What Screening Tool Do You Prefer?

Question

Hi everyone! We are about to list our first long-term rental and wanted to find out which screening software did you prefer Transunion Smartmove, Zillow, or something else?  We have heard horror stories from other landlords so hoping to utilize the best one for a reliable tenant. Thanks in advance!

Janice Carter · Answer

@Krystle NA  My preferred screening service is MyRental. I never accept Zillow's application or use their screening. I use Zillow only for marketing. I have found MyRental to be more reliable.

Ricardo Gonzalez · Answer

I've used a couple of tools at this point so I'll share what I found.

e-Renter was my go-to for a while as a self-managing landlord. It pulls credit, criminal background, eviction history, and debt load all in one report, which is really what you need to make a complete decision. Pricing is reasonable, around $22 to $37 depending on the package. The interface is a little clunky but the data is solid and it's pay-per-use so there's no subscription commitment, which is nice when you're just starting out.

I've since moved to TransUnion SmartMove for my property management company. It covers the same core bases but the tenant-paid option is convenient since you can have the applicant cover the screening cost directly. Reports come back quickly and the data presentation is cleaner.

Zillow I tried once and moved on. It felt surface-level compared to either of those.

Carlos Hennings · Answer

Great question and a common one for first-time landlords. SmartMove and Zillow are decent starting points but they have real limitations that are worth understanding before you commit to one.

Both are single-database automated systems, which means the results are instant but not always complete. The biggest gaps tend to show up in criminal and eviction searches. No single database covers the entire United States, so depending on where your applicant has lived, records could be missed entirely. Judgments and Liens are another blind spot. All three credit bureaus removed them in 2017, and most automated platforms never added them back into their searches. That matters because if the tenant abandoned the property and previous landlord never filed an eviction or the landlord offered cash for keys, they still may have filed a judgment for unpaid rent or damages, a standard report will not show it.

On the income side, relying on what the applicant submits opens the door to fraudulent paystubs and bank statements. This is becoming an epidemic. There are dedicated screening companies that connect directly to payroll processors and financial institutions to pull verified data at the source, which eliminates that problem entirely.

What to look for in a screening company is transparency about where their data comes from, whether they use multiple databases per search, whether they specifically pull Judgments and Liens, and whether they have a process for resolving incomplete records before returning results to you. Some companies still make direct court calls when a record comes back with missing information, which is the difference between a reportable record and one that legally has to come back clean.

For a long-term rental, the screening decision is your first line of defense. It is worth spending a little more time finding the right vendor than going with whatever is built into your listing platform.

Hope this helps.

Assaf Ma · Answer

Thanks for sharing all of this. Do you have recommended services that cover these sources?

Adam Tafel · Answer

We use ShukRentals.com, along with searching your local public records search.

Greg Kasmer · Answer

@Krystle NA - I've used National Tenant Network (NTN) and have been happy with their screening process. Good Luck!

Drew Sygit · Answer

Use whatever gives you actual tradelines and as many bells & whistles as possible!

Poor screening can be very expensive.

You just need to learn how to spot a "false" FICO score that has no tradeline support.

What Screening Tool Do You Prefer?

What Screening Tool Do You Prefer?

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