The easiest way to run a background check on a person is to use a specialized service, but in order for you to be able to do this, you must have the person’s consent in most cases. If your goal is to get more details on someone who’s become part of your life recently such as your new partner or your daughter’s boyfriend, you will need to do the work yourself. Use this guide to running DIY checks as a starting point.
Accessing Public Records
The general public records such as those presenting censuses and those of the military are freely available to members of the public. You can access them directly online and run the required search. They could be useful for confirming claims about the place or places where the person has supposedly lived or ones on being in the military.
The vital public records are naturally more helpful for a background check. They can help you to confirm the identity of the person that you are checking and whether they are or have been married. The divorce records, which are kept in courts, can give you a clear idea of the individual in question has children. Divorce, marriage and birth records plus death ones can be accessed by members of the public who make an application, confirm their own identity and pay a small fee. You can obtain copies either via the government agency or court responsible for keeping them or via a specialized service.
Checking Criminal Records
While these records are public, you can usually access them only if you have the person’s permission to run a background check on them. However, there are exceptions to this so it pays off to check what the local and state regulations have to say. If you can obtain the records which you need without consent, you will typically have to make an application with the county’s courthouse or the sheriff’s department. One important thing to keep in mind is that the information about sex crimes is normally held separately. It can be found in sex offender registries which are accessible directly online.
Getting Extra Information
You don’t have to limit your DIY background check to public and criminal records. You can use online databases and searches and the social networks to retrieve information about a person. It is always possible to dig deeper given that even old documents and photos are digitalized and posted online. If you want to check whether the person has attended a specific school, for example, you can always check the relevant yearbook given their age.