Cyber law and Information

Archive for October, 2009

Screening prospective tenants is the single most important aspect of the rental process for a Wisconsin landlord regardless of whether s/he is renting out a residential or commercial property. If done properly, screening can save a landlord a lot of money, a lot of time, and a lot of headaches. Setting up a proper and legal screening process, which includes the drafting of a good Rental Application and legal written Screening Criteria, can help reduce the need to evict a tenant, defend yourself against a claim that you violated the Wisconsin Administrative Code’s Residential Rental Practices (ATCP 134), defend yourself against a claim for discrimination under Fair Housing laws, and preserve your property from physical damage.

There are several steps to a good tenant screening process. First, you must verify that the applicant is who s/he says they are. The best way to do this is to require each adult applicant to completely fill out a rental application. You should also ask each adult to provide you with valid photo identification. Request a copy of the applicant’s prior utility bill or cable bill as well. You want to ensure that the address on the bill is the same as the address listed on the photo identification and the rental application. You should also obtain the applicant’s date of birth and social security number. Require that the applicant provide you with any prior names that they have used in the past few years such as maiden names if they were recently married, or married names if they were recently divorced. If you are renting to a business entity verify its existence with the Secretary of State’s Department of Financial Institutions. Obtaining all of this information will greatly assist you during the screening process.

Sometimes, you will need to access various public records. The whole reason that they are available to the public is that there are very good reasons for being able to see them. Whether you are doing family research, you are trying to find out details about your significant other’s past, or you just need to provide proof that you are no longer married; you will be able to accomplish much by finding and accessing the records of divorce.

When you need to find these documents, you will have two options. When you consider each of them, you will see very quickly how one is by far the best choice. Consider these two options, and you will find yourself on the road to locating the record that you need.

Your first option is to go on location and physically apply to see or be provided with a copy of the record. In order to do this, you will need to know the county and state where the divorce was finalized. If you do not know the location, you will not be able to apply at all.

Once you know the location, you will need to travel to that county courthouse. If it is out of state, then you will have to be prepared to pay travel expenses. Once you get to the location, you will need to fill out a request form. On this form, you will have to provide pertinent information about the people involved in the divorce. If you are wanting a copy of the record, then you will need to pay a fee.

After you have done this, you will have to wait on the record to be located. Depending on the situation, this could take a few hours, a few days, or even a few weeks. Obtaining public documents like this can be time consuming and aggravating.

Your second option is to use the power of the Internet. With this method, you simply turn on your computer and do the search. You will be able to find the public records of divorce that you need within seconds after you click the mouse. You will not have to go on location. You will not have to wait in line, and you will not have to wait on the record to be found.