Best Tenant Screening Services: 2024 Edition

EzLandlordForms was established back in 2006 by Kevin Kiene, a landlord with a mission to make things “ez” for his fellow property managers.

The company offers online tools to help landlords with their paperwork, from creating custom leases to tracking rent payments. It also provides a wide range of resources on landlord-tenant law, rental agreements, and best practices for running a rental property.

All its services comply with state laws and regulations, so you can rest assured that you’re using up-to-date, legally binding documents.

Pricing and Features

Although EzLandlordForms do not offer a free plan, it has an option for you to choose who will pay - you or the applicant. Knowing that the application fees cost $45 on average, EzLandlordForms is one of the best options for cash-stiped landlords.

The Silver and Gold Plans are priced at $29.95 and $34.95 per month, respectively. Both plans come with standard services such as ezTenant score, credit report, and a nationwide criminal background report. The more expensive tier comes with eviction proceedings which can bring helpful info on any past convictions for unpaid rent or evictions.

With the package, you get the ezRentalApp, a free online application that can be used to collect key personal, employment, financial, and rental information from a potential tenant. It also provides the authorization to landlords to run a background and credit check.

Reports

Once you sign up with ezLandlordForms, it will review your application and your potential tenants’ data and provide accurate results, all in less than five minutes. All the screening services you’ll get are 100% reliable as ezLandlordForms has partnered with TransUnion Credit Bureau.

The basic tenant screening will give insight into an applicant’s credit accounts, debts, bankruptcies, resident scores, judgments, and other red flags. Pulling the information won’t be a hard inquiry on the applicant’s credit report.

The criminal background check will reveal an applicant’s felony and misdemeanor convictions at the nationwide databases, including DEA, FBI, ODAC, and even sex offender data, for the past ten years. If you subscribe to a Gold package, you will also receive information about the applicant’s state-specific eviction proceeding history.

Customer Support

EzLandlordForms offers several ways to get in touch with their customer service team. There’s also a comprehensive FAQ section, an extensive resources library with articles and state laws, and guides available to all customers.

For more specific questions or problems, you can contact the customer support team via live chat, email, phone, or a forum with other landlords.

Pros

• Excellent customer support
• Reliable criminal background check
• Option to choose whether a landlord or customer pays for the services
• Fast turnaround times

Cons

• No free trial for tenant screening

Trusted by over 90,000 landlords, agents, property managers, and others, RentSpree is an all-in-one solution for tenant screening, rental applications, and rental management. This service has been operational since 2016, and offers a wide range of services and tools to simplify the tenant screening process. 

The company’s main goal is to provide fast and secure online screening and background check services to its clients. Instead of waiting for weeks to get your prospects’ rental screening information, RentSpree enables agents to sign up in a few minutes and start screening tenants. 

Pricing and Features 

When it comes to pricing, RentSpree offers several options. The starter plan is free and allows you to add properties as well as send application and screening requests. However, to gain access to  reports provided by RentSpree’s partner, TransUnion, applicants have to pay a $39.99 fee. These services are free for property representatives.   

The comprehensive tenant background check is available with all packages and includes a criminal background check for renters. The service sifts through more than 200 million criminal records. Customers also get access to an applicant’s eviction history and credit scores. 

The Pro plan includes all the features that come with the free package along with a few additional perks, like the renter document upload feature and automated reference checks. For these additional services, you’ll need to pay $9.99.

Finally, the Enterprise plan is for property managers and rental estate agents who manage multiple properties and need more comprehensive services. It includes a branded landing page and an unlimited number of Pro memberships.  

Reports

Like most of the services we’ve listed, RentSpree provides you with TransUnion reports. The reports include a complete credit score and credit history information. Moreover, the aforementioned criminal records check is available for all states except New Jersey. 

When it comes to eviction history checks, RentSpree has access to over 25 million records. The eviction history is available for all states except for New York. 

Customer Support

The RentSpree customer service team is available by phone between Monday and Friday from 7 a.m. until 5 p.m. and on Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. until 12 p.m. (PST). You can also send them an email at any time.

RentSpree offers comprehensive guides and articles explaining how to use the service. You can find guides that explain how to create a screening form and what to ask your prospective tenants. There are over 20 questions that you can use for a candidate’s screening.

Pros 

• Background checks
• E-signature service
• Free rental application 
• Rich library of articles and guides 

Cons

• Eviction history excludes New York

LeaseRunner is owned by a company bearing the same name and operated out of Denver, Colorado. The main draw (or drawback, depending on how you look at it) is that it provides an a la carte service as opposed to the defined packages that most tenant verification services offer.

