At Hipcamp, we prioritize the trust and safety of our community. To maintain this priority, we may conduct background checks on US-based Hosts who have provided first and last name and date of birth.
What are background checks?
Background checks review publicly available information about an individual’s criminal history. This process helps us identify any past behavior that may pose a risk to our community.
Why do we conduct background checks?
Safety is at the heart of everything we do at Hipcamp. Conducting background checks helps us create a safer platform by identifying individuals who may have a history of behavior that’s a concern to our community. Background checks, in turn, build trust between Hosts and Hipcampers, ensuring that everyone enjoys a positive and secure experience.
Who is subject to background checks?
U.S. based hosts are subject to background checks. This includes:
- New Hosts: Background checks are conducted during the onboarding process before a Host can publicly list their property.
- Existing Hosts: Background checks may be conducted periodically to ensure ongoing compliance with our trust and safety standards.
What do background checks look for?
Our background checks primarily focus on the following:
- Criminal records: Criminal convictions, including, but not limited to, those that involve violence, sexual offenses, theft, property damage, or other serious offenses.
- Sex offender registries: Individuals listed on sex offender registries.
- Federal sanctions and watchlists: Individuals who are listed on federal sanctions lists or watchlists, which may include those involved in terrorism, drug trafficking, or other activities that pose a national security risk.
How do background checks work?
- Information collection: During the onboarding process, Hipcamp collects basic information from Hosts.
- Third-party screening: Basic host information is sent to Inflection Risk Solutions, LLC, a trusted third-party service that conducts the background check. The background check process is secure and confidential. Only authorized personnel have access to the results.
- Review: The results are reviewed against our adjudication criteria and may be reviewed internally by our trust and safety team.
- Outcome: If the background check clears, the Host can proceed with listing their property. If there are any issues, we will contact the Host.
Limitations of background checks
While background checks are an important safety measure, they have certain limitations:
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Reporting: Not all criminal records are available to background check services (some jurisdictions have incomplete or outdated records). Due to variations in how state and local systems are managed, not all databases may be searched. Regions may have different reporting standards, leading to potential gaps in the background check process. Additionally, some states only report criminal records for a limited time (e.g. 7 years in some states), which may omit older offenses that could be relevant to trust and safety determinations..
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Timing of offenses: Background checks may not reveal recent offenses if they have not yet been entered into the public record. Additionally, if a significant amount of time has passed since the last background check, any new offenses or activities may not be reflected.
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Identity verification: Background checks rely on the accuracy of the information provided by the Host. If incorrect or incomplete information is provided, the check may not be fully effective.
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International records: We don’t run background checks on Hosts outside of the US. Criminal records from other countries may not be accessible, potentially missing relevant information.
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Potential evasion: Individuals may attempt to circumvent the background check process, potentially affecting the comprehensiveness of the information obtained by Hipcamp.