Has anyone used Zillow rental applications? Your experience?

[Thomas P.]

What is your experience with the quality of the rental application Zillow provides prospective tenants for $29?  Do you feel it provides sufficient and accurate information?

[Jacob Morgan]

I just tried the applications service and was not happy with the results. It's a canned solution that doesn't give the landlord any control over the process, and has some gaping holes for information that is usually needed to screen a tenant. 

First, the social security number is optional on the application, so if they don't provide it you may not get a background check, just a notice that says "background check unavailable." Somehow, they are able to generate a credit report without one, and that is rather strange to me. 

On the application, you get pretty basic responses to their work history and living location history. There aren't many opportunities to collect the more explanatory information that is sometimes need to explain frequent job changes or moves. You also cannot modify the application questions. What you get is really basic. It's also very hard to save or print the application. I think they think you will always return to the website to view it, which presents other problems. 

One glaring omission to this application is the required statement that every application should have - the statement authorizing the landlord to contact employers and past landlords and for those organizations to release information to you. Most corporate employers and property management companies absolutely require a faxed or emailed copy of this statement with the applicant's signature. You do not get the release authorization nor the signature with the Zillow Application. 

Now for the credit report. Zillow uses Experian to provide the credit summaries. I say summary because you won't get a full credit file. You will get a version of the credit score with a suggestion about how bad it is, and then a summary of the rest of their credit history. For many, this may be fine, but I encounter lots of people with mixed credit histories and would rather not go on just that score, but read through the report and decide for myself how much of a risk they are based on what sorts of issues they have had. Regardless, the reports that are provided on Transunion's Smartmove (and Credit Karma for that matter) are far more detailed and useful. 

Also, background check report seems to be optional thru Zillow. Need I list anything more?