West Palm Beach, FL · Member since 2018 · 14 posts · 2 votes
We have a couple ready to rent our SFH and want to do a credit and background check. Wondering which services are good and/or which ones to avoid. TIA!
Rental Property Investor · Edmond, OK · Member since 2017 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
7y
Mysmartmove.com is a good one. It's powered by Transunion, so you know it's pretty legit.
If you plan to have online payment options, cozy.co is a good option. It's free to set up the online payment options and have their rent payment directly deposited into your account. They offer tenant screening as well and you can choose whether to pay for the screening or have the tenant pay for it directly.
West Palm Beach, FL · Member since 2018 · 14 posts · 2 votes
7y
Thank you @Cassi Justiz! Good to know. I have heard of Cozy.co for advertising but didn't realize they offered these other services. I have a look at them.
If you advertise on Zillow, their tenant screening tool is pretty good and a lot less expensive than most. Also, if you have to decline somebody they can reuse their Zillow screening for other properties advertised on Zillow for up to 30 days. Makes it less painful to decline than when somebody paid $40 or $50 for a one time use report.
@Kristin Seitz I would suggest checking out the landlord resources tab on BP. There are some great tenant screening services on there as well as some other information you may find beneficial during your tenant screening process.
Nashville · Member since 2019 · 110 posts · 23 votes
7y
Personally I use Tellus App for all my rental property management. They offer a free screening service for both the landlord and the tenant. Their report is comprehensive including credit, rental history, criminal record, verification. Check it out!
There are definitely several options for you to consider. Regardless of provider you pick, there are only 3 'report generators' (i.e. Transunion, Experian). Us landlord software companies simply operate as an affiliate. The reports you get from all the sites will be one of the three; sites with same report generator will have the exact same report. Our benefits come in the value of a platform with several other management functions/tools.
If you need additional tools to manage then I would definitely consider finding a management software to utilize. If you only need screening, then your pool of options is a lot more.
I'd be happy to address any questions you might have.
Rental Property Investor · Chicago, IL · Member since 2016 · 14 posts · 4 votes
7y
@Kristin Seitz when I started I used cozy.co, which was a great company with multiple tools! As I grew, I started using Avail.co, which serves as management software and also performs all background/credit checks.
Rental Property Investor · Dallesport, WA · Member since 2017 · 9 posts · 7 votes
7y
@Kristin Seitz
I use RentPrep.com. The basic background check is through smart move and they have an option for the prospective tenant to pay and have an add on option for judgements and liens search. I also use cozy.co for listings and rent payments but have found issues with their background check missing certain details from time to time.
I just used cozy.co for our new tenants and the reports were great. $40 total for credit and background check, paid by the applicants. We also plan to use cozy for online rent collection
We have a couple ready to rent our SFH and want to do a credit and background check. Wondering which services are good and/or which ones to avoid. TIA!
Hi Kristin, it could be worth considering a shot at a rental property management software built for DIY landlords (1 - 15 units), and helps you to automate your own rental process (ie. compared to other tools, one that helps you to get it listed on 10+ major listing sites, allows you to schedule showings, provides you with thorough tenant screening options, online digital leases, automated maintenance tracking, and fast rent collection which also offers your tenants the ability to report their positive on-time payments to the major credit bureaus; just another positive reinforcement/added incentive to get them to make those payments on time). More than happy to answer any questions that you might have!
Real Estate Agent · JACKSON HEIGHTS, NY 11370 · Member since 2012 · 11 posts · 4 votes
7y
Hi @Kristin Seitz, As a realtor I've been using Cozy.co for last 2-3 years with very good results. The landlords who I rented for have not had any issues with the tenants I recommended using Cozy.co. One of the best things about this background screening site is that the tenant pays $40 for the entire screening and you as the landlord or realtor receive a detail report about the person or persons interested in renting from you. The screening includes a credit check, criminal and landlord tenant court cases. Another nice thing about the site is you won't have to gather any personal info about the person (like SS#), they input all that in the site which includes job history, income, previous residence and references to name a few. If you decline the tenant they are able to reuse that same report with another landlord. That's how I sell the tenant on paying for the service since most don't want to pay for anything. BUT as a good business practice I do collect personal info and match with the report. I do that just as CYA to cover all my bases a realtor.
FYI.... You're also able to use the site to collect rent once you create a profile for the rental. You're also able to market the rental through the site to other major rental websites.
Property Manager · Ketchum, ID · Member since 2016 · 277 posts · 132 votes
7y
I use Smart Property Systems and we have the Transunion tenant screening built in. I can also collect rents and manage repairs, do the accounting and advertise my vacancies. I like it as it is easy to use and the screening reports are really comprehensive.
Using Cozy, can you require background check and credit check in the application, but allow them to supply it themselves if they already got one done recently? Any suggestions? Thanks!
Even with a credit report and application they used previously I still ask for a new credit report. Cozy only does a soft pull because it's the applicant running the report. I've heard about a forged credit report in the past from another agent who had that issue. In order to use the site the applicant has to fill out the application the site provides which is very detailed.
If you're a realtor cover you assets and if you're a landlord cover your assets. Hope that helps.
Blue Springs, MO · Member since 2015 · 481 posts · 313 votes
7y
Disclaimer: I only have one property so far. I am not affiliated with any sites mentioned.
I use Cozy.co for background checks and collecting rent. I don't use
the other features they offer (application, maintenance requests,
document sharing, listing syndication). I wrote a detailed post about it
here:
Oh, I figured that you had a system of allowing prospective tenants since you wrote "if you decline the tenant they are able to reuse that same report with another landlord."
I'd still like to ask the thorough set of questions, just not charge for the reports if they recently did one. I understand they may forge a report from a friend, but couldn't they do that on your Cozy application too?
I use TenantCloud for background and credit checks. They offer a few options, so you can choose the one that suits you best. Btw, applicants can also pay for their report which is rather convenient.