Background checks are important for many reasons. They’re an essential tool for companies looking to hire someone without a criminal history and for landlords renting their properties to people. You may also want to get a background check to verify an upcoming first date or your child’s teacher.
Regardless of the reason, you can easily run a background check using an online public record information provider. Many great background check tools offer accurate, updated reports and do not violate federal law. You can think of your background check report as a way to protect yourself and your family from someone with a criminal history.
If you want to learn more about your criminal background check options, keep reading. This guide will ensure that you find the best background check provider for your needs.
Best Resources For Texas Background Checks
- TruthFinder: Best for background check service overall
- Instant Checkmate: Best for updated criminal records
- Intelius: Best people search service
- Spokeo: Best for reverse phone lookups
- Been Verified: Best for online background reports
- PeopleFinders: Best for address lookups
- VeriFirst: Best for FCRA-compliant background checks
- InfoTracer: Best for public records searches
- CocoFinder: Best for in-depth information on a person
TruthFinder
TruthFinder offers comprehensive criminal background checks for people located in the state of Texas. You can also access information for missed connections and family searches. This site offers reverse phone number lookups as well.
However, you cannot use this site to conduct background checks on people looking to rent or get hired. This is not the kind of site that is used to check for gun sales either, but it shows information about criminal convictions and reports from the Texas Department of Public Safety.
Background checks provided through this site offer a lot of information and are a great way to verify the history of the people around you. For example, if you’re concerned about someone’s criminal records or if you want to check whether an individual has a gun violence charge, you can get this type of information on TruthFinder.
Pros:
- Easy-to-use interface
- Access to Texas Department of Public Safety information
- Plenty of criminal records data
Cons:
- Cannot be used for rental verification
- Cannot be used for gun sales
- Cannot be used for employment decisions
Instant Checkmate
Instant Checkmate is one of the best sites if you are trying to find someone you have lost touch with. For example, most people use this site for finding people, like long-lost relatives, rather than for criminal background checks. However, you can find out that information if you wish.
Instant Checkmate’s database of public records is excellent. You will be able to locate someone you know with limited information. This is a great way to look up a missed connection’s phone number, address, and more.
This site also offers excellent customer care, which can be a big help if you are new to background check services. While this background check system is great for finding people, tapping their support team will help you perform your own background checks with ease. They can help you track down extended family or other people that you lost touch with.
Pros:
- Excellent service for finding missed connections
- Sorts through public records even with limited information
- Great customer support team
Cons:
- Cannot be used for criminal background checks for employment
- Cannot be used for gun buyers who require background checks
- Limited conviction database
Intelius
If you have to run a lot of criminal background checks each month for your own personal use, Intelius is the site for you. Intelius offers users unlimited searches with a monthly membership. That means if you’re worried that someone might show up with a criminal history, you can search them quickly and easily using this public safety provider.
This is one of the best ways to search for your own criminal history or background check status as well. Being able to check your own criminal history can be very helpful if you are applying for jobs or for a rental property.
Intellius makes sure that you have access to quality customer support and comprehensive background checks. The interface is very simple to use and the scope of information provided is excellent.
Pros:
- Great for looking up your own records
- Simple and accurate information provided
- Unlimited searches per month
Cons:
- Does not abide by the Fair Credit Reporting Act
- Cannot be used for criminal background checks for employment
- Not intended for gun sales checks
Spokeo
Spokeo is an all-in-one site that offers you superior searches that deliver detailed results. If you want to search for property records, public records, and more, this is the site to use.
You can look up public records by county, such as Dallas county, etc. You could choose to run a criminal history check on someone in that county.
If you’re concerned that you do not have the full picture of someone in your circle, you can run a detailed criminal background check with this site. You will also be able to look into information on various social media platforms and pull consumer report data as well.
