🔍 SmartMove vs Full Tenant Screening — What Landlords Need to Know

TransUnion SmartMove is popular — but is it the right screening tool for your rental? Here’s an honest comparison with full-service tenant screening.

📊 Side-by-Side Comparison 💰 Pricing Breakdown ⚠️ What SmartMove Misses 📅 Updated

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$25–$40

SmartMove Cost Range

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Nationwide

Eviction Search Needed

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FCRA

Both Must Comply

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Instant

Both Return Reports Fast

▶ Quick Overview

Watch Overview

🛡️ Full Tenant Screening — Credit, Eviction & Background

Our FCRA-compliant screening packages deliver everything you need in one place — with landlord-pays and applicant-pays options. No subscription required.

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🔗 Related guides: Full Screening Guide Tenant Check Guide Tenant Credit Guide Background Check Options Verify Tenant Income

🔵 What Is TransUnion SmartMove?

TransUnion SmartMove is a tenant screening service operated by TransUnion — one of the three major credit bureaus. It’s designed specifically for independent landlords who rent a small number of units and don’t want the complexity of a full background screening service. SmartMove is popular because of the TransUnion brand recognition and its straightforward interface.

SmartMove offers three pricing tiers — SmartCheck Basic, SmartCheck Plus, and SmartCheck Premium — ranging from around $25 to $40 per applicant. The landlord can choose to pay or pass the cost to the applicant. Reports are typically returned within minutes.

💡 Important Context: This is an honest comparison — not a dismissal of SmartMove. For some landlords and situations, SmartMove is a perfectly reasonable choice. The goal here is to help you understand exactly what each service provides so you can make an informed decision about what’s right for your screening needs.

📊 SmartMove vs Full Tenant Screening — Side by Side

🔵 TransUnion SmartMove

TransUnion credit report included
ResidentScore (proprietary rental score)
Criminal background search included
Eviction records search included
Income insights (Plus/Premium tiers)
Applicant-initiated — tenant enters their own info
No landlord account subscription required
$25–$40 per applicant depending on tier
TransUnion brand — widely recognized
Limited to TransUnion data sources

✅ Full-Service Tenant Screening

Full credit report (all 3 bureaus or single bureau)
FICO score or VantageScore
Nationwide criminal background search
Nationwide eviction search — dedicated court records
Income verification options
Landlord-initiated — you control the process
Applicant-pays or landlord-pays options
Flexible pricing; no subscription required
FCRA compliant with adverse action support
Broader data sources for more complete picture

📋 Feature-by-Feature Comparison

Feature	SmartMove	Full Screening	Notes
Credit Report	Yes	Yes	SmartMove uses TransUnion only; full service may use multiple bureaus
Credit Score	ResidentScore (proprietary)	FICO / VantageScore	ResidentScore is rental-specific but not standard FICO
Criminal Background	Yes	Yes	Both search nationwide databases
Eviction Search	Limited	Nationwide	SmartMove eviction data may not cover all jurisdictions equally
Income Verification	Income Insights only	Full verification	SmartMove estimates income; full service verifies actual documents
Sex Offender Registry	Yes	Yes	Both include sex offender registry check
Identity Verification	Yes	Yes	Both verify identity via SSN matching
Who Controls Process	Applicant-initiated	Landlord-initiated	Applicant-initiated means tenant enters own info — some landlords prefer more control
Adverse Action Support	Basic	Full guidance	FCRA adverse action notices required when denying based on report
Price (landlord pays)	$25–$40	$25–$45	Comparable pricing; varies by package
Price (applicant pays)	Yes	Yes	Both offer applicant-pays options
No subscription needed	Yes	Yes	Both work per-applicant without ongoing subscription

✅ Where SmartMove Does Well

🏢 Brand Recognition

TransUnion is one of the three major credit bureaus. The brand name reassures applicants that their data is handled by an established, reputable company. This can make it easier to convince applicants to submit to screening, especially those unfamiliar with smaller screening services.

📱 Simple Interface

SmartMove’s interface is clean and easy to use for first-time landlords. The landlord sends an invitation, the applicant completes their information, and the report arrives quickly. No complex setup, no account configuration, no learning curve.

🔒 Applicant Privacy

Because the applicant enters their own Social Security number directly into TransUnion’s system rather than providing it to the landlord, some applicants feel more comfortable with SmartMove. This can reduce friction in the application process with privacy-conscious applicants.

📊 ResidentScore

SmartMove’s ResidentScore is a rental-specific scoring model that weighs factors relevant to tenancy — like payment history for rent-related obligations — potentially making it more predictive for landlord purposes than a standard FICO score. It’s a genuine differentiator from general-purpose credit scores.

⚠️ SmartMove Limitations Landlords Should Know

🏛️ Eviction Data Coverage

SmartMove’s eviction search pulls from TransUnion’s eviction database — which, like all eviction databases, has varying coverage across jurisdictions. Some counties report evictions reliably; others don’t. A dedicated nationwide eviction search that pulls directly from court records tends to have more comprehensive coverage than any database-only approach.

