Investor · Fort Wayne, IN · Member since 2013 · 152 posts · 126 votes
Hey bp,
I've used mysmartmove.com for tenant screening the last 4 years . Although I always pass the application fee to the potential tenant, since I've used them last their prices have increased by double almost. Does anybody have any other recommendations for tenant screening that's a bit more affordable?
@Peter Fennig I haven’t used Cozy yet, but I plan on starting collecting rent on Cozy in October and for future vacancies since I’m 100% occupied right now.
@Peter Fennig I've also noticed the price increase in mysmartmove, I know Zillow has one that's about $11 cheaper. I think overall they're all within that price range give or take. Also cheaper than what most property management companies charge so hopefully you're potential tenants can appreciate that.
Thanks Joe, I didn't realize Zillow did anything like that but I'll check them out. Regardless if a potential tenant decides not to or to go ahead and pay the fee, if they get the apartment I always deduct it from their first month's rent. Just thought I'd ask if anybody uses a different website because people who have wanted to fill out an application have been complaining lately at least a couple of times about the fee which I guess should tell me something about whether they'd qualify or not, lol
I know several investors that use cozy.com. It looks like screening is about the same ($40) but you can also use it to market your unit and collect rent. Just another option for you.
@Peter Fennig I second using cozy.com. My wife and I just used it for our first rental and everything went very smoothly. We used it to advertise and tenant screen, passing the fee along to applicants, and had a very good and easy experience.
@Peter Fennig I haven’t used Cozy yet, but I plan on starting collecting rent on Cozy in October and for future vacancies since I’m 100% occupied right now.