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What Is The Best Tenant Screening Service?
Landlords, real estate agents and property managers all benefit from the speed, accuracy and efficiency of a tenant screening service and credit checks. However, not all of these services are alike.
What Are The Best Credit Checks For Landlords?
Some screening services differ greatly in the tools, reports and prices they offer. This list will aid you in deciding which tenant screening service is best for you, your business needs and your wallet.
- RentSpree
- AAOA
- MyRental
- Apartments.com
- Experian Connect
- RentPrep
- Transunion SmartMove
- LeaseRunner
- MyRental
- SmartMove
How Do You Run Credit Checks On Tenants?
RentSpree is a full-service online tenant application and screening platform. This platform has all of the best features, is the most frequently used and highest rated reviewed rental screening software on Google.
Applicants simply hop on to apply directly for your property through a link you send them. The best part? RentSpree is FREE for real estate agents, property managers and landlords! Your applicants will pay the screening fee.
A clear, fully detailed TransUnion credit report includes but is not limited to:
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- Credit Score
- Criminal Record (Most Wanted lists & National Sex Offender Registry)
- Payment History
- Credit Inquiries
- Trade Lines
- Collections
- Background Check (National & State)
FREE Additional Features:
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- Accept/Deny
- Instant Messaging with Users
- e-Signatures
RentSpree PRO is $9.99/Month:
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- Request Applicant to Upload Additional Documents
- Proof of Income
- Government Issued ID
- References
Simply provide AAOA with your tenant’s information and pay for the package of reports you wish to purchase to receive reports instantly, minus the credit report.
AAOA sends your tenant a unique link to verify their identity and release their credit report to you. You will receive an email when the credit report is ready.
What’s Included In AAOA Screening?
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- Full Credit Report & Score (depends on which package is purchased)
- Criminal Background Check (purchased with some packages)
- Evictions (nationwide eviction history only available in the top priced package)
- Reference Checks (separate add-on)
When screening applicants, simply fill in the applicants information on the MyRental platform and submit it for screening.
The applicant will then grant you access to view their credit information and then you will receive the reports.
3 MyRental Plans – None of Which Check References
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- Basic is $19.99
- Does have an eviction and criminal background check
- Does not include credit history information
- Premium is $29.99
- Does include credit report and score
- Premium Plus is $39.99
- Does include statistics that compares how the applicant scored to other renters in the area
- It’s your decision who pays for the screening fee
- Basic is $19.99
Applicants apply directly to your property and pay for their background check and credit reports online. Applicants can pay for both reports as a bundle for $39.99 or $24.99 each. The results are then emailed to you, the landlord.
Additional Features:
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- Rent Payment Collection
- Rent Estimate Reports
- Renters Insurance
You invite your tenants to fill out an online form to verify their identity.
Applicants pay $14.95 for their credit report and grant you access to it.
Experian Connect does not include a criminal record search or dedicated eviction history reports.
Sign up for a free account by choosing a package and ordering any desired add-ons, uploading verification documents and paying online.
2 Main Screening Packages:
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- Transunion SmartMove Credit Report for $35 (your choice, you can pay or have your tenant pay)
- RentPrep Background Check for $18.95 (you pay)
- Includes SSN Verification
- Address History
- Eviction Report
- Judgments and Liens
- Bankruptcies
Available Add-Ons:
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- Judgment and Lien search $4.95
- Employment/Rental History Verification $12
To request reports you create an account then send your applicant an invitation.
Once the applicant receives the invite they will be able to complete the online application.
After their identity is verified, SmartMove sends the applicant’s reports directly to your inbox.
3 plans range from $25 to $40 per applicant.
LeaseRunner is best for smaller landlords who don’t want to be tied up by pre-packaged, expensive or extensive tenant screening services.
This tenant screening service is great for hands-on rental owners and property managers.
Plus, there are FREE rental application templates.
Bonus: Cash report (AKA Financial Profile) offers a look into applicants’ cash flow by safely pulling tenants banking data.
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- Eviction Checks
- Credit & Credit Score Tracking
- Background Check
- Employment Status Tracking
- Criminal Background Check
- Residence and Eviction History
- Customer Support
- $10 – $57
CoreLogic’s MyRental is fantastic and versatile.
It offers all the tenant background check options you could wish for along with additional features such as automatic denial letters based on their risk evaluation reports.
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- Automatic Adverse Action Letters
- Credit Score Tracking (Premium plan and above)
- Employment Status Tracking (Premium plan and above)
- Criminal Background
- Residence Check
- Eviction History Check
- Customer Support
- $24.99 to $34.99
- NO Reference Checks
TransUnion’s SmartMove is a great tenant screening service specifically for people looking to get this service directly from a credit bureau.
There is a unique credit-based “Resident Score.”
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- Employment Status Tracking
- Criminal Background Check
- Residence History Check
- Eviction History Check
- Customer Support
- $25 – $40
- Instant criminal background checks are not available in all states.
Each and every one of these 10 tenant screening services and credit checks are upstanding, but some offer more than others. The more you know about these screening companies and their features, the more money you can save and put back into your business. Reducing your costs and liability are essential when choosing the right tenant screening service for you.
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