenging once they are living there.