How SmartMove's Insights Can Help Landlords Make a Confident Decision On the Spot

The power of TransUnion’s analytics and SmartMove’s fast report delivery combined with a secure, online process for applicants to share their information helps to enable trust in the moment.

As an independent landlord, placing a good tenant in your rental unit from the start is crucial. The last thing you want is an unexpected vacancy, consistently late rent payments, property damage, or other tenant issues that can cause a financial burden.

With SmartMove’s insights, independent landlords can make confident leasing decisions on the spot. Our robust tenant screening reports use data and analytics from TransUnion, a trusted consumer reporting agency with more than 4 decades of experience, to give landlords the information they need to get a fuller picture of their applicants quickly.

SmartMove gives landlords access to tools that no other screening service offers that can help to build trust quickly with their applicants. This includes ResidentScore®, our proprietary credit score built just for rental screening, and Income Insights, our tool that analyzes applicant income quickly to determine if further income verifications are needed. Ultimately, SmartMove helps landlords to understand their prospective applicants better.

At SmartMove, we also recognize that trust is a two-way street, which is why applicants are put in control of our consumer push process. It empowers them by putting them in charge of deciding to push their data to who they want when they want. They can safely share, verify, and protect sensitive personal data that landlords must evaluate. Plus, the credit check is a soft inquiry, so it will not impact an applicant’s credit score.

Learn how SmartMove allows landlords and renters to achieve trust in the moment with our unique tools and reports that are powered with data from TransUnion. With SmartMove, landlords gain confidence with their leasing decision and can fill their rental unit quickly and the renter is empowered to potentially move into their desired rental unit in the same day.

Achieve Trust Quickly with Your Applicant with SmartMove’s Great Reports.

Tenant screening is about understanding one thing: is this rental applicant right for you? Trust can be achieved in the moment because SmartMove’s reports are designed to help you answer that question quickly. With SmartMove, landlords get access to screening tools right away and are able to understand their applicant’s story with robust insights within minutes.

Plus, because applicants are empowered to share their sensitive, yet critical, information easily with our consumer push process, SmartMove data and insights are able to be delivered nearly instantly. This way, landlords can access the information they need to quickly assess an applicant, allowing them to easily make a same-day leasing decision, and allowing the renter to get in their dream unit in the same day.

See Your Applicant’s Full Financial Picture with Tenant Credit Reports

A credit report helps you examine your applicant’s financial background and determine if they are a fit for you. Checking a Tenant’s Credit allows you to review aspects of their payment history, level of debt, and other germane aspects. SmartMove’s tenant credit reports allow landlords to gain a deeper understanding of their applicant’s financial picture so that they can confidently determine if the applicant is financially dependable.

Trust Can Be Achieved in the Moment Because:

• You get the same data that is used by large property management companies
• You get ResidentScore, our proprietary credit score, proven to provide 15% Better Risk Prediction than a generic credit score
• You get credit reports in minutes and can make better decisions for your rental unit fast and efficiently
• Applicants can share their private information to landlords conveniently with SmartMove’s push process

With critical credit insights delivered nearly instantly, you will have the confidence to determine if the applicant is dependable and a good fit for you and your rental property.

Gain More Trust With Background Reports

No landlord wants to rent to a tenant who may not be a fit for them. Landlords want to be sure that they can trust that the applicant will not present any kind of issues for other tenants or the neighborhood, which is why understanding a tenant’s relevant criminal background is an essential part of the tenant screening process. This is especially important when you consider that, according to our internal analysis, nearly 1 in 5 people screened by SmartMove had a criminal hit on their record in 2015. But, with SmartMove reports, sent in minutes, you can conduct checks quickly on all of your prospective tenants and spot red flags before signing a lease to gain more confidence about who you’re renting to.