If you know exactly what you want your tenants screened for, it ends up being cheaper than the competition. If you’d rather check everything, the costs will quickly mount up.

Pricing and Features 

LeaseRunner offers four tenant background and credit check services, all of which are offered separately. As there are no bundled packages, you have to decide which checks are most important to you. Every service can be paid for by the landlord or the costs can be passed along to the tenant. The cheapest is the $10 financial report.

It gets you an overview of your prospective tenant’s financial health by providing their latest bank account balance details, documented in a full three-month report.

LeaseRunner provides detailed accounts of your wannabe tenant’s previous rental history - provided you have $12 to pay for the service, that is. It’s an extensive report, covering a period of seven years in a nationwide search that includes up to 10 addresses in one inquiry.

The service checks for past court actions and monetary judgements on property damage claims, unlawful detainers, and more. 

Next up is a criminal record check for $15. It’s probably the most detailed tenant check on our list, giving you records from all 50 states and Washington, DC, checking the sex offender registry, terrorist watch lists, traffic records, and much more.

The final option is also the most expensive, providing credit checks for landlords who want a detailed look at their tenant’s credit and financial history. For $20, you get a full Experian tenant credit check along with VantageScore 3.0, which includes payment history, highest balance attained, credit limits, and more.

You also get a detailed look at your tenant’s current and previous employers, as well as the phone numbers and addresses they’ve used in the past.

Reports 

While most of the competition works with TransUnion, LeaseRunner sources its credit reports from a competing credit bureau, Experian. It also uses the very detailed VantageScore 3.0, which cross-checks data across multiple credit bureaus to give the best background checks for landlords who want to know everything about their prospective tenant’s financial situation.

In general, all of the reports are incredibly detailed and you’d be hard pressed to find a competitor that offers more across any of the four chosen report types. The credit checks are also soft inquiries, so they won’t affect your applicant’s credit rating. Reports are produced very quickly, and the entire process can be done in a very short period of time, providing your prospective tenants cooperate.

Customer Support

Good customer service goes a long way towards retaining customers. LeaseRunner knows this well. You have several options for getting in touch with the customer-support team. The support desk works from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mountain time, Monday through Friday. You can also reach support engineers by phone or consult the extensive FAQ list on the site.

Pros

• A la carte system for choosing background checks
• Extremely detailed reports 
• Paperless state-specific rental agreements with e-signature support

Cons

• The lack of a specific score for lease default prediction
• Website can be difficult to navigate

CoreLogic’s MyRental has been around for almost a decade. In that time, this tenant screening service has gained immense popularity because it offers terrific features at a reasonable price.

Aimed at both independent property owners and real estate agents, MyRental offers an extensive background and credit check for renters that can be broken down into individual a la carte services or purchased together across one of three main packages. 

Pricing and Features 

When it comes to pricing, MyRental keeps it simple. There are two main plans. With the $24.99-per-month Basic plan, you get previous address and eviction history, multi-state criminal and sex offender database cross-referencing, and even a check against the national terrorist database. Clearly, the focus here is on safety.

The more expensive plan is called Premium. It comes in at $34.99 per month.

The Premium package includes a lot of goodies in return for the extra 10 bucks, starting with a credit check for your tenant. You also get the option to pass the bill to your renter, as well as getting access to the renter’s unique SafeRent score. 

The score is a three-digit number that predicts the likelihood of a lease default. It’s based on all of the data that MyRental has collected on the potential renter, all rolled up together and presented in a single number like a credit score. You can also see what percentage of local landlords have accepted tenants with similar scores as well as comparing it to others by location.

If it’s specific services that you need, you can put together your ideal package through MyRental’s a la carte system. The least expensive is a rental background check, which checks a person’s eviction history for only $7.99. A tenant credit report costs $14.99, while criminal reports range from $9.99 for a statewide check to $19.99 for a detailed multistate check. 

Reports 

MyRental uses TransUnion's credit screening services. Because prospective tenants can supply the data through a free and easy-to-use online application, the credit check for tenants can simply perform a “soft” inquiry that won’t negatively affect their credit score.

Just be aware that the credit check for renters is only a part of the overall info shown, and the main number that will be highlighted in the report is MyRental’s SafeRent score. Your tenant’s actual credit score is in there too, it’s just not as prominent.

Once you’ve reviewed the report, you can accept or deny the tenant’s rental application. MyRental helps by giving you a screen where you can fill out an acceptance or adverse-action letter. The provided letters are only samples, so be sure to check for compliance with current local law, especially if you’re denying a tenant’s request.

