Online court records are not the same as background checks. However, many professionals can still use public records to gather important information about individuals. Public records possess data about millions of Americans – their spending habits, credit history, marriage licenses, criminal backgrounds, and more.
Differentiating Public Records and Background Checks
Courts do not conduct background checks, but anyone can use public records to gather much of the same information a background check does, at no cost. In some states, you cannot use the information you obtain from public records as a reason not to hire someone or rent someone a property. However, if you base your decision not to hire on work-related information you gather about the individual, it’s acceptable as a source in Texas.
You can use public records to check an individual’s background through civil court records and criminal court records. National civil court records provide information about the subject of the report, including marital history, car accidents, consumer rights claims, product liability lawsuits, and nonpayment for goods. You can also request bankruptcy records, but this will only show you history of last 10 years of the individual’s life.
Companies often use criminal court records to carry out employee background checks. They can conduct database searches on the national level as well as the state and county levels. A professional can conduct a public records search using the name or location of the individual. The type of data readily available includes marriage and divorce information, criminal history, birth records, voter records, and death records.
What Type of History Can You Find on Public Record?
Public records include an individual’s entire property ownership history. You can see the comprehensive history of a piece of property, including when it was bought or sold and who currently owns it. You can also find real property documents concerning:
- Deeds
- Mortgages
- Liens
- Oil and gas leases
- Abstracts of judgment
- Releases
- Property tax
- Assets
Looking into someone’s background, especially at their property history, can provide important information about a potential piece of land for oil and gas purposes. Background checks through public records are quick, accurate, and free. They can include everything land professionals need to know about a piece of property. Public records are completely up to date, with the individual’s and property’s real-time information.
Common Uses for Public Records
Virtually anyone can find a use for the public records – their store of information is vast and valuable. Public records are great for discovering new information or verifying old information about a piece of property, an individual, or important documents. Public records may be used to conduct background checks at schools, for the military, for security clearance, for employment, for firearm purchases, to adopt a child, for international travel or immigration, by law enforcement, and for certain types of licensing.
Common uses for public records in the oil and gas industry come down to property information. It’s a landman’s job to conduct research into a property’s records to piece together an accurate chain of title. Otherwise, you risk making an offer to the wrong people. For years, research occurred at the county courthouse. Now, however, landmen can access public records via online courthouses. You’ll need access to property valuations and personal records, such as marriage, divorce, and death documentation. You’ll also need bankruptcy records, deeds, leases, and releases.
Hunting down this information used to be tricky. Not all courthouses are the same, and landmen used to have to adjust to new courthouse systems and indexes with every search. Now, the web offers an incredible resource. Digitized property records save time and energy. You don’t have to worry about your privacy, and you can access the information you need immediately. When you need to use public records for background checks, online records are the fastest and most efficient way to find what you seek.
