The Landlord’s Edge
Bad tenants don’t announce themselves. They show up with a smile, a glowing reference from a friend, and a story that explains the gap in their rental history. The only reliable defense you have is a thorough, consistent screening process, every applicant, every time.
I’ve screened hundreds of tenants across a 200+ unit portfolio, and I’ve learned the hard way that shortcuts in screening create expensive problems down the road. An eviction costs $3,000–$10,000 and takes months. A quality screening report costs $35–$45. The math is obvious.
This guide covers the two services I trust most and the criteria I use to evaluate every applicant.
What a Complete Tenant Screening Report Should Include
Before comparing services, let’s establish what you actually need. A bare minimum screening should include:
Credit check: Payment history, outstanding debts, credit score, and whether there are any open collections or bankruptcies. This reveals financial reliability, not just current score.
Criminal background check: National and county-level criminal records, sex offender registry, and OFAC/terrorist watchlist screening. Don’t rely on a national-only search, county-level records often reveal convictions that don’t make it into national databases.
Eviction history: This is the most underrated component. A prior eviction is the single strongest predictor of a future eviction. Not all services check this comprehensively.
Income and employment verification: Some services include this; others leave it to you. Either way, the standard rule is that monthly rent should not exceed one-third of gross monthly income.
Identity verification: Confirm the applicant is who they say they are. Fraudulent applications are more common than most landlords realize.
Now, here are the services I recommend.
The Best Tenant Screening Services
1. TransUnion SmartMove: Best for Self-Managing Landlords
Best for: Independent landlords who want fast, reliable reports with applicant-paid options
Cost: $25–$40 per report (applicant-paid or landlord-paid)
Turnaround: Typically under 1 hour
Powered by: TransUnion (one of the three major bureaus)
→ Start Screening with SmartMove
SmartMove is my go-to recommendation for landlords who want a clean, professional screening process without building a complex system around it. It’s straightforward, fast, bureau-backed, and, critically, you can set it up so the applicant pays the fee.
How SmartMove Works
- You enter the applicant’s email address in the SmartMove dashboard
- SmartMove sends them a direct invitation to authorize and complete the screening
- The applicant submits their information and payment (if you’ve enabled applicant-paid)
- You receive the completed report, typically within minutes
Because TransUnion controls the entire process, applicants can’t doctor or edit the report before it reaches you. This is a meaningful difference from systems where applicants send you their own credit report PDFs.
What’s Included in SmartMove Reports
ResidentScore. SmartMove uses TransUnion’s proprietary ResidentScore, a rental-specific scoring model that’s more predictive of rental outcomes than a standard credit score. A ResidentScore of 630+ is generally a positive indicator.
Full credit report. Payment history across all accounts, outstanding balances, public records, and collections. You can see the full picture, not just a number.
National criminal background check. Multi-state criminal database search covering 370 million records, sex offender registries, and global watchlists.
Eviction history. TransUnion’s eviction database pulls from court records across the country. This is one of the more comprehensive eviction searches available from a self-service platform.
Income Insights. SmartMove’s Income Insights tool estimates reported income based on credit behavior and flags potential inconsistencies. It’s not a replacement for a pay stub, but it’s a useful cross-reference.
SmartMove Pricing
| Report Package | Price | Includes |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | $25 | Credit + ResidentScore |
| Standard | $35 | Credit + Criminal + Eviction |
| Plus | $40 | Credit + Criminal + Eviction + Income Insights |
The Standard package at $35 covers everything most landlords need. The Plus package is worth the extra $5 if you’re screening in a competitive market where fraudulent income documentation is more common.
Who pays? You can choose applicant-paid (most common), landlord-paid, or a split. Most landlords shift the cost to applicants, it’s standard practice and a small filter that weeds out unserious inquiries.
Where SmartMove Falls Short
The criminal database is national, not county-level. This is a legitimate gap: some convictions, particularly older or expunged ones, don’t appear in national databases. If you’re in a market where thorough criminal screening is especially important, consider supplementing with a manual county search or using RentPrep’s manual review service (below).
SmartMove also doesn’t include income verification in the traditional sense, you still need to collect pay stubs or bank statements separately.
→ Try SmartMove: Screen Your Next Applicant Today
2. RentPrep: Best for Landlords Who Want Manual Expert Review
Best for: Landlords who want human review and verified data, not just automated pulls
Cost: $21–$75 per report depending on package
Turnaround: Basic packages are fast; full packages include manual review (1–2 business days)
FCRA Certified screeners
→ Start Screening with RentPrep
RentPrep takes a different approach from SmartMove. Instead of a fully automated pipeline, RentPrep offers packages that include FCRA-certified screeners who manually verify data. This is especially valuable for catching discrepancies: an applicant whose stated income doesn’t match their bank behavior, or a name variation that creates ambiguity in a criminal search.
How RentPrep Works
RentPrep offers both self-service and full-service screening packages. On full-service packages, their team of certified screeners:
- Calls previous landlords to verify rental history
- Manually reviews criminal records for accuracy and completeness
- Verifies employment and income when included
- Flags inconsistencies that automated systems miss
You provide the applicant’s information; RentPrep handles the rest and delivers a written summary report.