Customer Support

You can use a toll-free phone number to talk to the helpful customer service staff Monday to Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Central time. Agents can also be reached via email at [email protected]. You can also call a different number from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday to work on resolving disputes.

MyRental also has a large FAQ database and plenty of useful information hidden away in blogs on the site.

Pros

• Free online rental application
• SafeRent score predicts lease default
• Flexible pricing scheme 

Cons

• Limited income information 
• Very few customer reviews

RentPrep is a very simple and affordable tenant screening service that offers two main plans and paid add-ons for criminal reporting, income verification, and other needs. It’s a great tool for finding out about your applicant’s eviction history and verifying Social Security numbers on the cheap. Credit reporting adds a significant premium to the cost of this service.

Pricing and Features 

RentPrep’s basic background check for renters costs just $21. It includes verification of the prospective tenant’s SSN, a nationwide check for evictions, as well as checks for bankruptcies, judgements, and liens. 

You can augment the basic check with a nationwide criminal search that covers all 50 states plus Washington, DC, for an additional six bucks - or pay another $10 to verify your tenant’s income. You can also opt for a $11 Credit Decision report that simply gives a pass/fail grade based on a credit standard that you set, with a score range instead of an exact FICO credit score.

After RentPrep reviews your tenant, you will receive summary codes from the credit report if the applicant fails to meet the credit score requirements that you’ve set. These will help you to understand why the tenant failed. If the applicant passes, only the pass grade will be shown.

The other option is the $40 TransUnion Full Credit Report. As the name implies, this one is done in collaboration with TransUnion’s excellent service. For 40 bucks, you actually lose the Judgements & Liens feature from the basic plan, but gain an extensive credit report combined with a TransUnion ResidentScore and a full rental background check.

In addition, you can chip in $10 for income verification or $7 to add back the judgements & liens checks to RentPrep’s basic tenant check. It also adds the option to charge the bill to your tenant instead of paying it yourself.

Reports

We’ve already talked about TransUnion’s excellent ResidentScore, so we won’t go into detail here. The reports come directly from TransUnion. They are “soft” inquiries as long as they are initiated (and thus approved) by the tenants.

Reports are very professional, and a lot of care is taken to comply with the Fair Credit Reporting Act. Live screening and manual verification of all tenant-given information is just icing on the cake.

Customer Support

The very helpful and knowledgeable staff can be reached through phone, fax or email - or even by filling out a handy form on the website. The Resources page is also rich with information that’s bound to be helpful to landlords and property managers, and there’s a great FAQ page to consult in case you need an answer to common questions.

Overall, top marks for RentPrep here.

Pros

• Most affordable option
• Criminal reports include all US states
• Manual verification of tenant information

Cons

• Limited income information available

Although you can get a TransUnion background check from any number of companies on our list, SmartMove is the only way to get it directly from the credit bureau itself. With 10 years of experience and millions of landlords behind it, SmartMove is a household name in the industry. 

The service is split into three pricing plans, starting with the $25 Basic plan. Notably, eviction reports and residential history are reserved for one of the two premium plans. Still, this provider features credit-based Resident Scores and a nationwide criminal background check across all of its service plans.

Pricing and Features 

Many companies do not reference criminal records or run a credit check on the tenant in their basic plans. SmartMove does both. Unfortunately, that leaves something that most landlords consider the principal feature of tenant screening out of the scope of the starting plan: residential history and eviction notices issued previously to your potential tenant.

Paying $25 per screening for the SmartCheckBasic plan gets you SmartMove’s proprietary credit-based ResidentScore and a nationwide criminal background check that’s available everywhere except for Delaware, Hawaii, Kentucky, Massachusetts, South Dakota, and Wyoming.

The ResidentScore is similar to a traditional credit score, but TransUnion SmartMove reviews rental performance rather than the chances of paying off a loan. It is graded from 350 to 850 points, and based on a comparative analysis against more than half a million resident records.

The $38 SmartCheck Plus plan gets you a full credit report in addition to the ResidentScore and, more importantly, a national eviction report. 

Finally, the SmartCheck Premium plan costs $40 per screening. It includes Income Insights, a proprietary feature that helps you avoid manual income checks by analyzing whether your prospective tenant’s financial behavior matches their reported income. It’s a handy feature, but it can be misleading: Credit scoring generally doesn't favor people who save most of their income.

Reports

Standard tenant credit reporting is available only from SmartMove’s SmartCheck Plus plan. For the Standard plan you get the ResidentScore - which is, frankly, more useful in our opinion. The checks are initiated and authorized by the person being vetted, so they will always be a “soft pull.” All reports, including the premium IncomeInsights feature, are generated pretty much instantly. 

