Do they do a background check?

No they dont

They don't really I think it might of changed but I am telling you this now I wouldn't try that place I am glad I moved out long ago. They go up in price every year with "market place values" as the excuse, bugs galore, don't generally fix things properly, and unfortuneatly loud neighbors. Not a good place for kids either. Cops almost always there or fire trucks. Your better off seeking a different apartment otherwise you'll end up with slum lords. Don't know how they stay in business. Your better off going to the apartments next to it or the ones at 19th and Bell. If you do go to Desert Star forewarned...you'll find out why its got a bad reputation and you'll wish you never moved there. When I used to live there I had constant issues with stove and or plumbing issues including their laundromat. From last what I heard from my old neighbor who used to live next to me downstairs he told me that a LOT of the washing machines are broken and not fixed for months. Save yourself Brittany.