Tenant Screening Services

[Caroling Lee]

Hi BP Community:

I'm interested in getting recommendations on Tenant Screening Services. I recently read through the forums and read that TransUnion's tool, SmartMove was recommended by BP, so I tried it, and I have to say that I'm disappointed. 

Yes, it provides criminal background and credit check, but it doesn't ask the tenant to fill out other basic info that would be requested on a rental application - like employment history, pets, previous landlord references etc., even if they aren't checking on those items, I want that info. And a random 'resident score' with no explanation of the scale for the score. AND no credit score. I mean, it's TransUnion, one would think that a credit score would be included. 

I've already paid the $35 and emailed their customer service, but it's moot now as I want to get more info than what they provided. Now, I feel like I need to go back to my potential tenant and ask for them to fill out a rental application. I should have checked a sample report from SmartMove before going through with the service.

I'm currently evaluating Tenant Background Search and Cozy. Any experience with these or others that you've had great experiences with would be great!

Caroling