Customer Support

One area in which TransUnion falls short of the competition is customer support. While the agents themselves are very helpful, you can reach them only by filling out a form on the website and waiting for a reply. 

On the upside, the site does feature a detailed FAQ section and lots of blogs with useful information about tenant screening and other property-management topics for landlords.

Pros

• Unique Resident Score and Income Insights
• Nationwide criminal checks
• Get data directly from a credit bureau

Cons

• No eviction information in all plans
• Criminal background reports restricted by state

Buildium was launched as a property-management service in 2004. The company later added tenant screening for landlords who want to vet potential tenants.

The Boston-based company targets major players with plans that feature extensive property management toolkits in addition to tenant screening. It’s not the best option for small-time property owners, but it represents excellent value for anyone seeking a unified property-management package.

Pricing and Features 

Tenant screening is just a small part of the Buildium toolkit. The focus is on property-management tools such as rental listings, accounting, a residence center for tenants to submit bills and maintenance requests, and more. Buildium has also recently changed its pricing scheme and plans.

The first plan is called Buildium Essential, and it comes with the option to purchase basic tenant screening. The main features include a marketing website, balance sheets, income statements, buyable e-leases and property inspections, and a ticket support system. It starts at $50 per month with basic tenant reports costing $15 more - $30 if you pass the bill along to your prospective tenant. 

Other plans include Growth ($160 per month) and Premium ($460 per month). In addition to e-leases and advanced analytics, they come with the option of purchasing premium tenant screening for $18 per client.

Although screening is a secondary feature at Buildium, the company has one of the better background check systems we’ve seen. It’s powered by TransUnion’s SmartMove credit check services for landlords. All three plans give you very comprehensive screening packages if you opt for them.

The services include a full credit report with a rental recommendation from SmartMove; full identity, background, and criminal checks; and an eviction notice history. 

The Premium plan requires that you accredit your business to prove that you are a legitimate landlord or property manager. After going through the verification process and paying a one-time $99 accreditation fee, you will be able to perform screenings by yourself, using information provided by the online rental application. 

Reports 

Buildium’s tenant background checks are very detailed. You get a unified report that combines the tenant’s previous credit, criminal, and eviction activity within the United States. If you’re using basic screening, TransUnion sends an email to the client requesting the required data.

Premium screening eliminates this step by getting your applicants to fill out all the necessary information as part of their online rental application. In either case, the credit check performed is a soft inquiry, so there’s no risk of lowering your prospective tenant’s credit score.

Customer Support

Unfortunately, while the customer-support team is truly excellent, you will get access only to ticket-based support in the Essential plan. Upgrading to the Growth plan gets you a phone support line from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern time Monday through Friday, and the Premium plan includes priority support for when you absolutely need to talk to a representative right away.

Pros

• Detailed analytics 
• Great property-management tools
• Very helpful customer service

Cons

• Add-on fees can add up quickly
• Too expensive for small business owners

One of the newer companies on our list, TurboTenant is a fantastic platform for landlords and property managers who need a complete set of tools for property management. The company also performs tenant background checks, but those come as part of a premium plan that drives the price up. 

Pricing and Features 

Like Buildium, TurboTenant offers much more than a tenant screening service. The company’s extensive set of rental marketing and management tools - including online questionnaires and screening applications for your tenants - are offered at no charge.

Where TurboTenant makes money is its two tenant screening packages and optional renter insurance, which starts at $8 per month.

What sets this company apart from the competition is that credit checks from TransUnion are included in the basic package, which costs $35 per screening.

Both reports are very detailed, providing a look at not just your applicants’ credit scores and criminal convictions, but a whole list of financial and criminal background checks such as Social Security number verification and employment history.

One obvious thing that is missing here are the eviction reports. To get those, you’ll have to add another $10, for a total of $45. The $10 gets you an incredibly detailed report on potential unlawful detainments, failures to pay rent, warrants of eviction, and more.

We should mention here that the site makes a point of allowing you to pass the bill along to your tenant for any of the screening options, thereby making all of TurboTenant’s services effectively free for the landlord.

Unfortunately, while you can get detailed background information about your prospective tenant’s past, there are no checks in place to verify their current income and employment status. 

Reports 

TurboTenant provides very detailed reports. Its partnership with TransUnion means you can look forward to quickly processed, detailed, professional credit reports based on soft credit checks that won’t affect your tenant’s credit score. Excellent credit reports are supplemented by very detailed criminal and background-check reports, all delivered speedily.

