Who does the best/cheapest tenant credit checks?

[Jeff Takle]

Setting aside for the moment any criminal or landlord registry checks, I'm curious to see what type of credit checks y'all use and how well they work for you. To the best of my knowledge, there are more or less three general kinds of checks you can get:

-Raw credit report, no scores, cheapest
-Credit report with FICO or other scores, moderate
-Credit + Risk report with rental recommendations, expensive

I don't know the setup fees for many of the places that offer these. I've seen raw credit reports for as low as $4 each. Equifax has an ePort service now where you can get their report with a score for around $4 each. In addition, some companies will not only look at credit but add in other factors like # of moves, type of credit owned, incomes, locations, etc. and come up with a composite risk score based on some algorithm that shows real likelihood to pay their rent on time.

Some companies will also provide a layman's terms recommendation like, "Charge maximum security deposit" or "Renting to this person presents a VERY HIGH RISK they will not pay rent on time" etc. Though I find this last category the most helpful, the reports I've found ranged from $7-$25+ each depending on the company, whether you buy in bulk, etc. Wondering if anyone else has had good/bad experiences and is willing to talk about prices/quality without just advertising their own company?

Are the credit + risk reports worth the extra money?

:chicken: