You have a strong applicant on paper, a good income, and a friendly first impression, but you have no idea about past evictions, unpaid rent, or a criminal history that matters for the property. A single bad tenant choice can cost months of rent, a costly eviction, and damage that a deposit does not cover.
TransUnion SmartMove is a tenant screening service that gives landlords a credit report, a background check, and an eviction history report, with the applicant usually paying the screening fee and consenting to the check. It is designed for independent landlords who need a thorough report without a large subscription.
This guide explains how SmartMove works, what each report shows, what it costs, and how to use it fairly, with a real rent example and the state rules that affect screening fees and disclosures.
What Is the Short Answer?
SmartMove lets a landlord invite an applicant by email, the applicant completes the application and authorises the screening, and the landlord receives a credit report, a criminal background check, and an eviction history report, plus an income insight in many cases. The landlord does not handle the applicant’s sensitive personal data directly, because the applicant enters it into SmartMove’s secure system.
For a landlord, the value is a single, consistent report for every applicant, with the same criteria applied to each. Consistency is not just fair, it is the best protection against a discrimination claim, because every applicant is judged by the same written standard. When a tenancy goes wrong, Eviction process: A Step-by-Step Guide for Tenants explains the stages that follow, and a consistent screening record helps at every stage.
Same criteria, every applicant.
What Does the Credit Report Show?
The SmartMove credit report shows a credit score, payment history, outstanding debts, and collections, which together indicate how an applicant has handled financial obligations over time. A high score does not guarantee a good tenant, and a low score does not automatically mean a bad one, so read the history, not just the number.
Look for patterns, such as repeated late payments, unpaid rent related debts, or a sudden drop in score, rather than a single old item. A tenant who recovered from a difficult year and has paid on time for two years is a different risk from a tenant with repeated recent defaults, even if their scores are similar.
Read patterns, not just scores.
What Does the Background Check Show?
The criminal background check searches national and state records for convictions and other relevant criminal history, with the scope and reporting limits set by law. Some records, such as very old or non conviction records, may not be reported, and landlords must follow fair housing guidance on how criminal history is used.
Use criminal history as one factor, with a written policy on what matters for the property, such as recent violent or property crime, rather than a blanket ban on any record. A blanket ban can create a fair housing problem, and it can also reject good tenants for old, minor records that have no bearing on tenancy.
What Does the Eviction History Show?
Eviction history shows past eviction filings and judgments, which are among the strongest predictors of future tenancy problems, because they show how a previous tenancy actually ended. A single eviction filing that was dismissed is different from a judgment for unpaid rent, so read the outcome, not just the filing.
Check the dates and the amounts, and ask the applicant for context when a filing appears, because a filing can arise from a landlord dispute, a notice error, or a genuine nonpayment, and each story leads to a different decision. A landlord who asks, and listens, makes a better choice than one who rejects on a filing alone. If a filing later becomes a case, How long the eviction process really takes shows the timeline that follows, and why a careful first decision matters.
Ask, then decide.
A Numbered Example: One Screening Decision, Real Numbers
Take a unit renting for 1,450 dollars a month, with two applicants. Applicant A has a credit score of 720, no evictions, and a clean background, while Applicant B has a score of 610, one eviction judgment for 2,800 dollars two years ago, and a pattern of late payments in the last year.
If you choose Applicant A, and the tenancy runs twelve months at 1,450 dollars, you collect 17,400 dollars, with a normal turnover cost of about 500 dollars at the end. If you choose Applicant B without further checks, and the tenancy ends in eviction after six months, you may lose six months of rent, or 8,700 dollars, plus eviction costs and turnover, easily exceeding 10,000 dollars in total loss.
That 10,000 dollar gap is why a screening fee, typically around 40 to 50 dollars paid by the applicant where state law allows, is a small price for a thorough report. Screening does not guarantee a good tenant, but it dramatically improves the odds, and it does so for less than the cost of a single vacant week.
How Much Does SmartMove Cost?
SmartMove screening is usually paid by the applicant, with a fee that covers the credit, background, and eviction reports together, and the landlord receives the reports without handling the applicant’s payment details. Some landlords choose to pay the fee themselves, especially in competitive markets, to attract more applicants, but that choice should be stated clearly in the listing.
Check the current fee at the time you invite an applicant, because fees can change, and state the fee in the listing and the application, not as a surprise after application. A fee that is stated upfront is trusted, while a fee that appears late feels like a trap, even when it is standard.
