Imagine this:

After months of missing rent payments, you have to evict your renter. You send the eviction notice, and after they move out, you drive over to the rental to make sure it’s empty. 

You walk through the front door, and your jaw drops. The place is trashed. There’s garbage everywhere, holes in the walls, and the carpet is ripped up. You start walking around and realize that there are multiple windows smashed in. 

You wonder if there was any way you could have prevented this from happening to you and your property.

With the help of a top-notch screening service, you can learn which potential tenants have a history of previous evictions, or whether they’re lying about their income on their rental application. 

But how do you know which tenant screening services are actually reliable? With hundreds of providers on the market claiming to be the best, it can be nearly impossible to determine which will be the right provider for your needs. 

Don’t worry! We did the work for you. We’ve spoken with hundreds of renters about their experiences with dozens of tenant screening services. For some, we’ve heard glowing reviews. Others get poor scores. 

This article highlights the best tenant screening services on the market today. Our list is based on first-hand accounts from renters and reading many online reviews. By the end, you will know exactly which tenant screening service is the right fit for you.

What Are Tenant Screening Services?

Tenant screening services are software tools used by property managers and leasing brokerages to evaluate the background and creditworthiness of potential tenants. They generally involve an evaluation of an applicant's credit history, background, rental history, and employment status, among other factors. 

The purpose of a tenant screening service is to help you make informed decisions about which tenants to rent to, ensuring that properties are occupied by trustworthy and financially stable tenants. Tenant screening can be done manually, but using an online tool like Intellirent saves time and provides fast, accurate, and secure results.

In this article, we review and compare eight of the top tenant screening services. We evaluated service providers based on ratings and reviews, feedback from our customers who've worked with other services, and their websites. The top criteria that we looked for were a reputation for providing reliable information, saving agents time, and providing a quality experience for applicants.   

What to Look for in a Tenant Screening Service

Taking the time to do your research and select the best tenant screening service for your specific needs will save you time and frustration down the line. Not only is there a sunk cost associated with getting set up with a new screening service, but if the service you choose fails to identify applicant red flags, you could be dealing with serious reputational risk from approving a bad tenant. 

When you're evaluating potential providers, be sure to look for a clear reputation for the following characteristics:

• Accuracy: their customers feel confident in how robust the screening is. There are minimal reports of red flags being missed. 
• Speed: The screening process should be fast and efficient, so leasing professionals can make quick decisions about potential tenants.
• Compliance: The screening service should be fully compliant with all local and federal laws and regulations.
• User-friendly: The screening service should be easy to use for both agents and applicants. The interface should be intuitive and effective.  
• Security: They should have robust security measures in place to protect the sensitive personal and financial data shared. 
• Cost-effective: The price of the service should be reasonable and provide adequate value for the cost. The best screening services save so much time that they pay for themselves. Be on the lookout for hidden fees like subscription fees and upcharges for specific reports or additional services. 

Types of Tenant Screening Services

There are several different types of services that property managers and leasing agents may choose to use to facilitate their tenant screening process. These include:

• Credit Report: A comprehensive report of the potential tenant's credit history, including credit score, payment history, and outstanding debts.
• Criminal History: A report of any criminal records, including arrests, convictions, and jail time.
• Eviction History: A report of the potential tenant's past rental history that highlights if they've ever been evicted from a property and a case was filed in court.
• Employment Verification: This service verifies the potential tenant's current and past employment status, including their salary and job stability.
• Income Verification: This type of service verifies the prospective tenant's income, including their source of income and ability to pay rent.
• Identity Verification: This service verifies a potential tenant's identity, including name, birthday, and social security number.
• Pet screening: This service collects information about any pets that the applicant owns, including the type of pet, size, and any behavioral concerns. 

While agents can choose companies that provide one or two of these services, generally, the best option is to go with a comprehensive tenant screening service that provides a full package accounting for all these services. This gives the property manager and owner a holistic picture of the prospective tenant.

7 Best Tenant Screening Services

1. Intellirent: Best for medium to high-volume property management companies and leasing brokerages
2. AppFolio: Best for mid-sized property management companies
3. Rent Manager: Best for property managers of single-family homes and duplexes 
4. RentSpree: Best for Califonia-based leasing agents with a low volume of applications
5. TurboTenant: Best for individual property owners with a small number of properties 
6. Rent Prep: Best for low-volume independent property owners
7. Avail: Best for independent property owners who also need accounting software and lease agreement forms.