Trust Can Be Achieved in the Moment Because:

• You can understand if your applicant has a relevant criminal past
• You get reports fast that searched millions of criminal records 
• You get a sex offender public registries search and check of “Most Wanted” 
• You can help reduce risk and protect your property and your neighborhood

Achieve more peace of mind with SmartMove landlord criminal background checks. Our tenant background checks are quick and efficient, getting you the information you need with reports that are delivered with near-instant speed. Reports are available 24/7 (from any mobile device), allowing you to access the information whenever it’s most convenient for you.

Lower your risk of renter payment issues with income insights

SmartMove surveys reveal that late or non-payment of rent is a landlord’s #1 concern. If you have a tenant with a history of paying late or not paying at all, then your bottom line can suffer. Income Insights report, only at SmartMove, can lower the risk of renter payment problems. SmartMove’s Income Insights allows you to analyze tenant income within minutes. Ultimately, you’ll better know which applicants require additional income verification and which ones you can decide to skip.

Trust Can Be Achieved in the Moment Because:

• You get SmartMove’s Income Insights report that analyzes tenant income fast
• You get a way to lower your risk of renter payment problems
• You get an income verification report that that can confirm that your applicant makes what they say they make
• You get information that helps you better determine if they can afford the rent

SmartMove is built to provide effective screening to serve the needs of independent landlords. We designed our Income Insights report to determine quickly if an applicant has enough income to afford the rent. Thus helping make trust possible in the moment because you’ll better know which applicants require additional income checks and which ones you can decide to skip. According to a recent SmartMove study, our customers reported 50% fewer payment problems when they used SmartMove compared to other screening companies. With Income Insights, you can mitigate non-payment risk by analyzing tenant income quickly so you can approve your applicant on-the-spot with confidence.

SmartMove’s Great Convenience, With Our Simple And Fast Process, Makes It Possible To Achieve Trust In The Moment

SmartMove can reduce screening stress for both the landlord and renter. It’s free to sign-up, access to tools is quick, everything is done online and landlords can screen applicants in real-time. Plus, it’s easy to get started because you don’t need your applicant’s Social Security Number to begin, just their email address.

On top of that, we ensure that the process is renter-friendly, too. SmartMove’s consumer push process puts applicants in control of their information. They decide to explicitly consent to screening and sharing of their information. Not only does our process better keep a renter’s personal information private, but it also has no impact on their credit score and is FCRA-compliant, which can help you establish trust in the moment with a cohesive, respectful landlord-tenant relationship from the start.

SmartMove's Easy Process, From Start to Finish

As a landlord, you have a lot on your plate. SmartMove can reduce screening stress with our screening process that is easy from start to finish so that you can find tenants with good qualities and fill vacancies fast and with confidence.

With SmartMove you get straightforward, pay-per-use pricing with 3 different screening packages to choose from to fit your needs. Sign-up is always free. Tools are available online, 24/7. There is no waiting period to start, just go online and begin the process. Conveniently, we give the landlord the option to pay for screening themselves or they can pass the cost onto the applicant. Also, you don’t need any applicant's personal information such as their address, phone number, or social security number to start. Just plug in their email address and we’ll send them an invitation to be screened to complete the process.

Trust Can Be Achieved in the Moment Because:

• You get access to screening tools right away and robust insights within minutes
• You get free signup and an easy online process that can be completed at any time
• You don’t need the applicant’s SSN to start the process, just their email address
• You get reports delivered fast, enabling you to make a more informed leasing decision on-the-spot

With quick access to great reports from SmartMove, you can be confident that you can identify a great tenant that fits your rental criteria. Your applicant has a way to securely share their information and to demonstrate that they are a good renter option for you. And with critical information at your fingertips, you get a fuller picture of your applicant - nearly instantly. Thus, you and your applicant can achieve trust in the moment. It becomes possible to make leasing decisions quickly, which enables you to fill your unit and the applicant to lock in that dream apartment they’ve wanted and potentially move in that very day.

Nearly instant tenant screening reports

An empty rental can eat away at your bottom line, which is why you want to fill vacancies with good tenants fast—our nearly instant tenant screening reports make this possible.

