I was thinking the same thing. I didn't realize that finding a roommate was such a formal process these days. What happened to just sitting down with someone over a cup of coffee?
To be clear, we’re offering reference checks, rather than background checks, for roommates.
Many leasers already perform reference checks. Take a look at any article about finding a good roommate and you’ll see that almost every one recommends this step. We just know that it’s a pain, so we’d like to make it easier for those who don’t have the time to do it themselves.