A background check authorization form is a signed consent document that gives an employer, landlord, or other party permission to run a background check on you. Hiring teams and landlords use a background check form to confirm the history of a job candidate or a potential tenant. The screening can cover past jobs, education, credit, and criminal records. Once it is signed, keep a copy for your own records.
Last Updated: October 2026. This guide is reviewed and updated regularly to reflect current law. If you notice an error or outdated information, please contact us.
Tenant Background Check Form – a document that allows landlords to conduct a thorough review of a potential tenant’s background.
Credit Report Authorization Form – a document that authorizes the release of your credit information to a third party.
A background check authorization form is a document that proves the individual’s permission given to third parties to run a background check on them. Employers or landlords commonly use this form to clarify the potential employee’s or tenant’s history. It allows them to obtain sensitive personal information regarding records, such as a credit report or a criminal history, or check the validity of the information given in their CV.
A typical form names these things:
For private people to get access to a background check disclosure, it’s required to inform and ask for authorization from the individual. Their consent must be documented by signing the background check authorization form.
It is illegal to conduct background checks without a permit from the person in question. Besides, the type of background check is usually limited by the types specified in the background check authorization form.
Hiring teams and landlords often run a background check on a potential employee or tenant. They want to know that the person is honest about their history and has no harmful intentions toward their property or other people. However, doing so without getting a person’s release is a straightforward way to get problems yourself.
Any type of background check discloses private information regarding the individual, which is protected by law. All regulations are fixed and described in the FCRA (Fair Credit Reporting Act), with a limited amount of people who can request a credit or criminal history background check.
A screening can reveal details such as:
Suppose you are an employer or landlord who considers running a background check on potential employees or tenants. In that case, you need to ask them to sign a background check authorization form to avoid being punished by law for your actions.
If you decide not to hire or sign a contract with a person due to the information revealed through the background check, you need to indicate the valid reason for it.
An organization or person may want to confirm that a candidate is trustworthy. To do this, they can ask to run specific checks that verify the person’s identity and past. Most commonly, a person is asked to fill out the form when applying for:
How far the screening goes usually depends on the role or situation. Most companies verify the candidate’s education, professional license, and employment history.
Should the potential job position be related to financial operations, the applicant may be asked to disclose their credit history. The applicants for professions related to security duties must go through a criminal history check. When several background checks are to run, all of them must be indicated in the background check form.
Employers take these steps to avoid hiring unreliable workers, especially in fields where the risk of fraud is high. Any record check demanded by employers must have reasonable and valid reasons.
Several kinds of checks apply to different situations. They differ by the type of information they pull, such as work history, criminal records, or credit reports. These are the three most common:
Companies have the right to ask for an applicant’s background check before welcoming them onboard. Usually, it happens when the position requires specific qualifications that require verification, and the company deems it necessary. The employer must ask an applicant for authorization before conducting any checks.
The pre-employment background check process may include contacting the previous employers or coworkers and checking if the claimed education and license are valid. Besides, to ensure that the candidate is eligible, the employer may conduct a background check for criminal activity or credit records.
It is an official federal-level examination of a person’s criminal activity within the states. This background check can be performed under the employer’s request if the applicant is applying for positions in high-security fields where the individual may obtain access to sensitive information. Employers fully handle the fee for the verification process.
The landholder is allowed to conduct a criminal background check and get the credit report of the potential leasing individual. This information ensures that the landholder vets a trustworthy lessee with a low risk of their property being robbed or significantly damaged.
The candidate usually completes the official form to authorize the organization to get a disclosure during the employment screening period. Follow these five steps to fill it out, and keep every page of the form together.
The content of the official form is defined by federal laws and has slight variations in specific states. The disclosed information must be open to a limited number of people with a valid need, while the applicant has a right to see the record’s content.
Step 1. Get the official form
Download the form from our website. Read the background check disclosure part so you understand the conditions and nature of the consent.
Step 2. Identify the issuing party
Enter the name of the organization that requests the background check, the party the employee gives permission to. At the bottom of the first page, the employer must type in their contact number so that the applicant can get in touch for more information.
Step 3. Specify the background check provider
On the upper side of the document, you must provide the complete information regarding the company that will conduct the background check. These details include their location, website address, and contact number.
Step 4. Grant authorization
On the second page, the employee must provide their full name, including maiden or other names, and the period they lived under them. For residents of California, Minnesota, or Oklahoma, there is an option for getting a free copy of the report. At the bottom of page two, leave a signature and the date when the form is completed.
Step 5. Provide the personal information
Fill in the personal details the form asks for so the check can go ahead. Have these ready:
(The social security number, date of birth, and driver’s license may be omitted for Utah state if employers have no specific request.)
(Include street address, state, and zip code of all temporary and permanent places of residence among all the states).
Have your full name and any other names you have used, your date of birth, your Social Security number, your driver’s license details, and your current and past addresses ready. Gathering them first makes the form quick to complete.
Read the disclosure part of the form first. Then make sure your name and contact details are correct and that the organization named on the form is the one you expect. Add your signature when everything looks right.
Write your full name first, then add the rest in this order:
Keep a signed copy for your own records and give the original to the organization or landlord who asked for it. The screening process can then begin. If a detail changes, such as your address, let them know so the information stays accurate.
General information, not legal or tax advice.
