I’m a small property owner and learned this one the hard way.
I've used Zillow and it's been great for getting eyes on my listings, but I’ve stopped trusting it as a final screening step. Income is often whatever the applicant enters, and background or eviction data seems to be hit or miss depending on the state. I’ve had simple court searches turn up issues that never showed in the report.
These days I try to keep it simple. I control the application, then verify the big items before approving anyone. It adds a little friction, but it’s been cheaper than dealing with an eviction.
For those of you with more units or operating in multiple states, how are you handling screening and verification? Are you using a specific service, doing things manually, or layering multiple tools together?
Realtor · Hanover Twp, PA · Member since 2018 · 3k+ posts · 3k+ votes
9mo
@Rob Schwartz, I don't think your issue is Zillow specific. Here are a few thoughts:
1. Zillow ABSOLUTELY misses out on LOTS of background issues! However, I suspect that most services do as well. I think especially for civil cases like evictions that national services have difficulty matching up people with cases because their Social Security numbers are not part of the legal case information. For example there are many tenants named "John Smith" in your state and without a unique identifier like Social Security number they can't tell one from the other in the court records.
2. The credit report through Zillow seems fine to me.
3. Income documentation! Yes, that one gets hairy. I require them to upload pay stubs or possibly other docs like tax returns especially for 1099 self employed folks.
Scrutinize those documents carefully. Look for forgeries! Look for old documents! Look for people whose stubs say they worked overtime when that may be seasonal. Many things to scrutinize there.
4. To deal with the short comings of the background check in #1, I use the credit report to determine if there are any old addresses for the applicant in other states and then I go to each state's court website and try to search for the person by name. My state's website is very good and because I know a few key details about the applicant I can manually sort through people with the same name and determine if people have criminal convictions, evictions, etc.
5. When looking at income, I go ABOVE AND BEYOND! Most landlords use the rule of thumb "Monthly income 3x rent" and that is good. However, keep in mind the monthly income is GROSS monthly income. This rule is roughly patterned after the ratios used when qualifying for a mortgage.
To that end, I employ a SECOND RULE. When you qualify for a mortgage they also use a second ratio that includes people's debt payments. Many times an applicant had income 3x rent BUT their monthly debts are outsized with credit cards, student loans, child support payments, car payments etc.
So, I use this second rule: Gross Monthly Income * 45% >= Rent + Monthly Debt Payments.
I get their monthly debt payments mostly from the credit report, but sometimes they have things like child support garnished from their paycheck so those show up on pay stubs sometimes.
Realtor · Hanover Twp, PA · Member since 2018 · 3k+ posts · 3k+ votes
9mo
@Rob Schwartz, I don't think your issue is Zillow specific. Here are a few thoughts:
1. Zillow ABSOLUTELY misses out on LOTS of background issues! However, I suspect that most services do as well. I think especially for civil cases like evictions that national services have difficulty matching up people with cases because their Social Security numbers are not part of the legal case information. For example there are many tenants named "John Smith" in your state and without a unique identifier like Social Security number they can't tell one from the other in the court records.
2. The credit report through Zillow seems fine to me.
3. Income documentation! Yes, that one gets hairy. I require them to upload pay stubs or possibly other docs like tax returns especially for 1099 self employed folks.
Scrutinize those documents carefully. Look for forgeries! Look for old documents! Look for people whose stubs say they worked overtime when that may be seasonal. Many things to scrutinize there.
4. To deal with the short comings of the background check in #1, I use the credit report to determine if there are any old addresses for the applicant in other states and then I go to each state's court website and try to search for the person by name. My state's website is very good and because I know a few key details about the applicant I can manually sort through people with the same name and determine if people have criminal convictions, evictions, etc.
5. When looking at income, I go ABOVE AND BEYOND! Most landlords use the rule of thumb "Monthly income 3x rent" and that is good. However, keep in mind the monthly income is GROSS monthly income. This rule is roughly patterned after the ratios used when qualifying for a mortgage.
To that end, I employ a SECOND RULE. When you qualify for a mortgage they also use a second ratio that includes people's debt payments. Many times an applicant had income 3x rent BUT their monthly debts are outsized with credit cards, student loans, child support payments, car payments etc.
So, I use this second rule: Gross Monthly Income * 45% >= Rent + Monthly Debt Payments.
I get their monthly debt payments mostly from the credit report, but sometimes they have things like child support garnished from their paycheck so those show up on pay stubs sometimes.
