Cozy vs. TurboTenant vs. MySmartMoves

[Cian R.]

Which service do you recommend for tenant screening (background check and credit check)?  And what are the pros and cons? I'm trying to decide between Cozy and TurboTenant. I've read mixed reviews about MySmartMoves, but some of them are a few years old so those issues may have been resolved. 

[Stephen White]

Just following this thread and thought it was worth mentioning that most sites do gather the data from the same 2 sources - Experian Connect and TransUnion SmartMove. This is because these are tech companies and not screening companies, which is why they all seem to be eventually sold off since that's their long-term game plan.

I've been in the screening industry since 2007 and I've seen the trend from the beginning to where it is now. The biggest differentiator between a tech company and a screening company is going to be the support of the products more than anything. A customer service rep won't be able to walk you through or interpret a credit report/criminal records like a Certified Screener who's trained and experienced in just that. A screening company should also be able to offer a few products outside of the same 2 you see everywhere else.

And I think @Max T. has the right strategy, based on my experience. By far the most common issue we see landlords have to deal with is application fee disputes, so we always recommend using a process that pre-screens/pre-qualifies before taking the applicant's money. And in the worst case scenario, offer to refund the fee if the applicant is not accepted and they start to push back. The headache they'll cause over the next couple of weeks is not worth the principle of a no-refund policy - IMO.