How Do You Apply Screening Fairly?
Write your screening criteria before you invite the first applicant, including minimum income, credit, rental history, and eviction standards, and apply those criteria to every applicant in the same order. Keep a written record of each decision, with the criteria that were met or not met, so you can explain any rejection clearly and consistently.
Give every rejected applicant the required adverse action notice, with the report source and the applicant’s right to dispute, because that notice is both a legal requirement and a fairness safeguard. An applicant who can see why they were rejected, and can correct an error, is far less likely to dispute the decision.
How Does State Variation Change the Answer?
Screening rules vary by state, including caps on application and screening fees, required disclosures, and limits on what criminal or eviction history may be considered. Some states require landlords to give applicants a copy of the screening criteria before application, while others limit the lookback period for evictions or criminal records.
Cities can add further rules, such as fair chance housing ordinances that limit criminal history screening, or first in time rules that affect the order of applications. Tenant rights and responsibilities under a lease agreement explain the duties that sit behind screening, and they are worth reading before you set criteria for a new market.
What Does It Cost If You Do Nothing?
If you skip screening, or screen inconsistently, you risk a tenant choice that costs months of rent, an eviction, and damage beyond the deposit. On a 1,450 dollar unit, one eviction after six months can cost over 10,000 dollars in lost rent, legal costs, and turnover, as the example above shows.
Doing nothing about fair screening also risks a discrimination claim, which can cost far more than any eviction, in time, fees, and reputation. A written criteria sheet, a consistent report, and a proper adverse action notice together cost almost nothing, and they protect both the landlord and the applicant.
Common Questions About SmartMove Screening
Does SmartMove affect the applicant’s credit score? SmartMove uses a soft inquiry for the landlord report in most cases, which does not affect the applicant’s credit score in the same way as a hard inquiry for a loan. Tell applicants this clearly, because credit score fear stops many good applicants from applying.
Can an applicant dispute a SmartMove report? Yes, applicants can dispute errors with the reporting agency, and landlords should pause a decision if an applicant provides credible evidence of an error. A report is a starting point for a decision, not a final verdict, and an error corrected early saves a wrongful rejection.
How long does screening take? Most SmartMove reports return within minutes to a few hours after the applicant completes the application, although background checks can take longer if records need manual review. Tell applicants the expected timing, so a delay does not feel like a rejection.
How Do You Handle Applicants With Thin Credit History?
Applicants with thin credit history, such as young renters or newcomers, may have no score or a low score, not because they are risky, but because they have little history to score. For those applicants, rental history, income, references, and bank statements matter more than a score, and a landlord who relies on score alone will reject good tenants for a lack of history.
Ask thin history applicants for additional evidence, such as previous landlord references, proof of income, and a record of on time payments for rent or bills, and apply that additional evidence standard consistently to every thin history applicant. Consistency here is essential, because an inconsistent standard for thin history applicants can create a fair housing problem, even when the intent was simply to be thorough.
A thin history applicant who provides strong rental references and stable income is often a better tenant than a high score applicant with a poor rental history. Read the whole application, not just the score, and the decision will usually be clearer than the number alone suggests.
How Do You Store and Protect Screening Reports?
Screening reports contain sensitive personal information, and landlords must store them securely, share them only with people who need them for the tenancy decision, and dispose of them safely when they are no longer needed. Keep reports in a locked digital folder, not in email or on a shared drive, and limit access to the landlord or the designated manager.
Do not share a full screening report with other tenants, other landlords, or anyone who does not need it for the decision, because unauthorised sharing can create a privacy and legal problem. If an applicant asks what was in their report, direct them to the reporting agency’s dispute process, and provide the adverse action notice with the agency contact, rather than forwarding the full report.
Set a retention period for screening reports, such as the tenancy plus a year, and delete reports after that period, with a note of the deletion date. A clear retention and disposal habit protects applicants, and it protects the landlord from holding sensitive data longer than necessary.
The Bottom Line
Use SmartMove for every applicant, with written criteria applied in the same order, and read the full report, not just the score. Check credit history, eviction outcome, and background context together, and give a proper adverse action notice when you reject.
Screening is the cheapest insurance a landlord can buy, and it is also the fairest way to choose a tenant. A consistent report, a written standard, and a clear explanation together protect your rent, your property, and your reputation.
