Tenant Screening: Credit, Background and Eviction Reports
The single most expensive mistake a landlord can make is the wrong tenant. Screening is how you avoid it, and doing it consistently is how you stay on the right side of fair housing law.
The applicant runs their own report
The applicant verifies their identity directly with the screening provider and authorizes the report. You never collect a Social Security number by email or text, which removes the biggest data-handling risk small landlords carry.
What the report covers
Credit score and history, tradelines and collections, public records, eviction filings where available, and a criminal background check where the law permits it.
Written criteria, applied to everyone
Set your income multiple, credit floor and history requirements in writing before you advertise, and apply them to every applicant in order of application. That is both the fairest process and the easiest one to defend.
Decisions on the record
Approvals and denials are recorded with the date and reason, which is what you need if an adverse-action notice is ever questioned.
Try it on your own units
Set up a property, add a tenant and send the first invite in a few minutes.
Get started freeCommon questions
- Does a screening report affect the applicant's credit score?
- No. Tenant screening uses a soft inquiry, which does not affect the score.
- Who pays the screening fee?
- Usually the applicant. Some states cap what you may charge, so check local law before setting the amount.
- Can I refuse an applicant based on the report?
- Yes, on the written criteria you apply to everyone. If you deny based on a report, send an adverse-action notice naming the reporting agency.
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Other features
- Online Rent Collection
Card and bank payments, autopay, automatic receipts and late tracking.
- Maintenance Tracking
Tenant tickets with photos, scheduling, and landlord-only expense records.
- Lease Management
Templates, e-signature-ready documents, renewals and rent changes in one record.