Realtor · Oklahoma City · Member since 2020 · 258 posts · 139 votes
9mo
I agree Zillow is not the best option for screening reports because of most of all that has been mentioned!
I have even seen Apartments .com be the same, but they do allow renters to ultimately save $ in application fees by applying to multiple places...
With that said, myself & most other investors or coworkers in my brokerage use MySmartMove.com with Transunion. These reports are usually a lot better, but still have a lot of additional screening we do outside these reports.
OKC realtors/agents now have access to Rental Beast for free (can put report fees on applicants), which is through OKC MLS. States application, & same reports as my smart move since through Transunion.
Hey Rob, I will probably tighten up my screening as well based on some of the posts that Zillow is not comprehensive. I have accepted 1 tenant based on Zillow screening. I always have applicants fill out my customized application because it's free with the PM tool I use. I ask for references and contact info from previous landlords. I get a copy of their license. I get copies of paystubs or offer letters. The PM tool I use will actually do income check as part of the screening as well if you select it. I also require a checking account and electronic payment.
Hey Rob, I will probably tighten up my screening as well based on some of the posts that Zillow is not comprehensive. I have accepted 1 tenant based on Zillow screening. I always have applicants fill out my customized application because it's free with the PM tool I use. I ask for references and contact info from previous landlords. I get a copy of their license. I get copies of paystubs or offer letters. The PM tool I use will actually do income check as part of the screening as well if you select it. I also require a checking account and electronic payment.
Carlos, how do you do a cascading search tied to address history to catch far more issues with evictions.
Databases cover different jurisdictions across the country, and no single database covers the entire United States. Another consideration that needs to be taken into account is records sometimes return with missing details that make them non-reportable under the Fair Credit Reporting Act. In this case, direct calls to the courts are necessary to fill in those gaps. Those court calls are a part of the cascade that increase accuracy and turn a potentially non-reportable record into a reportable one.
This thread is great. The point about direct-connect tools vs uploaded documents is key. PDFs are just too easy to edit now. I had the same problem with self-employed applicants specifically. Tax returns are stale, and manually adding up 6 months of bank statements takes forever. Ended up building a small tool with a friend that connects to the applicant's bank through Plaid and pulls the real transaction data. Calculates the deposit average automatically and flags if the balance on their PDF doesn't match the actual bank balance. Still early but happy to share if anyone wants to try it.
This thread is great. The point about direct-connect tools vs uploaded documents is key. PDFs are just too easy to edit now. I had the same problem with self-employed applicants specifically. Tax returns are stale, and manually adding up 6 months of bank statements takes forever. Ended up building a small tool with a friend that connects to the applicant's bank through Plaid and pulls the real transaction data. Calculates the deposit average automatically and flags if the balance on their PDF doesn't match the actual bank balance. Still early but happy to share if anyone wants to try it.
I think this is awesome! We are buying our first home within the next few weeks to begin renting, and tenant screening is exactly what I've been looking for.
This thread is great. The point about direct-connect tools vs uploaded documents is key. PDFs are just too easy to edit now. I had the same problem with self-employed applicants specifically. Tax returns are stale, and manually adding up 6 months of bank statements takes forever. Ended up building a small tool with a friend that connects to the applicant's bank through Plaid and pulls the real transaction data. Calculates the deposit average automatically and flags if the balance on their PDF doesn't match the actual bank balance. Still early but happy to share if anyone wants to try it.
I think this is awesome! We are buying our first home within the next few weeks to begin renting, and tenant screening is exactly what I've been looking for.
Congrats Alexis!
As you begin your journey, wanted to chime in to say there’s no perfect screening tool. I’ve used RentPrep, Apartments.com, RentSpree, and have also reviewed NTN reports when working with agents. They all give you data, but none of them actually interpret it for you.
The real work is understanding trade-offs (income vs stability, credit patterns vs score) and knowing what follow-up questions matter before you decide.
@Patrick Genevich I have a background in software and I've built something similar since I was frustrated with the products that ignored the possibility of applicants using fraudulent documents. I connect directly to their bank, HR system, pull background checks, has them upload ID and selfies, etc. I also estimate what they can afford in rent based on their salary and bank statements. Happy to share what I've built if you're interested.
Platforms like Zillow are excellent for exposure, but do not rely on any single report as a final decision point. Self-reported data is a starting point, not verified.