1. Intellirent

Overview

Intellirent’s Leasing Tools accelerate your leasing process. 

We automate away manual busywork, like data entry and manual verifications, so you can focus on meeting with prospective renters and reviewing complete applications to make smart decisions. 

Intellirent offers tools that streamline listing creation and advertising, online application and tenant screening, and communication for your potential tenants and the internal team. 

Pros

• Easy to use, customized online application
• Intuitive portal agents can use to easily advertise listings, gather and compare applications, and communicate with prospective renters. 
• Receive reliable credit, background, and rental history reports in minutes
• Automated employment and rental history verifications returned in under 24 hours
• Integrates with property management software and lease-signing tools

Cons

• The price is higher than a basic credit check. Comprehensive tenant screening services are more robust and reliable, which comes at a cost.
• Advertising tools can sometimes attract more interest than your team is ready to manage. If you have this concern, be selective about how many sites you promote your listing across.

Pricing

Intellirent is 100% free for agents. Each applicant is charged $30 when they complete their application. This price covers all services; there are no added costs or subscription fees.  

Testimonial

“Intellirent has brought consistency and ease to our company’s marketing and application processes. Direct access to so many rental sites has meant more potential tenants reach out to view vacancies. But the true favorite is the application process. Results are comprehensive - some nearly instantaneously – and the system is easy for both the applicant and the renter to navigate. In addition, the stellar customer service team and an ability to brand and tailor the application has made our transition to Intellirent a successful one.” -Deb Doran

2. AppFolio

Overview

AppFolio is an end-to-end property management software that gives property managers an online platform to help manage their business. 

This platform includes features to help with communication, accounting, maintenance, staffing, marketing, leasing, and management.

AppFolio is an excellent solution for mid-sized property management companies. 

Pros

• Conduct live virtual property showings
• AI-powered leasing agent helps set appointments

Cons

• Tenant screening is just one small piece of their comprehensive software, so it doesn’t get many updates as the rest of their tools
• The rental application features tend to be basic and inflexible; the forms can’t be customized to your needs. 

Pricing

For residential property management companies, AppFolio costs $1.40-$3 per unit per month, depending on which plan you select. 

Testimonial

“AppFolio has made us more efficient, allowing us to grow without increasing staffing." -Warner Johnson

3. Rent Manager

Overview

Rent Manager is a property management software for real estate companies of all sizes. It provides accounting, marketing, work order, and management capabilities. Rent Manager is a great fit for property managers of single-family homes and duplexes. 

Pros

• Their software is customizable, making it work for properties of all sizes
• Improved communication and efficiency through the mobile app
• Online letter templates to streamline external communications

Cons

• They don’t provide automated rental history or employment verifications
• Their screening tools are somewhat basic

Pricing

The Rent Manager platform costs $1-2.25 per unit per month, depending on which package you choose. 

Testimonial

“Giving the users flexibility for customization within Rent Manager and through the available Integrations save us a ton of time and has made our procedures more professional.” -Joseph Feldman

4. RentSpree

Overview

Rentspree is a rental management platform that offers a variety of tools to help with the rental process, including rent estimates, online rental applications, e-signature capability, and rent collection. They’re a great fit for individual landlords who run a low volume of applications. 

Pros

• Partnered with Stripe to enable online rent payment
• Easy to set up the online application and start screening in minutes

Cons

• They don’t provide rental listing marketing services
• They lack integrations with other tools, so their users have to manually move data between systems

Pricing

RentSpree has a $10/month subscription fee and charges $38 per application, charged to the applicant. 

Testimonial

“RentSpree is very easy to use and provides a thorough and easy-to-read tenant screening report.” -Dorinda von Tersch

5. TurboTenant

Overview

TurboTenant is a software platform designed for landlords to manage their rental properties. It offers tools to advertise listings, screen tenants, create leases, collect rent, and keep track of accounting. TurboTenant is best for independent landlords. The platform helps landlords manage their properties efficiently.

Pros

• Run a credit check, criminal background check, and eviction report in 5 minutes with just the tenant's email or phone number
• Manage maintenance requests and collect rent payments
• Customized rental application form

Cons

• More expensive than many of the alternatives
• The account creation process is extensive, it takes a while to get up and running

Pricing

TurboTenant charges a $99/year subscription fee, and applicants pay $55 for the online application.

