Tools · Tenant screening
Best tenant screening services.
For long-term and mid-term rentals, screening means credit, criminal and eviction checks on an applicant. Here is what each service costs, who pays, and what you get.
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How this list works
Rankings here are editorial. Nobody can pay to move up, and rule pages on this site are never affected by any partner. We have not run test screenings, so we rank on price clarity, who pays, what the report includes and how little setup you need. This is general information, not legal advice.
There are no affiliate links on this page today.
At a glance
Cost and who pays
| Service | Billing | Published price |
|---|---|---|
| TransUnion SmartMove | Flat fee per applicant, landlord or applicant pays | SmartCheck Basic $25, SmartCheck Plus $40, SmartCheck Premium $49 (plus tax). No fee to sign up or request a report |
| TurboTenant | Free landlord plan; renter pays the screening fee | Renter screening fee $45 (Free and Essentials plans) or $55 (Pro). Landlord plans: Free, Essentials from $12.42/month, Pro from $16.48/month; annual plans for 1 to 10 units are $149 (Essentials) and $199 (Pro) |
| RentPrep | Flat fee per screening, landlord or tenant pays on most packages | Credit Report Only $29; Full Background Check Only $29 (landlord pays); Complete Screening Package $49. Income verification add-on $10, income and employment verification add-on $15. Custom pricing for 50+ doors |
| Zillow Rental Manager | No fee for landlords; renter pays when applying | No fee for landlords. The renter fee is not stated on the screening page |
Before you screen
Rules that apply to every service
| Consistent criteria | Write your standards down first Apply the same income, credit and background criteria to every applicant. Fair housing law prohibits treating applicants differently based on protected characteristics. |
|---|---|
| Adverse action | Tell applicants when a report affects your decision Credit and background reports fall under the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act. If you deny an applicant or raise their deposit because of a report, you generally must give them notice. Ask the service what notices it provides. |
| Local limits | States and cities limit fees and criminal history use Some places cap application or screening fees or restrict how criminal records can be used. Check your state and city before charging applicants or setting a criminal-history policy. |
| Short stays | Guest vetting is different Screening applies to tenants on a lease. For nightly guests, see the guest-vetting features of property management software. |
Reviews
The services, ranked
1. TransUnion SmartMove
A pay-per-screening service with three clear packages, run by one of the three credit bureaus. You decide whether the landlord or the applicant covers the fee, where the law allows.
| Billing | Flat fee per applicant, landlord or applicant pays |
|---|---|
| Price | SmartCheck Basic $25, SmartCheck Plus $40, SmartCheck Premium $49 (plus tax). No fee to sign up or request a report |
| Reports included | Basic: ResidentScore and criminal background. Plus adds credit and eviction-related reports. Premium adds income insights and an identity check |
| Best for | Landlords who want to choose who pays and see the price before they start |
| Worth knowing | Criminal and eviction reports are subject to federal, state and local limits that can restrict which records appear. Prices exclude tax. Where the applicant pays, check your state's rules on application and screening fees. |
Source: SmartMove screening packages · verified October 5, 2026 · Visit TransUnion SmartMove
2. TurboTenant
A landlord platform where listings and applications are free and the renter pays for screening when they apply, so the landlord spends nothing on a typical applicant.
| Billing | Free landlord plan; renter pays the screening fee |
|---|---|
| Price | Renter screening fee $45 (Free and Essentials plans) or $55 (Pro). Landlord plans: Free, Essentials from $12.42/month, Pro from $16.48/month; annual plans for 1 to 10 units are $149 (Essentials) and $199 (Pro) |
| Reports included | Credit, criminal background and eviction checks. Pro adds income and employer verification, fraud detection and a threat database |
| Best for | Small landlords who want listings, applications and screening in one free tool |
| Worth knowing | The screening fee is paid by the renter, so check that your state allows charging applicants. Income verification, employer verification and fraud detection require the Pro plan. Autopilot (full-service management) is quote-only by phone. |
Source: TurboTenant pricing page · verified October 5, 2026 · Visit TurboTenant
3. RentPrep
Flat packages with a screener who reviews the results. The Complete package costs the same as SmartMove Premium but swaps income insights for a manual review.
| Billing | Flat fee per screening, landlord or tenant pays on most packages |
|---|---|
| Price | Credit Report Only $29; Full Background Check Only $29 (landlord pays); Complete Screening Package $49. Income verification add-on $10, income and employment verification add-on $15. Custom pricing for 50+ doors |
| Reports included | Complete package: credit report, ResidentScore, SSN verification, nationwide criminal and sex-offender search, evictions, judgments and liens, and an FCRA-certified screener review |
| Best for | Landlords who want a human review of the background report and add-on income checks |
| Worth knowing | The standalone background check is landlord-pay only. Add-ons for income and employment verification cost extra. |
Source: RentPrep pricing page · verified October 5, 2026 · Visit RentPrep
4. Zillow Rental Manager
Screening is built into the listing and application flow and costs the landlord nothing. The tradeoff is that the renter pays a fee that Zillow does not list on the page.
| Billing | No fee for landlords; renter pays when applying |
|---|---|
| Price | No fee for landlords. The renter fee is not stated on the screening page |
| Reports included | Credit report (via Experian), background check (via CIC), eviction history, income documents, employment and residence history, criminal history information |
| Best for | Landlords already advertising on Zillow who do not want to pay for screening |
| Worth knowing | The applicant fee amount is not published on the screening page, so confirm it before you tell applicants. Best when you are already using Zillow for listings and applications. |
Source: Zillow Rental Manager tenant screening · verified October 5, 2026 · Visit Zillow Rental Manager
Before you lease
Know your city's rental rules
Screening is one step. Rent rules, permits and what you can rent short term vary by city.
Find your market's rental rules, or see STR pricing tools and property management software.
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