Customer Support

Customer support is one area in which TurboTenant could use some improvements. Although the company employs very helpful and knowledgeable staff members, you can reach them only by filing a ticket on the website. TenantAlert has no phone number to call or live chat on the website. 

That said, the company has a very well-organized and detailed help center that is bound to answer most of the questions you might have about its services.

Pros

• Very detailed reports
• Excellent free property-management tools
• Screening process is very quick and easy

Cons

• Tenant background checks only available in premium plan
• No phone support

This Florida-based tenant screening company has been around since 2005. In that time, VerifyTenant has run nearly 18,000 screenings, building up a small but loyal following in the US landlord community. With good reason, too: VerifyTenant offers top-notch services with a focus on extensive nationwide criminal checks.

Unfortunately, eviction notices are not part of the starter plan, and you’ll need to sign up for a membership in order to give your potential future renter a credit check. 

Pricing and Features 

VerifyTenant offers three basic plans, customized packages that you can get a quote for, and a membership plan that includes access to TransUnion credit reports. The most affordable option ($20) is called Silver. It includes a nationwide criminal check supplemented with a look at the national terrorist watchlist and sex offender registry.

Adding $5 gets you the Gold package, which supplements the criminal background checks with your potential tenant’s eviction history.

The $30 Platinum package adds employment, residence, and character verification.

A full credit and background check for landlords is available only through site membership. Membership is free, but signing up is a bit tedious. You’ll need to provide a letter of intent that describes what your business is all about, estimates of monthly volume, and  whether your business operates locally, regionally, or nationally.

You must also provide a business reference and a copy of your business license. Then you’ll have to get a quote about the price of credit screenings. 

VerifyTenant uses TransUnion for its checks. If you’d rather have reports from Experian or Equifax, you’re out of luck.

Reports 

As a landlord, tenant screening can seem like a needlessly slow process. VerifyTenant does what it can to speed that process up, giving you nearly instant results for criminal, eviction, and other non-financial background checks.

The credit reports are TransUnion soft inquiries that let you in on all of the relevant information about your future tenant: credit score, litigations, bankruptcies, and more. Just remember: To get access to the best quality services VerifyTenant has to offer, you need to become a member. 

Customer Support

You can reach VerifyTenant’s customer-support staff by email or phone. The company doesn’t specify working hours for the support team, but we recommend making contact during business hours. Remember that the company is in Florida, so you’re dealing with Eastern time.

You can also check the very helpful blog posts on the website for various useful forms and resources.

Pros

• Extensive tenant screening options
• Detailed criminal checks across all states
• Fast turnaround

Cons

• Eviction record not included with all plans
• Very few user review available online

Including everything from Social Security number validation and searches for all types of lawsuits to detailed checks against the OFAC/Patriot Act, sex offender list, and multi-state criminal archives, E-Renter’s basic plan covers all the bases when it comes to security. High-end plans add credit reporting, excellent Rent Check Advisor software, and in-depth applicant identity verification.

Pricing and Features 

E-Renter offers three plans: Basic ($21.95), Premium ($31.95), and Ultimate ($36.95). It is, along with VerifyTenant, probably the best option if you’re worried about security above all.

The Basic plan offers thorough criminal verification and searches to discover whether your prospective tenants have had evictions, liens, judgements, or bankruptcies in the past. The Premium package adds credit reports, although you must still pay a $1.99 fee for each credit report. It includes a FICO credit score but not much else. 

The $34.95 Ultimate plan requires you to pay $2.49 for a credit report, too. It also includes the very useful Rent Check Advisor software. We like to give credit for useful proprietary features that add unique value to a company’s offer, and this is one such case. 

The software performs an analysis to determine whether you should accept a check from your tenant based on a detailed analysis of their check-writing patterns and history (forced account closures, outstanding bad check collections, and so on).

The Ultimate plan also adds more personal verification features such as the applicant’s Social Security number name-match check, a look at the Social Security Death Index, and more.

Reports 

The credit reports here are based on the tenant’s FICO credit score and are done pretty much immediately, as soon as the tenant authorizes them and pays the $1.99 fee. Although E-Renter may not be the best option when it comes to turnaround speed, other reports are generated fairly quickly as well.

Customer Support

If you’re a landlord whose background check of prospective tenants hasn’t gone as planned, you can reach out to E-Renter’s customer support representatives via email or a toll-free phone number. The team’s working hours are 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Central time Monday through Friday, plus 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturdays.

The E-Renter website features a very well-organized Resources section with a detailed FAQ page.

Pros

• Basic plan offers fantastic value
• RentCheck Advisor software
• Fantastic customer service

Cons

• No lease default prediction 
• Criminal report excludes 4 states and Washington D.C.