Testimonial

“TurboTenant is the best! Easy to use, great customer service, and my tenants like it, too...Online application and screening reports with fast results.” -Nishant

6. RentPrep 

Overview

RentPrep is a tenant screening service for real estate professionals. It provides an easy-to-use interface for screening tenants, including credit reports and background checks. 

RentPrep also offers valuable content, podcasts, a resource center, friendly support, and a Facebook community of over 10,000 landlords. 

Pros

• Free to download landlord forms
• Free Facebook community of over 10,000 landlords

Cons

• It’s more expensive than many alternatives, especially when you factor in additional fees 
• They lack integrations with other tools 
• They don’t offer rental listing marketing or lease signing services

Pricing

RentPrep charges $40 for a credit report and another $21 for a background check. They also have optional add-ons for Judgment and Liens reporting, income verification, and sex offender search for additional fees.  

Testimonial

“As a landlord, Rentprep just makes the whole rental process so much smoother and more organized!! Been a customer 1 year now and will continue to do so” -Jacob Jaxx

7. Avail 

Overview

Avail is a landlord software that provides tools and educational content for DIY landlords. The software allows landlords to advertise their property, find tenants, view credit history, run background checks, sign leases, collect rent, and manage maintenance requests. The software is designed to make rental property management easier.

Pros

• They provide educational resources and courses for landlords to be confident and professional
• Part of the Realtor.com network
• Free rental property calculator to determine whether a property is a smart investment

Cons

• The pricing model can be confusing; it’s not clear which features and reports you need
• If you run a lot of applications, the fees will add up quickly
• There are several reviews that complain about customer service and poor UX of the software

Pricing

• Avail has an optional $5/month subscription and charges for each screening feature on an a la carte basis. Landlords can expect to pay around $55 for tenant screening.  

Testimonial

“The site makes my life so much easier. I love that I can manage all areas of my rentals in one place. I can do everything from listing my property to collecting rent from my tenants!"-Mark

Why Do You Need a Reliable Tenant Screening Service?

Working with a reliable tenant screening service is well worth the investment. Following traditional tenant screening processes wastes time and money, and opens you up to liability. Comprehensive screening is essential to help:

• Protect property investments– Identify and deny renters who have a history of damaging properties, not paying rent on time, or breaking lease agreements.
• Enhance the tenant selection process– Make informed decisions and choose the most qualified tenants for your properties
• Comply with the law– Ensure the safety and security of your properties and tenants, and stay compliant with local and federal laws. 
• Keep data secure– paper applications and emailed PDFs are a security risk, as sensitive applicant information can be stolen. 
• Save time and resources– Conducting tenant screenings is time-consuming. A tenant screening service streamlines the process and provides accurate results, saving time and effort.
• Fill vacancies faster– Each day a unit sits vacant is costing the property owner money. Tenant screening services accelerate the screening process so you can quickly identify and approve qualified renters. 
  
  

The Best Tenant Screening Service is the One That’s Best for YOU

Improving your tenant screening process with a robust screening service will save you time and effort. But how do you know which solution to choose?

The key is to be realistic about your needs, and then choose the provider that is the best fit for your unique business. Pay attention to the total cost, including any subscription fees or add-on charges. Don't forget to factor in the cost of your time spent managing manual processes! 

If you run a property management company or leasing brokerage that’s running more than a handful of applications each month, then Intellirent will likely be an effective service provider for you. 

Intellirent’s Leasing Tools automate away manual busywork, which frees up agents to focus on the human side of the business. Our advertising tools help you get a listing up in minutes and promote it across over eighty listing sites. Our robust screening tools are fully customizable and provide comprehensive credit, background, rental history, and income verification within 24 hours. And our collaboration tools keep files organized, communication centralized, and help you get documents signed in minutes. 

Don’t waste another day on manual data entry, verification calls, and endless back-and-forth with applicants getting the right information. Create a free Intellirent account, and you’ll be screening tenants in minutes. 

If you’d like to see the power of Intellirent for yourself before you decide, we understand. Sign up for a product tour. We’ll audit your leasing process so that we can show you exactly how Intellirent can fit into your existing process and help save your team time and effort.