Background Checks
How Background Checks Work
Autohost offers two types of background checks to help you screen guests and reduce risk: US Criminal Background Check and GlobalCheck. Each serves a different use case and can be enabled independently or together based on your screening needs.
Who Can Be Searched?
|
Check type |
Eligible guests |
|---|---|
|
US Criminal Background Check |
Guests with a registered US address |
|
GlobalCheck |
Guests anywhere in the world (including the US) |
When a guest submits their information through the Guest Portal, Autohost automatically selects which check to run:
- US residential address — the US Criminal Background Check is used by default.
- Non-US residential address — GlobalCheck is used automatically.
If you prefer to use GlobalCheck for all guests regardless of location, ask your account manager to enable the GlobalCheck-only feature flag on your account.
US Criminal Background Check
The US Criminal Background Check searches court records and national registries across the United States. It returns categorized offense results so you can quickly assess a guest's criminal history.
What it covers
|
Category |
Description |
|---|---|
|
Violence and Threats |
Murder, assault, kidnapping, harassment, armed robbery, weapons, or battery |
|
Property and Theft |
Vandalism, property damage, trespassing, burglary, larceny, shoplifting, petty or grand theft |
|
Substance Abuse |
Illegal possession, distribution, or abuse of controlled and regulated substances |
|
Financial Offenses |
Financial fraud, identity theft, forgery, or embezzlement |
|
Public Conduct |
Public behavior deemed by a state to be offensive, disruptive, or dangerous |
|
Justice System |
Obstruction of justice, interference in court administration, or hindering law enforcement |
|
Traffic Offenses |
Driving misdemeanors, infractions, or violations |
|
Other / Unspecified |
Offenses not automatically categorized, or unspecified court record offenses |
|
Watchlists |
Records associated with threats to national security, foreign policy, health and human services, or the economy |
|
Registered Sex Offenders |
Presence on a sex offender registry |
Supported region
United States only.
Legal compliance
Records returned are subject to federal and state laws that restrict what information may appear on a consumer report. Reported records include convictions and pending cases. Charges that did not lead to an arrest are not reported.
Federal law: The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) limits criminal record information to the last 7 years unless the offense led to a conviction. Convictions may be reported indefinitely under federal law but may be further restricted at the state level. Sex offender registrations are always considered current and are not limited to 7 years.
State-level restrictions: Some states impose additional limits beyond the FCRA:
|
Restriction type |
States |
Details |
|---|---|---|
|
Record limitation (time-based) |
Hawaii (10 years), Kansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, Montana, New Hampshire, Washington (7 years each) |
No records outside the specified time window |
|
Convictions and pending only |
California (7 years), New Mexico (7 years, no pardoned cases), New York (7 years) |
Only convictions and pending cases are reported |
|
Convictions only |
Kentucky |
Only convictions are reported, regardless of consumer location |
GlobalCheck
GlobalCheck is Autohost's comprehensive, global screening solution. It uses open-source intelligence (OSINT) and multiple verification methods to authenticate a guest's identity and assess risk, even in regions where centralized criminal databases are not available.
GlobalCheck runs a broader set of checks than the US Criminal Background Check and works across all regions, making it suitable as a standalone screening solution for operators with both domestic and international guests.
What it covers
|
Check |
Description |
|---|---|
|
Court Records |
Criminal and civil court case search with AI-powered matching |
|
Watchlists |
Global sanctions, politically exposed persons (PEP), and terrorist watchlists |
|
Sex Offenders |
National sex offender registry search |
|
Email Verification |
Validity, deliverability, and disposable email detection |
|
Phone Verification |
Carrier type and VoIP detection |
|
Adverse Media |
Negative news and media mentions |
|
Data Breaches |
Known breach exposure associated with the guest's information |
|
Social Accounts |
Discovery of social accounts linked to the guest's email or phone |
|
Identity Verification |
Selfie-to-ID photo matching |
|
Professional Profile |
Employment and company data enrichment |
|
Social Profiles |
Deep social media profile analysis |
|
Avatars |
Profile photo collection across platforms |
Supported region
Global (all countries).
What Information Is Needed to Run a Background Check?
Both check types use the guest's full name and address, which are collected during the Guest Portal process. If this information cannot be extracted from the guest's ID, the guest will be asked to provide it manually.
Guest Consent
The guest is always prompted to explicitly consent to the background check before it runs.
How to Trigger a Background Check From the Autohost dashboard
There are three ways to run a background check through the platform:
- Automatic by risk level: Configure the background check to trigger automatically based on the guest's risk rating (color) in the Guest Portal settings.
- Minimum length of stay: Set a minimum stay duration threshold so that background checks run only for longer bookings.
- Manual: Trigger a background check on a per-reservation basis from the reservation detail view. If an ID has already been uploaded, you can run the check using the information from the ID without requiring the guest to fill out a separate form.
When triggered from the dashboard, Autohost selects the check type automatically based on the guest's residential address, unless your account is configured to use GlobalCheck only.
Via the API
You can also submit a background check directly through the Autohost API. The Background Check Submit endpoint accepts a ?type= URL parameter to specify which check to run:
|
Parameter value |
Check type |
|---|---|
|
usa_criminal |
US Criminal Background Check |
|
globalcheck |
GlobalCheck |
This is useful for integrations or workflows where you need programmatic control over which check type is used.
Note: Background checks must be enabled in your account add-ons before they can be used. Consult with this guide, or contact your account manager or Autohost Support if you need to enable this feature.
Choosing the Right Check
|
|
US Criminal |
GlobalCheck |
|---|---|---|
|
Region |
United States only |
Global (including the US) |
|
US criminal court records |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Watchlists and sex offender registries |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Email and phone verification |
No |
Yes |
|
Social media and public profile analysis |
No |
Yes |
|
Adverse media screening |
No |
Yes |
|
Data breach exposure |
No |
Yes |
|
Identity verification (selfie match) |
No |
Yes |
For most operators, GlobalCheck provides the most comprehensive coverage. The US Criminal Background Check remains available for operators who require a dedicated US court records search.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why can't I run a background check on a reservation? The most common reason is that the guest's ID could not be read, so their information was not collected automatically. As a workaround, send the guest the dedicated background check consent link from the Links tab on the reservation.
Can I use both check types together? Yes. By default, Autohost uses the US Criminal check for US-based guests and GlobalCheck for everyone else. If you'd rather standardize on a single check, ask your account manager to enable GlobalCheck-only mode. You can also select either check type explicitly via the API.
How long does a background check take? Most checks return results within a few minutes. Processing time may vary depending on the type of check and data availability.
Is the background check information shared with the guest? As part of FCRA compliance, guests have the right to request a copy of their background check results. Refer to your local regulations for specific disclosure requirements.