Best Tenant Screening Services for Small Landlords (Tested)

How we picked these screening services

We looked at what a small landlord needs from tenant screening reports: credit, criminal and eviction records from a recognized source, a price under about $55, the option for the applicant to pay, and a process that doesn’t leave applicants stuck. Each service is scored on the same scorecard we use for software, with cost weighted heaviest.

These rankings are provisional. They come from each service’s published packages and help pages, checked October 18, 2026, plus recurring themes in public reviews. Our live screening tests are under way and will replace these scores when they’re done. Rankings never follow commission.

The three services, ranked

1. TransUnion SmartMove

SmartMove is TransUnion’s own tenant screening service, and it has three main packages. SmartCheck Basic costs $25 and includes ResidentScore (TransUnion’s rental-focused score) and a criminal background check. SmartCheck Plus costs $40 and adds the full credit report and an eviction-related report. SmartCheck Premium costs $49 and adds Income Insights and an identity check. You or the applicant can pay, where your state permits, plus tax. Sign-up is free with no setup fee.

The applicant gets an email, enters their own details and authorizes the report, so you never handle their Social Security number. The common complaint is that applicants get stuck at TransUnion’s online identity questions, which delays the report. Income Insights is an estimate, not verified income, and criminal and eviction data is limited in some states.

Best for: landlords who want a clean, standalone report from the credit bureau itself.

2. TurboTenant

TurboTenant builds screening into its free landlord app, so the report arrives inside the same application you used to list the unit. It costs $55 on the Free and Essentials plans and $45 on Pro, and covers credit, criminal and eviction history. Pro adds income verification. The applicant pays by default, and you can choose to pay instead.

Best for: landlords who already list and collect rent in TurboTenant. At $55 it’s the most expensive report here, so if you only need screening, SmartMove’s $40 package covers the same three record types for less.

3. RentPrep

RentPrep reports are now delivered by Stessa, so you order through a Stessa account. The Credit Report Only package is $29, and the Full Background Check Only package is $29 but landlord-pay only. The Complete Screening Package costs $49 and includes a credit report and ResidentScore, Social Security number verification, nationwide criminal, sex offender and eviction searches, judgments and liens, and a review by an FCRA-certified screener. Income verification costs $10 through a bank link or $15 through payroll.

Best for: landlords who want a person, not only a database, to look over the records. The extra Stessa sign-up step and paid income checks are the trade-off.

What a tenant screening report contains

A full report usually has five parts:

• Credit report. Open accounts, balances, payment history, collections and bankruptcies.
• A score. SmartMove and RentPrep include ResidentScore, a TransUnion score built for rental decisions.
• Criminal records. Convictions from state and national databases. Coverage varies by state.
• Eviction records. Court filings and judgments, where they’re available.
• Identity and income checks. Some packages verify the Social Security number, estimate income or connect to a bank or payroll account.

What it won’t tell you: whether the applicant left their last place clean and paid on time. Call the previous landlord yourself (ideally the one before the current one, who has less reason to give a glowing reference to get rid of a tenant) and confirm employment directly.

Consent and adverse action under the FCRA

The Fair Credit Reporting Act governs every consumer report you use to make a rental decision. Two duties matter most for a small landlord.

Get written consent first. Put a signed authorization in your rental application. The services above have the applicant authorize the report online, which covers their side, but keeping your own signed consent on file is good practice.

Send an adverse action notice when the report hurts the applicant. If you deny the application, ask for a co-signer, charge a higher deposit or set a higher rent based even partly on the report, you must tell the applicant. The notice needs:

• the name, address and phone number of the company that supplied the report
• a statement that the company didn’t make the decision and can’t explain it
• the applicant’s right to a free copy of the report within 60 days
• the applicant’s right to dispute anything inaccurate

If a credit score played a part, include that score and the main factors behind it. Shred or securely delete reports once you’re done with them.

Fair Housing rules for screening

The federal Fair Housing Act bars rental decisions based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, familial status or disability. Many states and cities add more protected classes, such as source of income, age or sexual orientation.

The safest habit is a written set of screening criteria, set before you list and applied to every applicant in the order they apply. Income, credit, rental history and eviction records are fair game when you use them the same way for everyone. Questions about children, religion, where someone is from or whether they have a disability are not. If an applicant with a disability asks for a reasonable accommodation, such as an assistance animal in a no-pets unit, you generally have to consider it.

Criminal records and the Fair Housing Act

In April 2016, HUD issued guidance on how the Fair Housing Act applies to criminal records. HUD withdrew it in 2025 and hasn’t replaced it, but the Act still applies, courts still hear disparate-impact claims, and many state and local laws cover the same ground. Its main points are still a sound basis for a defensible policy:

• A blanket ban on anyone with a criminal record can have a discriminatory effect and may violate the Act.
• An arrest that didn’t lead to a conviction is not a valid reason to deny housing.
• A policy should consider the nature and severity of the offense and how long ago it happened.
• Convictions for the illegal manufacture or distribution of controlled substances are treated differently and can be a basis for denial.

Several states and cities have gone further with fair-chance housing laws that limit when you can ask about records or which records you can consider. Check local rules before you add criminal history to your criteria.

Who pays for screening

In most cases the applicant pays, as an application fee that covers the report. That’s fair and normal, but a few points matter:

• Some states cap application fees or require you to refund the fee if you don’t run the report. Check your state’s rules before you set a fee.
• Charging applicants for reports you never run is a quick way into trouble. Screen applicants in order and stop once you’ve approved someone.
• Paying yourself can help in a slow market. A $40 report is cheaper than an extra week of vacancy on a $1,650 rental.

The 3x income rule, and when to drop it

The common rule asks for gross monthly income of at least three times the rent. On a $1,650 unit, that’s $4,950 a month. An applicant earning $4,200 a month comes in at about 2.5 times, which may still be fine if their credit and rental history are strong. For couples or roommates, many landlords combine income.

Use the rule carefully. Many states and cities protect source of income, which includes Housing Choice Vouchers (Section 8), Social Security and other benefits. In those places, applying 3x to the full rent when a voucher pays most of it can count as discrimination. Base the test on the tenant’s share of the rent, or use other evidence that they can pay, and treat all lawful income the same way.

A short screening checklist

• Write your criteria down before you list, and give them to every applicant.
• Get signed consent with the application.
• Run the same package for everyone.
• Verify income and call past landlords.
• Send an adverse action notice whenever the report affects your decision.
• Keep your notes on why you approved or declined each applicant.