RentPrep Review (2026): Costs, Fees and Who It’s For

Who RentPrep suits, and who it doesn’t

RentPrep has been selling screening to landlords since 2007, and its pitch has always been a person checking the records. It fits:

• Landlords who don’t trust a database alone to tell them who has an eviction or a conviction.
• Owners who already use Stessa for the books, since screening now lives in the same account.
• Anyone who wants verified income at a small extra cost, rather than an estimate.

It’s a poorer fit if you don’t want another account to manage, if you want the applicant to pay for a background-only check (that package is landlord-pay only), or if your rent app already includes screening you’re happy with.

What’s in each RentPrep package

Package	Price	Who can pay	What’s included
Credit Report Only	$29	Landlord or tenant	Full credit report (via SmartMove), ResidentScore, bankruptcies
Full Background Check Only	$29	Landlord only	SSN verification, nationwide criminal and sex offender, nationwide evictions, judgments and liens, bankruptcies, screener review
Complete Screening Package	$49	Landlord or tenant	Credit report and ResidentScore, SSN verification, nationwide criminal and sex offender, nationwide evictions, judgments and liens, screener review
Enterprise (50+ doors)	Custom	Varies	Volume pricing

Add-ons: Income Verification through a linked bank account is $10. Income and Employment Verification through payroll data is $15.

What the credit report tells you

The credit report comes through TransUnion SmartMove and includes ResidentScore, a TransUnion score built for rental decisions. You’ll see payment history, collections and bankruptcies. Use it to look for patterns, like recent missed payments on rent-sized bills, rather than to set a hard score cutoff and stop reading.

What the background check tells you

The background report covers a Social Security number trace, nationwide criminal and sex offender databases, nationwide eviction records, and judgments and liens. Nationwide databases are built from the records counties and states share, so they can miss local cases. The screener review is RentPrep’s answer to that: a person checks that each record matches your applicant and flags what needs a closer look.

What the income add-ons tell you

The $10 add-on reads deposits from the applicant’s linked bank account. The $15 add-on pulls payroll data to confirm income and employer. Both are actual verification, not an estimate. For an applicant who’s self-employed or paid in cash, bank-linked verification usually tells you more.

How ordering through Stessa works

RentPrep’s site now says its reports are delivered by Stessa, and orders run through Stessa’s web app. In practice that means:

1. Sign up for Stessa if you don’t have an account. The Essentials plan is free.
2. Choose the package and any income add-on.
3. Choose who pays. For credit-only or complete, you can pay or send the cost to the applicant. Background-only is charged to you.
4. Invite the applicant. They enter their own details and authorize the check. Because the credit report comes through SmartMove, expect them to go through TransUnion’s identity verification step.
5. Review the results in your Stessa account once the screener’s review is done.

The applicant’s authorization covers the Fair Credit Reporting Act’s consent requirement. What happens next is your responsibility.

Your legal duties after the report

• Adverse action notices. If you deny, require a cosigner, or raise the deposit or rent because of anything in a report, send a written notice. It must name the reporting agency and give its contact details, say the agency didn’t make the decision, and explain the applicant’s right to a free copy within 60 days and to dispute errors.
• Fair Housing. Write your criteria down before you list and apply them to everyone. Never decide based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability or familial status.
• Criminal records. Blanket bans on people with criminal records can still draw Fair Housing Act claims, even though HUD withdrew its 2016 guidance in 2025. Weigh what the offense was, how long ago, and what’s happened since.
• Source of income. Many states and cities ban turning people down because they pay with a Section 8 voucher or other assistance. If you set an income rule, count voucher payments the way your local law requires.

What RentPrep costs at 1, 5 and 20 units

RentPrep charges per report, so your cost tracks how many applicants you screen. The examples assume the $49 Complete Screening Package, three applicants per vacancy, and the vacancies shown.

Units	Vacancies per year (assumed)	Reports	Complete at $49	With $10 income add-on
1	1	3	$147	$177
5	2	6	$294	$354
20	8	24	$1,176	$1,416

One unit. Three complete reports cost 3 x $49 = $147. Add bank-linked income verification for each and it’s 3 x $59 = $177. If applicants pay, your cost is $0.

Five units. Six reports cost $294, or $354 with income verification.

Twenty units. Twenty-four reports cost $1,176, or $1,416 with income verification. Screening only your top applicant per vacancy cuts that to 8 x $49 = $392.

Background-only, landlord-paid. If you want a criminal and eviction check without credit, 3 x $29 = $87 per vacancy, all paid by you.

Is RentPrep worth it

Yes, for landlords who want a person to check background records and don’t mind the Stessa account. The $49 complete package costs the same as SmartMove’s Premium, and the difference is in what you get: RentPrep adds SSN verification, judgments and liens, and a screener’s review, where SmartMove adds an income estimate and an identity check.

It’s less worth it if your rent app already includes screening the applicant pays for, and you’re happy with what it shows. It’s also less useful if you only want a credit check: the $29 credit-only report is the same SmartMove data you could buy directly.

Which RentPrep package to choose

• Complete Screening Package ($49) for most applicants. It’s the only package with both credit and the full background check.
• Add $10 bank-linked income verification when the applicant’s income is close to your threshold, they’re self-employed, or their pay stubs look unusual.
• Add $15 payroll income and employment verification when you want to confirm the employer as well as the income.
• Background Check Only ($29) when you’ve already seen a credit report the applicant brought and need the criminal and eviction side. Budget for it yourself, since it’s landlord-pay only.

Use the same package for every applicant on the same unit, so your process is consistent and defensible.

Limits and reported problems

The main friction is the Stessa step: a new account to create before you can order. It’s free, but it’s one more login, and applicants who know the RentPrep name may be confused by a Stessa invite, so tell them to expect it. The background-only package can’t be passed to the applicant. And income verification is an add-on, so the $49 headline price climbs to $59 or $64 if you want verified income on every applicant.

Alternatives to consider

• TransUnion SmartMove sells the same credit report directly, with packages from $25 to $49.
• Rentec Direct includes screening from $10 to $29.45 depending on plan and package.
• Innago charges applicants $30 to $35, plus $10 for income verification.
• RentRedi charges $39.99, or $49.99 with Plaid income verification, paid by the tenant.
• TurboTenant charges $55 on its free plan or $45 on Pro, with income verification on Pro.