📋 Applicant-Controlled Process

SmartMove is applicant-initiated — the tenant enters their own information, which TransUnion then verifies. While identity verification reduces fraud risk, some landlords prefer a process where they initiate the screen directly rather than waiting on the applicant to complete their portion.

💰 Income Insights vs. Verification

SmartMove’s “Income Insights” feature estimates income based on TransUnion data — it’s not actual document-based income verification. For self-employed applicants or those with complex income, this estimate may be significantly inaccurate. Actual income verification still requires reviewing pay stubs, bank statements, and tax returns directly.

📊 Single Bureau Only

SmartMove pulls from TransUnion only. Credit profiles can differ between bureaus — a derogatory item that appears on Equifax or Experian but not TransUnion would be missed. Full-service screening options that pull from multiple bureaus give a more complete credit picture.

⚠️ The Eviction Gap Is Real: The most significant limitation of any database-based eviction search — including SmartMove’s — is that eviction court records are not uniformly reported across all US jurisdictions. A dedicated eviction search that directly queries court records in multiple states provides meaningfully better coverage than one that relies solely on a commercial database. Since prior evictions are the strongest predictor of future evictions, coverage matters enormously.

🎯 Who Should Use SmartMove vs Full Screening?

Landlord Situation	SmartMove Fits?	Full Screening Fits?
First-time landlord, 1 unit, simple process preferred	Good fit	Also works
2–5 units, occasional turnover	Acceptable	Better fit
Higher-value property, want maximum data	Consider supplementing	Better fit
High-turnover market, screens frequently	Per-report cost adds up	Better fit
Applicants uncomfortable with smaller services	Brand helps	May need to explain
Want broadest eviction search coverage	Limited	Better coverage
Need applicant-pays option	Yes	Yes

📊 Ready to Run a Full Tenant Screen?

Our FCRA-compliant service delivers comprehensive credit, eviction, criminal, and identity reports — with flexible landlord-pays or applicant-pays options and no subscription required.

View All Screening Options Full Screening Guide

📚 More screening resources: Full Tenant Check Tenant Credit Guide Background Options Verify Income Adverse Action Notice Red Flags Guide

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

📌 Is SmartMove FCRA compliant?

Yes — SmartMove is operated by TransUnion, an FCRA-certified consumer reporting agency, and the reports it produces are consumer reports under the FCRA. This means landlords who use SmartMove to make adverse decisions (denials, conditional approvals) must still follow FCRA adverse action notice requirements — providing the applicant with the name of the reporting agency and their right to dispute inaccurate information. FCRA compliance is the responsibility of the landlord, not just the screening service.

📌 Can I require applicants to use a specific screening service?

Yes — as a landlord you can specify which screening service you use as part of your application process. Some states limit how much you can charge applicants for screening fees, but you generally have the right to require applicants to authorize a specific FCRA-compliant screening service. Applicants who refuse to authorize a background check can be declined on that basis alone.

📌 What is the ResidentScore and how does it compare to a FICO score?

ResidentScore is TransUnion’s proprietary rental-specific credit scoring model. It’s designed to predict rental payment behavior specifically, weighting factors like rental tradelines and certain payment patterns that are more relevant to tenancy than general creditworthiness. It scores on a different range than standard FICO. It’s a legitimate scoring tool, but because it’s proprietary and not a standard FICO score, some landlords prefer the more universally recognized FICO score for consistency in their criteria.

📌 Does SmartMove catch evictions in all states?

SmartMove searches TransUnion’s eviction database, which draws from commercial data aggregators. Coverage varies by state and county — some jurisdictions report eviction records reliably to these databases, others do not. No single commercial database has complete coverage across all US jurisdictions. For the most comprehensive eviction search, a service that directly queries court records in addition to or instead of database-only searches typically provides better coverage, especially for applicants who may have moved across multiple states.

📌 Can a tenant dispute a SmartMove report?

Yes. Because SmartMove is a consumer report under the FCRA, applicants have the right to dispute inaccurate information. Disputes go directly to TransUnion, who must investigate and correct any verified inaccuracies within 30 days. Landlords who deny based on a SmartMove report must notify the applicant of this right in their adverse action notice, including TransUnion’s contact information for disputes.

📌 Is SmartMove good enough for most landlords?

For many single-unit landlords in straightforward markets, SmartMove provides sufficient screening data at a competitive price point. The credit report, criminal background check, and eviction search cover the core screening needs. The limitations — single bureau credit pull, database-dependent eviction search, applicant-initiated process — matter more in higher-risk situations, higher-value properties, or markets with high applicant mobility. Evaluate your specific situation rather than assuming one approach fits all circumstances.

✅ Screen Every Applicant — Whichever Service You Choose

The most important decision isn’t which service you use — it’s that you screen every applicant, every time. Our FCRA-compliant reports are available with no subscription required.

View Screening Options Full Screening Guide

⚖️ Legal Disclaimer

This guide provides general comparative information about tenant screening services and is not legal advice. All tenant screening must comply with the FCRA, Fair Housing Act, and applicable state laws. Product features and pricing for third-party services like SmartMove may change. Verify current offerings directly with the provider. Last updated: .