SmartMove's Residential Score

[Dana R.]

After some trepidation, I used Transunion Smartmove for the first time to do a tenant background check.

And, I'm a bit confused by their report.

I paid for their QuickCheck Plus version, the more expensive version, and it promised a full credit report.

But, there's no FICO credit score. Instead, they're giving me their own brand new and proprietary rating, their residential score.

I've got no reference to what this residential score means. A traditional credit score had its issues, but at least I understand what the credit score meant. When it promises a full credit report, I was also expecting a credit score.

When Smartmove gives you their residential score, they also give you a recommendation whether or not to accept a applicant. Do you trust these recommendations?

I also wish there were more explanations for the report. I'm reading their report, and trying to guess what it means because there's not a lot of help on their FAQ or anywhere else on their website.

Other credit scores are more thorough in explaining their report. For example:

http://www.experian.com/blogs/ask-experian/credit-...

On Smartmove, for the late payment summary, it says 3 months but there are 0s over 30,60,90. and 120 days. Does it mean that there were no late payments in the last 3 months or that there were 3 months when there were late payments?

Is there any reason why I should stick with Smartmove instead of a more traditional credit report?

Does Smartmove capture more problems than other services? The applicant brought in his own credit report powered by appfolio, and I did notice that Smartmove showed more problems than the applicant's report.

But, if I gone with a more traditional credit report, would those reports have also caught similar problems too?