Online tenant screening is sometimes used by landlords to evaluate potential tenants. Online tenant screening services perform background checks and provide landlords with detailed reports, including credit reports, past eviction records, criminal records, bankruptcy information, as well as other relevant information. Many landlords use online tenant screening services to protect themselves against tenants that they feel may be high risk tenants. Tenants may be deemed a financial risk if they have a history of evictions or bankruptcies. Tenants with criminal histories may also be regarded as too risky for a landlord to take on. Based on the reports obtained by an online screening service, a landlord may decide not to rent to a tenant. As long as the reasons are not discriminatory in nature, based on race, religion, gender, disability, familial status, or national origin, a landlord is legally allowed to reject a tenant's rental application. A tenant with a high risk history may be able to alleviate a landlord's fears by being honest with the landlord and offering a reasonable explanation.