My approach is layered and standardized:
I control the application and require consistency across all applicants to remain fair-housing compliant. Income is verified independently, not accepted at face value. Uploaded documents are critically reviewed, but when possible we prefer direct-source verification tools. Credit reports are useful, but mainly for identifying patterns (debt load, payment behavior, address history). Eviction and background checks are layered using address history and manual court searches when needed. No national database is fully comprehensive. Landlord references are verified independently, not through contact info provided by the applicant. I evaluate affordability holistically, not just “3x rent,” by looking at total monthly obligations and income stability.
Property Manager · Phoenix, AZ · Member since 2024 · 531 posts · 203 votes
8mo
@Rob Schwartz Zillow (and similar platforms) are great for exposure, but I don’t rely on any single report to make a final decision.
We control the application, verify identity and income independently, and use credit mainly to spot patterns and address history. Eviction and background checks are layered, and when something doesn’t line up, we dig deeper with manual searches.
Big takeaway for us: self-reported data is just a starting point, and a little extra friction upfront is far cheaper than dealing with a bad placement later.
Real Estate Appraiser · Cleveland, OH · Member since 2022 · 9 posts · 10 votes
8mo
After a deep research - I've been using RentSpree. I think they generate the best report that covers most of the things. It costs around $60 for the tenants - so send it just for the ones that are really serious. Sometimes I deduct this fee from the 1st rent (if the get accepted).
Real Estate Agent · Central New York · Member since 2023 · 207 posts · 96 votes
8mo
Yeah...Zillow isn't great.
I'm an agent in the Syracuse NY area and we have access to RentSpree through our MLS. Would highly recommend. It gives a comprehensive report of credit, any record, employment history, etc and gives a good "on paper" look of potential tenants. It's a $20 application fee, at least through my MLS, not sure what the rate is for private users.
PRIOR to having potential tenants fill out the RentSpree, I send a basic Google Doc with a handful of questions to be filled out prior to touring. REALLY helps weed out the people that aren't serious. The last rental I listed, I had 20 or 30 inquiries, but only 2 groups filled out the Google Doc. Who do you think got the property? If they're serious, they'll fill it out. If not, move on. The whole order of things looks like: Post Rental Listing -> Basic Google Doc Questions -> Tour -> Formal RentSpree Application. Really helps save time for showings and minimizing in-property traffic
I’m a small property owner and learned this one the hard way.
I've used Zillow and it's been great for getting eyes on my listings, but I’ve stopped trusting it as a final screening step. Income is often whatever the applicant enters, and background or eviction data seems to be hit or miss depending on the state. I’ve had simple court searches turn up issues that never showed in the report.
These days I try to keep it simple. I control the application, then verify the big items before approving anyone. It adds a little friction, but it’s been cheaper than dealing with an eviction.
For those of you with more units or operating in multiple states, how are you handling screening and verification? Are you using a specific service, doing things manually, or layering multiple tools together?
Appreciate any advice or lessons learned.
Rob, the AAOA provides a good credit and background check for tenants. It is very detailed, and utilizes their license number in addition to social and requires their permission. The Zillow application (last time I tried accepting it, which was a while ago) was not nearly detailed enough and left a lot out in my opinion. It also seems so easy that anyone can just hit the 'apply' button, which I suppose can be good, but there are also negatives associated with that. The customizable application can capture what you want. By meeting the candidate in person during a showing is useful, and I still call past residential references, which can be surprisingly informative and useful. Also, I only charge the accepted tenant the application/credit check fee, since that is not a profit generator and really just want the best candidate and don't want that to be an inhibitor.
Rental Property Investor · NY · Member since 2018 · 72 posts · 20 votes
8mo
@Rob Schwartz I’ve landed in a similar place. I’ve used Zillow, RentPrep, Apartments.com, RentSpree, and have reviewed NTN reports when working with agents. They all provide data, but none of them fully replace judgment.
What’s worked best for me is treating reports as inputs, then slowing down to interpret patterns, verify the big items myself, and decide what actually needs follow-up. It adds friction, but it’s cheaper than fixing a bad decision later.
@Rob Schwartz I use Verento to verify tenants before they tour any of my properties. It clearly shows what applicants can actually afford and saves an incredible amount of time by eliminating back-and-forth paperwork. It’s become an essential part of my workflow.
Don’t get me wrong Zillow and Apartments.com are great tools for advertising apartments and homes. But when it comes to tenant screening, they don’t always provide the level of verification or clarity landlords and brokers really need.
