When you open up the free court records, you will be able to get information on a prospective renter for the safety of your property & other tenants. Sometimes a prospective renter is running from a previous landlord whom they owe money to & do not want retribution when they rent another dwelling.

You should always have some background information on your tenants to avoid problems later on. My friend Joe rented to someone who said they were fleeing from a bad divorce case & did not want their background checked. He found out too late that they owed thousands of dollars in rent to another landlord.