What’s Included in RentPrep Reports
Background check. Criminal records search including sex offender registry and OFAC watch list. On manual review packages, county-level searches are included.
Eviction records. RentPrep’s eviction search is thorough and county-level on higher-tier packages, a step up from purely national database searches.
Credit report. TransUnion credit report with full payment history (on applicable packages).
Landlord verification calls. This is the feature that sets RentPrep apart. On their TransUnion + FCRA package, screeners actually call previous landlords to ask specific questions: Did the tenant pay on time? Would you rent to them again? Did they leave the unit in good condition? Real responses from real previous landlords are often more revealing than any database.
Employment verification. Screeners contact the employer directly to verify title, tenure, and income.
RentPrep Pricing
| Package | Price | Key Features |
|---|---|---|
| Basic Background | $21 | SSN trace, criminal, eviction, sex offender |
| Basic + Credit | $30 | Above + TransUnion credit report |
| TransUnion Full | $38 | Credit, criminal, eviction, income insights |
| Full Report + FCRA Review | $75 | Everything above + manual landlord/employment verification |
The $38 Full Report is solid for most applicants. The $75 FCRA package is worth the premium for high-rent units, longer-term leases, or any applicant where something in the record seems off and you want a human to dig deeper.
Where RentPrep Falls Short
The manual review process adds time, full packages with landlord verification can take 1–2 business days, which can feel slow in a competitive rental market where applicants are looking at multiple units. In a market where you’re trying to close quickly, a 24-hour SmartMove report might be preferable.
The interface is also less polished than SmartMove. It works fine, but it feels more utilitarian.
→ Get a Full RentPrep Background Check
SmartMove vs. RentPrep: Head-to-Head
| Feature | SmartMove | RentPrep |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $25 | $21 |
| Full report price | $40 | $75 |
| Credit bureau | TransUnion | TransUnion |
| Criminal search | National database | National + county (FCRA tier) |
| Eviction search | National | National + county (FCRA tier) |
| Manual review | No | Yes (FCRA tier) |
| Landlord verification calls | No | Yes (FCRA tier) |
| Applicant-pays option | Yes | No |
| Turnaround | < 1 hour | Minutes to 2 days |
| FCRA certified screeners | No | Yes |
| Best for | Speed + simplicity | Thoroughness + verification |
My Screening Process: What I Actually Do
Here’s the process I use consistently across my portfolio:
Step 1: Pre-qualification. Before I pay for any screening, I do a quick phone or in-person pre-qualification. I ask about move-in timeline, number of occupants, pets, and reason for moving. This call costs nothing and filters out applicants who clearly don’t meet basic criteria.
Step 2: Written application. I require every adult occupant (18+) to complete a written rental application with authorization to screen.
Step 3: Screening. I use SmartMove for most applicants: fast, bureau-backed, applicant-paid. For applicants with complex histories or for high-value units, I’ll use RentPrep’s full FCRA package.
Step 4: Verification. Regardless of what the screening report says, I always call the previous landlord directly, not just the reference number provided. I find the contact independently when possible.
Step 5: Decision with documentation. I document my decision criteria. If I decline an applicant, I document why, and I apply the same criteria consistently to every applicant. This protects against fair housing complaints.
Fair Housing Reminder
The Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status, and disability. Many states and cities add protected classes. The best protection is a written, consistently applied screening criteria that you share with all applicants upfront.
Both SmartMove and RentPrep are FCRA-compliant, which matters, adverse action (declining an application based on a screening report) triggers specific legal requirements. Both services include guidance on how to handle adverse actions properly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who pays for tenant screening?
Either you or the applicant. SmartMove supports applicant-paid screening, which is the most common setup. RentPrep is typically landlord-paid. Shifting cost to the applicant is legal in most states and acts as a small filter, applicants who aren’t serious often drop off when asked to pay $35 for a background check.
What credit score should I require?
Most landlords require a minimum credit score of 620–650, but I’d encourage you to look at the full report rather than just the number. A 580 score with clean rental history and no evictions may be a better risk than a 680 score with a prior eviction.
How do I handle applicants with no credit history?
Ask for a co-signer, a larger security deposit (within your state’s legal limits), or additional documentation like 6 months of bank statements. No credit is different from bad credit.
Is it legal to check criminal history?
Yes, but HUD guidelines and some local ordinances restrict how criminal history can be used in housing decisions. Blanket policies refusing all applicants with any criminal record can be discriminatory. Apply criminal screening criteria thoughtfully and consistently. When in doubt, consult a local real estate attorney.
Can I run a screening without the applicant’s permission?
No. Written consent is required under the FCRA before running any credit or background check.
The Bottom Line
If you’re a self-managing landlord and you want speed, simplicity, and the ability to pass the cost to applicants, TransUnion SmartMove is the right choice. Bureau-backed, fast, and professional.
If you’re screening for a premium unit, dealing with a complex applicant history, or simply want a human expert to verify what the databases say, RentPrep’s FCRA package is worth the premium.
Either way: screen every applicant, every time. The cost of one bad placement far exceeds years of screening fees.
→ Start Screening with SmartMove Today | → Get a Full RentPrep Report
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