In an increasingly competitive rental market, making informed tenant selection decisions is critical for landlords and property managers. One solution that aims to simplify this process is TransUnion SmartMove. But is it all it’s cracked up to be?

With numerous tenant screening services available, finding the right one to balance comprehensive screening with ease of use can be daunting. In this in-depth review, we take an unbiased look at TransUnion SmartMove. Whether you're a seasoned landlord or new to property management, you'll gain valuable insights into how SmartMove may streamline your tenant selection process.

This post looks into the usability, features, and more. We’ll cover the pros and cons of this solution, giving you everything you need to know to make an informed decision. 

Transunion SmartMove Review 

Let’s begin by examining TransUnion as an organization. TransUnion is one of the three major credit reporting agencies in the United States. This organization collects and aggregates credit and public record information on millions of consumers and businesses. TransUnion offers many products and services to both businesses and consumers, including credit reports, credit scores, identity verification services, and tenant screening services.

Related Read: Tenant Screening Report Sample: How To Read a Tenant Report

TransUnion SmartMove has many positive reviews from customers. Some of the strengths of this solution include its speed. Users report SmartMove is fast, convenient, and provides comprehensive screening information to make informed rental decisions. You can sign up for an account and start screening prospective tenants within minutes. The screening includes credit and eviction checks, criminal records, and TransUnion's proprietary ResidentScore to predict applicant risk.

However, the solution is not without its challenges and downsides. SmartMove users have had challenges with customer support, which is not available during off-hours, and have found the solution expensive for multiple screenings or scaling property management businesses. 

TransUnion SmartMove provides a popular tenant screening solution for rental property owners. Users must be aware of limitations related to compliance. SmartMove users must understand fair housing regulations in their local area before screening applicants to ensure they comply with all local and federal screening regulations. 

Let’s now explore the details of some different features and aspects of TransUnion SmartMove and see how it stacks up against another top screening solution.

1. Screening Criteria and Reports 

One of the most critical elements of any tenant screening solution is the available screening criteria and reliability of reports. Let’s compare TransUnion SmartMove with another top solution, Intellirent, on tenant screening criteria and available reporting. 

• TransUnion SmartMove delivers comprehensive background checks, credit history, criminal records, eviction proceedings, income verification, and proprietary risk scoring. Similarly, Intellirent provides instant access to credit, criminal, and eviction checks through integration with TransUnion. Renter SmartMatch scores give you a clear picture of how applicants compare. 
• Both services enable property managers to run credit checks on applicants, using TransUnion data to maximize accuracy.
• Criminal background checks are a core part of screening on both platforms. TransUnion SmartMove searches a database of millions of records across multiple states and jurisdictions.
• Checking eviction history is critical, and both TransUnion and Intellirent screen for relevant court records and judgments.
• The ability to verify previous rental history can also influence decisions. TransUnion SmartMove has income insights reports, while Intellirent focuses more on employment verification.

In summary, both platforms enable extremely comprehensive screening on every key criterion — credit, criminal, evictions, income, and risk scoring.

2. User-Friendliness and Integration 

User-friendliness is critical for any property manager looking to manage tenant screening and property application processes efficiently. How does TransUnion SmartMove deliver in terms of user-friendliness and application integrations?

• TransUnion SmartMove emphasizes an easy sign-up process to start screening tenants within minutes. However, the interface looks a bit dated, and there is no specific integration with external property management software.
• Intellirent provides a simple, modern interface design, simplifying the experience for applicants and property managers. Intellirent’s dashboard view also enables transparent tracking and collaboration across the screening process.
• Intellirent has extensive software integration capabilities working with property management systems like Yardi, RentManager, and Propertyware. These integrations allow property managers to create a seamless, centralized workflow. TransUnion SmartMove does not list available integrations. 
• Intellirent also enables automated listing distribution across dozens of sites like Zillow and Apartments.com to supercharge advertising vacant units. Again, TransUnion SmartMove does not advertise these same listing and marketing features. 

Intellirent stands out in terms of user-friendliness and ease of application integration. Though TransUnion SmartMove offers many critical features, users may find navigating it more challenging than Intellirent’s solution.

3. Data Accuracy and Reliability 

Data reliability is crucial for tenant screening processes. How reliable is the data provided by TransUnion SmartMove?

Related Read: Improve Your Rental Application Approval Process with These 8 Tips

• TransUnion SmartMove and Intellirent pull from TransUnion's massive credit records database. TransUnion is one of the largest credit check companies in the world, providing reliable credit history and risk scoring.
• Both SmartMove and Intellirent use identification checks on applicants to prevent fraud, ensuring the reports match the rental candidates.
• TransUnion data should have the highest confidence levels in the market as leading credit reporting agencies with stringent compliance standards.

Since TransUnion owns the underlying credit reporting data for both solutions, the core screening data can be considered highly dependable for both platforms in this comparison.  

4. Cost and Pricing Structure 

Before selecting a tenant screening solution, you must ensure the pricing structure fits within your budget. How does TransUnion SmartMove’s pricing model stack up against competitors like Intellirent?

• TransUnion SmartMove uses a pay-as-you-go pricing model with no subscriptions. Property managers pay between $25 and $43 per individual screening report, depending on your selected package.
• With Intellirent, property managers enjoy a free platform with no subscription fees. Applicants pay a flat $30 application fee per report.

So for property management businesses interested in minimizing overhead costs, Intellirent delivers significant affordability and flexibility advantages. TransUnion SmartMove transfers costs to the property manager, making it more affordable for applicants. 

5. Compliance and Security 

Compliance with housing and credit regulations is critical for any landlord navigating the tenant screening landscape. Let’s examine how TransUnion SmartMove performs regarding compliance and information security.

Related Read: Renters Credit Report Authorization: 6 Things Property Managers Should Know

• TransUnion SmartMove reports adherence to laws and regulations like the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) that govern background checks and consumer disclosures. Their systems are designed for legal compliance.
• As Intellirent partners closely with TransUnion as the credit data provider, they inherit the reliability, compliance, and data security inherent in TransUnion's systems.
• Related to information security, both SmartMove and Intellirent use encryption and access controls to protect your applicants’ personal information like SSNs and bank account details.

Overall, TransUnion SmartMove and Intellirent are comparable regarding compliance and security. Both solutions take legal compliance and data security very seriously. Property managers can have confidence in those areas with either platform.

Transunion SmartMove Review: Final Thoughts 

This review shows how Transunion SmartMove performs related to compliance, pricing, screening criteria, and more. But remember, Transunion isn’t the first and last word when it comes to tenant screening! 

Enter: Intellirent

With our tenant screening and property management tool, you can create custom applications, craft professional property listings, collaborate and communicate with applicants, and run comprehensive background and Transunion credit checks, all in one place.

The best part? Intellirent is always free for property managers!

Check out our free product tour today to see if Intellirent is the right solution for you.