NAPBS later expanded into an international organisation, applying the same standards and ethics required by its members Worldwide. 

In July 2010 Credit Check Services became an international member of NAPBS, upholding the standards and ethics of the background screening industry.

To find out more about NAPBS you can visit their website at napbs.com.  To find out more about Credit Check Services visit our home page for background screening.

With the prospect of higher unemployment and a tougher jobs market it is expected that there will be an increase in candidates making false statements to help them obtain a job.  So what can the employer do about this and what happens when an employee is hired based on false statements in their CV?

There is much an employer can do to verify the CV of an applicant, past employment roles, salaries paid, qualifications and professional memberships can all be verified using a company that provides employment screening services.  The range of screening provided can be tailored to the importance of the role taking into account the risks involved.  The cost for screening is not expensive and can range from tens of pounds upwards based on the depth of screening required.

So what happens when the employee has been hired based on false statements?

Firstly as an employer, you may be liable to customers and the public should an employee cause damage or loss that can be attributed to their falsely claimed experience.  A question for the employer in such a situation is did you exercise reasonable care to properly screen the employee before hiring?

Secondly, a civil claim for damages action could also be taken against an employee that has made the false statements to obtain employment, the employee could even be open to criminal charges under the Theft Act 1968 for “obtaining a pecuniary advantage by deception”, the Theft Act 1968 specifically refers to obtaining employment by deception.

The bottom line is that there could be serious consequences for both employer and employee where false statements have been made to obtain employment.  As an employer we would recommend the following actions to mitigate the risk:

• Make it clear to potential applicants that any qualifications and previous employments stated in CVs may be subject to independent verification.
• Ask an applicant to provide supporting information such as copies of qualification certificates and payslips to support their previous salary.
• Use a specialist company such as Credit Check Services to verify the applicant’s details.

For some people an 18 mile cycle ride may seem simple, but the hillier parts of north Enfield certainly proved a challenge for the newcomers to cycling – for example our company secretary (Indira) had not cycled for over 20 years and found the ride quite a challenge, however to her credit she completed the cycle ride and kept up with the pack.

The cycle ride route covered much of the Enfield Borough from the North Circular, to the A10 (Great Cambridge Road) through to Clay hill in the North (toward the M25).  At times a very scenic route and a very enjoyable way of raising money for charity.  Our MD (Gordon) was so taken by the event he has now signed up for another fundraising event, this time a half marathon in October 2010, which is fine for him as long as he doesn’t expect the whole team at Credit Check Services to join him on the run   We will let you know how he gets on later in the year.

All too often employers believe the CV headlines in terms of qualifications and previous employment roles and whilst most employees are being relatively clear about these areas a significant proportion are not.  So the question is are you getting the best candidate from your employment screening or are you instead getting the one who is the best at the interview?

In America employment background screening is common place with a reported 80% of companies using selection processes that include third part companies to screen applicants, a key component being CV verification. These affects are now starting to be seen in the UK where companies seek contracts with USA based organisations who now often include a contractual requirement on their suppliers to implement rigorous employment screening of staff involved.

Credit Check Services also found that 1 in 3 employers requesting CRB checks did not know what level of CRB check would apply to the employment role, in part this is due to the lack of clarity provided on how much information a company is permitted to use for employment screening.

For example, there are currently three levels of CRB checks that can be carried out, these are termed “basic”, “standard” and “enhanced”.  The basic CRB check provides details of any criminal convictions that are determined as “unspent”.  The standard CRB check provides additional details of “spent” criminal convictions along with and police cautions or reprimands.  The enhanced check takes this one step further to provide additional information relating to adult and children’s registers and relevant information recorded by Government bodies.

The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 provides an opportunity for those with “spent” convictions to gain employment without having their previous criminal record being taken into account.  However as some types of employment are considered sensitive legislation was passed producing an “exceptions order” listing types of employment where an employer is permitted to see information on convictions as provided for in the “standard” CRB check. 

So why is this so important?  Well consider a situation where an employer does not know what level of CRB check is appropriate, consequently using the “standard” CRB check to screen an applicant and rejecting them for a role due to a “spent” conviction.  If the employment role did not come under the “exceptions order” then the employer may be breaking the law by discriminating unfairly against the applicant.

It is fundamental for all employers to ensure that “appropriate” employment screening is applied to selection processes, failure to do so could result in potential litigation for discrimination.

• Customer user account storing up to 500 archived reports at any one time
• Status updates on report progress (applies to employment screening reports and multi-order reports)
• Uploading multiple attachments containing order details
• Downloading of completed reports
• Multiple accounts per company, providing flexibility to manage orders by employee type or department
• Secure server hosting with full encryption between customer PC and our hosting platform,

If you would like to know more about our managed account services call us now on 01992 719 234

Employment screening, standard reports, will change to £19 + VAT

Level 2 security screening £79 + VAT

Tenant screening, Gold report, will change to £18.00 + VAT

Consumer screening, standard reports, will change to £19 + VAT

All new pricing will apply to pay-as-you go services.  All monthly invoiced account pricing will be maintained as per individual agreements.