Pros:
- Excellent service for social media searches
- Easy to use
- Highly detailed reporting
Cons:
- Does not account for federal law information
- Cannot be used for firearm transfers, gun sales or criminal history checks regarding employment decisions
BeenVerified
With BeenVerified, you can run a criminal background check on someone. You can even search with limited information about the person and find them easily with BeenVerified. You will also be able to run these background checks without violating federal laws.
You can also look up unclaimed money on this site. Many people have unclaimed money that they need to collect and BeenVerified offers a great way to find out what you have missed out on.
Been Verified has a great user interface and is simple to use. This is a great one-stop shop for all kinds of background checks and other public records. The criminal background check is especially comprehensive. You can even see things like bankruptcy history, parking violations, and more on this site.
Pros:
- Easy-to-use criminal background check system
- Public records available per county
- Unclaimed money searches available
Cons:
- Cannot be used as a background check system for hiring
- Not for gun sales
- Reports of limited background checks compared to other sites
PeopleFinders
Finding missed connections and loved ones can be hard. Even if you have access to a genealogy database, it’s still a challenge to find long-lost loved ones. This is where People Finders comes into the equation.
Tracking someone down is quick and simple with this site. You can find people with limited information since the site looks through public records, social media platforms, and other background check information.
This is a great choice for those located in any state in the country, including the Texas Department of Public Safety. You can search for people by county, last name, and a variety of other details. With these advanced search features, there is no easier way to track down someone than with PeopleFinders.
Pros:
- Very simple to use
- Great for finding missed connections or long-lost family members
- Great public records searches
Cons:
- Cannot be used for employment decisions
- Not ideal for extensive background check processes
- Cannot search for your own records as easily as on other sites
Verifirst
VeriFirst is used for rental and employment-based background checks. This site offers fast and reliable results that will show you everything you need to know about a renter or potential new hire. This site is very secure as well, helping to prevent data theft and other identity issues.
VeriFirst is FCRA-compliant. That means you can operate all of your background check processes within the site if you wish. It is one of the best tools for small businesses and property management companies.
Getting a complete and compliant background check is easy with this site. You will be able to find the right individual and check their history with ease.
Pros:
- Simple to use
- Compliant and secure
- Offers detailed and effective reporting
Cons:
- Limited criminal background check service
- Not for private gun sales checks
- You need to get a quote for pricing
InfoTracer
InfoTracer makes public records searches simple and easy. This site allows you to search with all kinds of information as well, which increases the chance that you will be able to locate someone or get their criminal history.
While is a good tool for public records searches, the service offers professional licensing reports as well. This is handy if you want to go into business with someone and need a professional license. You can easily check up on them with InfoTracer.
Overall, InfoTracer is ideal for public records searches and business-focused searches as well.
Pros:
- Detailed and accurate results
- Great for professional license searches
- Easy to find addresses and phone numbers
Cons:
- Should not be used for hiring or housing purposes
CocoFinder
Tracking down a person’s phone number can be tough these days. But, CocoFinder makes it easy to find phone information and locate address details on just about anyone.
CocoFinder is a good tool for public record searches as well. For example, you can use this site to find people that you have lost touch with in your family. With extensive public records search tools, you will be able to track down individuals and their information with ease.
This site offers fast searches and detailed background check reports. CocoFinder has a huge database of public records and other key resources. You no longer have to worry about someone’s criminal. You can easily find out everything that you need to know with CocoFinder.
Pros:
- Detailed searches
- Fast and secure background check reporting
- Reputable service that’s very simple to use
Cons:
- Does not search social sites like some other options
- Cannot be use for employment decisions
Conclusion
There are so many reasons that you might want to run a legal background check on yourself or another individual. If you want to check up on someone’s criminal history in the state of Texas, the public records sites listed above can help significantly. You can even use them to check up on your own information if you want.
These sites offer you everything that you need to access reliable background check reports. They provide accurate and detailed information that can give you a better look at someone’s history. If you’re a Texas resident, we highly recommend checking them out.