What You Get With SmartMove’s Quickly Delivered Reports:

Traditional background screening can take days or even weeks. Landlords don’t have that kind of time to waste when they need to fill their unit. Every day that the unit isn’t rented is another day of foregone rental income. SmartMove’s process makes it possible to sign up and transact lightning fast. There’s no waiting to start screening, access to tools is immediate and online. With reports that use data and analytics from TransUnion, a trusted credit reporting agency for over 40 years, landlords can get important insights quickly. The applicant can share their information with the prospective landlord and build trust in the moment. The result is a way to learn more about your applicant quickly, fill the unit with confidence, and enable the applicant to secure their new rental fast, potentially moving in same-day.

Trust Can Be Achieved in the Moment Because:

• You get screening tools that are unique to SmartMove, like ResidentScore and Income Insights
• You get information delivered nearly instantly that help you make a more informed leasing decision
• You get reports that give you a more complete picture of your applicant
• Applicants have a way to share information securely and quickly

With unique tools, data from TransUnion, insights provided by SmartMove, and reports delivered nearly instantly, our tenant screening service allows you and renters to achieve trust in the moment quickly. This helps you gain confidence with your leasing decision and you can fill your rental unit quickly.

With SmartMove, It Is Possible to Achieve Trust Quickly and to Find Great Tenants.

A great applicant is likely eager to demonstrate that they’ll be a great tenant for you. But over the course of a conversation, how can you be sure? What’s more, with rental fraud on the uptick, how do you know if your prospective tenant is who they say they are? It’s difficult to get the whole story of your rental applicant conveyed without the right information to tell that story, and going with your gut can result in serious consequences. This is where SmartMove can help.

We’ve screened millions of renters and helped landlords for over a decade to find tenants they can trust. In particular, ResidentScore, our proprietary credit score, is built to look at the outcome of a rental lease and was developed by analyzing half a million rental outcomes. ResidentScore is tailored to the unique needs of landlords and is proven to predict eviction risk better than a typical credit score.

Better Assess Renter Risk With ResidentScore

SmartMove’s ResidentScore is truly different. It makes it easier for you to assess risk to ensure that you find trustworthy and reliable tenants. ResidentScore is a credit score, but not just any credit score. It’s SmartMove proprietary credit scoring model that is built on the outcomes of 500K rental outcomes. It is designed for the rental industry and is proven to predict eviction risk 15% better than a typical credit score. It also is able to identify 19% more skips. Plus, it can score applicants with limited history or thin files, thus opening up a wider pool of renters to you. All of this can help you identify your next great tenant.

Trust Can Be Achieved in the Moment Because:

• You can assess potential rental risk with more precision than a typical credit score
• You can feel more confident about your applicant and leasing decision in the moment
• You can evaluate more rental applicants with thin files
• You can fill your unit faster

ResidentScore allows you to educate yourself better. You can make a more knowledgeable renter decision with the information that is provided by TransUnion SmartMove's customized credit score that is based on actual rental outcomes. TransUnion provides a ResidentScore with every one of our tenant screening packages (because it’s that important!).

Confirm your tenant is who they say they are with identity verification

As a landlord, you don’t have time for surprises. Especially surprises that may include a false identity. At SmartMove, we recognize that rental housing fraud is becoming more and more common, and the outcome of a fraudster can be detrimental to your rental business's success. This is why we ensure every SmartMove renter goes through our identity verification process to confirm they are who they say they are before we allow them to share their information. Our built-in applicant identity verification process helps you be more confident that the applicant is who they say they are. The process ensures that every applicant must successfully authenticate their identity with SmartMove before proceeding to push their information to their potential landlord. The process is designed in such a way that it reduces the risk of fraudsters being able to pass our ID examinations. The riskier the applicant appears, the harder the exam questions. It neutralizes fraudsters doing nefarious activities such as obtaining information through data breaches or combing public data to use it inappropriately.

Trust Can Be Achieved in the Moment Because:

• You get reduced applicant abandonment rates and the ability to process good tenants quickly
• You get a process that helps you minimize the risk of fraud while remaining compliant

With SmartMove's identity verification process, you can be confident that the screening results are for the right person and gain trust in the moment which helps you to make a more informed leasing decision on the spot.