As always we are willing to agree discounted pricing for large volume orders, please call us for a quotation.

During December 2009 we focused on one sector in the small business market, public houses.  Almost all transactions are in cash, so within this employment sector you would expect to find that employers are particular about who they check?

Our small survey covered 20 public houses taken at random from Yellow.  We called and asked to speak with the pub owner or manager.  After introducing ourselves we asked the following questions:

1 – Do you employ staff to work in your pub?

2 – If yes, then do you carry out any type of financial background checks or identity checks?

The response was in line with what we expected but nonetheless quite shocking when you think of the potential consequences.

Out of the 20 pubs we randomly surveyed we found that all employed part-time or full-time staff who had access to the till, and only 2 (two) of those we surveyed carried out financial screening of their employees.

At Credit Check Services we find around 10% of those checked have a CCJ or Court Decree and in some cases we even find that the identity does not exist.  Based on these averages this would suggest two of the pubs we surveyed are employing staff to handle cash that have outstanding court-enforced debts.

The minimum amount of information is the tenant’s first & last name, their date of birth, and their current address.  Additional information such as income & outgoings, previous address , employer details and current landlord details is optional for some reports. You will find the information required for each report listed on a form you can print off (the link is just above the Buy button for each report type).

Which report option should I go for?

The most popular report is the gold tenant check, however you may find other options more suitable, we have provided more information here >> which report option to purchase.

How is the tenant risk score determined?

Risk score calculation is complex.  It takes account of a wide range of factors such as the applicant’s age, their credit default history, the longevity of their credit history, where they have been living, and their traceability in credit referencing systems. 

What if my tenant has just arrived into the UK?

In this case the tenant will have very little UK history.  The longer the tenant has been in the UK the greater their credit history profile.  If the tenant has only been in the UK for a few weeks it will not add any value in obtaining a tenant check report.

Can you do a check against someone from the Republic of Ireland?

We cannot check the history of applicants whilst they have been living in another country.  Reliable credit referencing sources only cover England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Do I need the tenant’s date of birth?

This is very important for any check carried out.  Whilst we can run checks without a date of birth there is a probability we will not find adverse credit history (should the applicant have any).

Why isn’t the tenant shown on the electoral register?

Everyone has the right to withhold information from the public electoral register, when this happens we are unable to report the current occupant in the register.   Additionally, as tenants tend to live at an address for a short duration, or share with another occupant, they will sometimes choose not to register for the current address provided.

Below we have also summarised what is included within each of our tenant checks to help decide on the most suitable report option for a given situation.

The bronze tenant check

This report provides a summary of any CCJs, Court Decrees, Bankruptcy, or Insolvency against an applicant. Our searches will include a linked address search, this is very important if a tenant has only been at their current address for a short period (which is normal for tenants), you can read more here on the linked address search.

The report has been designed for landlords and letting agents who already have a comprehensive referencing system and only need to check for court orders against the applicant. Alternatively this report is used for a joint tenant who may not be the main income source with respect to a tenancy agreement.

The silver tenant check

This report meets the minimum requirements to satisfy rental guarantee insurance where a tenant is required to have no CCJs / Bankruptcy / Insolvency, at least one address verification, and a risk rating better than 200 (high risk on our scale)

The report provides a summary of any CCJs, Court Decrees, Bankruptcy, or Insolvency against an applicant.

A check against the public electoral register for the current occupant registered at an address.

Identification of any related addresses we find.

A tenant risk evaluation score along with a risk scale indicating the probability of default on rental payments.

It should be noted that tenants are sometimes not recorded in the public electoral register, either because they have opted out of having their records published, or because they did not register.  To help combat this we provide additional verifications with our gold tenant check.

The gold tenant check

This is our most popular as it provides a good base range of information suited to rental guarantee insurance and sufficient address verification checks for an applicant should they subsequently need to be pursued for non payment of rent.

The report provides a summary of any CCJs, Court Decrees, Bankruptcy, or Insolvency against an applicant.

A check against the public electoral register for the current occupant registered at an address.

Identification of any related addresses we find.

A tenant risk evaluation score along with a risk scale indicating the probability of default on rental payments.

An additional check against Insight to provide further verification of the current address and also to list any financial accounts linked to the applicant’s current address.

A key benefit of the Insight check is the detail on accounts linking an applicant to an address. Whilst it is normal to have up to 5 or so financial accounts, a high level of account activity, e.g. 15 to 20 accounts, indicates that the applicant may be under financial stress.

The platinum tenant check

This report is most suited to a landlord that is new to letting, or where extra checks need to be taken against an applicant to provide a higher level of assurance.

In addition to the gold tenant check this report provides

Checks against Insight and Electoral Register for both current and previous addresses provided by the applicant.

Verification of employer name with telephone number provided.  We have found cases where applicants provide telephone numbers of friends to pass off as their employer.

Verbal referencing with the existing landlord or letting agent to provide feedback on whether there were any rental arrears or unsatisfactory behaviour.