How Applicants Can Benefit By Being Screened With SmartMove

At SmartMove, we recognize that trust is a two-way street. This means we believe that the applicant deserves to be just as confident in the screening process as the landlord.

Applicants are stewards of their sensitive data

SmartMove's process empowers applicants, as they become stewards of their data. The applicant has full control of when and to who their personal identification information is pushed, ultimately empowering them to share information seamlessly to achieve their goals – like landing their dream apartment.

Trust Can Be Achieved in the Moment Because:

• Renters can decide to move forward in the process and explicitly consent to screening
• Renters can share their information with who they want when they want
• Renters have a way to quickly get evaluated by the prospective landlord
• Renters can feel confident knowing that their reports are being sent by a trusted provider

Applicants get a soft hit on their credit score

Because SmartMove prompts the applicant to initiate the screening request, the credit check is considered a "soft hit" on their credit history, which doesn't impact their credit score in any way.

Trust Can Be Achieved in the Moment Because:

• Renters can have a way to share credit information with their potential landlord
• Renters can share credit information without it impacting their credit score
• Renters get peace of mind knowing that SmartMove doesn't share social security or bank account numbers with the landlord, reducing the risk of information falling into the wrong hands or being misplaced

SmartMove ensures a safe and secure tenant screening and credit approval process for the applicant because we have built a process that enables applicants to confidently push their sensitive information to their potential landlord. This helps landlords and applicants to achieve trust in the moment together.

Why Landlords Use SmartMove Online Tenant Screening

As an independent landlord, it's important to ensure that the tenants occupying your rental properties are trustworthy and reliable. SmartMove rental background checks are great for both the landlord and tenant because landlords get important information to make a leasing decision at near-instant speed, and applicants can share their histories while also protecting their sensitive personal information.

But, don't take it from us. SmartMove, for over a decade, has been used by over 3 million landlords and 400 companies and counting. Our customer surveys revealed that 9 out of 10 users would recommend SmartMove. Plus, according to a recent SmartMove study, our customers reported 50% fewer payment problems when they used SmartMove for their screening needs.

SmartMove can help you pick a great tenant quickly and confidently. Get peace of mind knowing that TransUnion SmartMove has been delivering important insights for years, and many landlords and companies alike rely on our robust data to help them make confident leasing decisions.

Get Trust in the Moment and Approve Tenants With Confidence With SmartMove

With SmartMove's easy process, fast reports, and critical insights, it is possible to create more trust with an unknown applicant in a very short period of time.

Trust flows both ways. SmartMove has a process that enables the seamless sharing of information so that both parties can pursue their goals.

With SmartMove, landlords get access to tools and unique insights, like ResidentScore, which provides 15% better eviction prediction, and Income Insights, which quickly analyzes tenant income — both of which are only available at SmartMove.

SmartMove also helps applicants to feel safe about sharing their personal information using our consumer push process. It puts them in control of when and with whom to share their reports.

This way, both applicants and landlords can work together with SmartMove. With the ability to exchange information quickly, both parties can gain trust in the moment.

SmartMove Insights Inspire Trust in the Moment to Help You Make a Confident Leasing Decision on the Spot:

• Great Reports
  • You get reports that are generated with robust data from huge TransUnion databases.
  • You receive a fuller picture of your prospective tenant.
  • You get access to insights that allow for more informed decision-making.
• Great Tenants
  • You get our ResidentScore, proven to predict risk 15% better than a typical credit score.
  • You get ID verification automatically built-in to the process.
  • You can analyze tenant income quickly with Income Insights that can reduce payment risk.
• Great Convenience
  • You get an online process that is mobile-friendly.
  • You get FCRA-compliant reports delivered in minutes so you can choose a tenant on the spot.
  • You sign up for free and pay as you go, with no hidden fees (plus, you get to choose who pays).
  • You get greater confidence that you're making a more informed decision about your tenant, all while having trust in the

Great Reports, Great Convenience, Great Tenants