Finding a tenant for a rental property is rarely as simple as handing over the keys to the first person who can pay the deposit. The financial and legal risks of a bad tenancy — property damage, unpaid rent, and the months-long eviction process — make rigorous background screening non-negotiable for modern landlords. SmartMove, backed by the credit bureau TransUnion, is one of the most prominent tools designed to handle this exact problem.

Historically, accessing comprehensive credit and criminal background checks was a difficult process reserved for large property management companies. Independent landlords often had to rely on incomplete data or paper applications. SmartMove changes this dynamic by offering an online, pay-as-you-go screening platform that delivers institutional-grade data directly to independent landlords and property managers within hours.

This review explores how the SmartMove ecosystem functions in 2026, what data it actually provides, how its pricing structure works, and what landlords need to know before making it their primary screening tool.

How the Platform Operates: The Screening Workflow

The core appeal of SmartMove is its entirely digital workflow, which removes the need for physical paperwork and manual data entry. The process is initiated by the landlord but completed by the prospective tenant, which fundamentally shifts the administrative burden and security liability.

Initiating the Request

To begin, a landlord creates a free account on the SmartMove platform. They enter the basic details of their rental property and the email address of the applicant. At this stage, the landlord also selects which screening package they want to run and decides who will pay the fee — either the landlord covers it, or the cost is passed directly to the applicant.

The Applicant’s Role

Once the request is sent, the prospective tenant receives an email invitation. They are prompted to create their own secure account, enter their personal information (such as their Social Security Number), and explicitly authorize the background check. This authorization step is crucial because it ensures compliance with the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA).

Identity Verification and Report Generation

Before any data is pulled, the applicant must pass TransUnion’s identity verification process, which usually involves answering knowledge-based questions (e.g., “Which of these streets have you lived on?”). Once verified, the screening algorithms run in the background. In the vast majority of cases, the reports are generated and delivered to the landlord’s dashboard on the very same day, often within minutes.

Unpacking the Data: What Landlords Actually See

Depending on the tier of service selected, SmartMove provides several distinct reports. Understanding what each report covers — and what it misses — is essential for making informed leasing decisions.

The Credit Report and Financial History

SmartMove provides a full TransUnion credit report formatted specifically for landlords. It shows open trade lines, payment history, total debt, and any derogatory marks like bankruptcies or collections. Because the tenant initiates the request, this is classified as a “soft inquiry,” meaning it does not negatively impact the applicant’s credit score — a major selling point when asking tenants to apply.

Criminal Background Checks

The platform searches hundreds of millions of state and national criminal records. This includes felony and misdemeanor records from most states, as well as the National Sex Offender Public Registry. However, landlords must be aware that criminal record availability is highly dependent on state and local laws. Some jurisdictions limit what can be reported, meaning a clean report is a strong indicator but not a bulletproof guarantee.

Eviction-Related Records

Past behavior is often the best predictor of future behavior in property management. The eviction report scans national databases to identify if the applicant has been involved in unlawful detainer filings, tenant judgments, or formal eviction proceedings. This is arguably the most valuable piece of data for mitigating rental risk.

Income Insights

Verifying income via pay stubs can be prone to fraud. SmartMove’s Income Insights tool analyzes the applicant’s credit behavior and spending patterns to estimate whether their reported income is accurate. It doesn’t replace the need to check pay stubs entirely, but it flags discrepancies, letting the landlord know if they need to ask for additional proof of income.

Understanding ResidentScore vs. Traditional Credit Scores

One of the most distinct features of the platform is the ResidentScore. While most landlords default to looking at a standard FICO credit score, a standard credit score is designed to predict whether a person will repay a credit card or a mortgage — not whether they will pay their rent.

TransUnion developed the ResidentScore specifically for the rental industry. It analyzes the applicant’s credit file using a proprietary algorithm tuned to predict eviction risk. According to TransUnion, ResidentScore identifies 15% more evictions and 19% more skips (tenants abandoning a property) than a standard credit score. It ranges from 350 to 850, functioning similarly to a credit score but offering a more relevant metric for landlords.

The Pricing Model Explained

SmartMove operates strictly on a pay-as-you-go model. There are no setup fees, no monthly subscriptions, and no minimum usage requirements. This makes it highly flexible for independent landlords who may only fill a vacancy once a year. As of 2026, the pricing is divided into three tiers:

  • SmartCheck Basic ($25 per screening): This entry-level package provides the ResidentScore and a National Criminal Background Report. It is best for landlords who already have alternative methods for verifying credit and evictions.
  • SmartCheck Plus ($40 per screening): This mid-tier option adds the full Credit Report and the National Eviction Report. For most independent landlords, this is the minimum recommended package to ensure adequate risk mitigation.
  • SmartCheck Premium ($49 per screening): The top-tier package includes everything in the Plus tier, but adds the Income Insights report. It offers the most comprehensive view of an applicant’s financial stability.

Because the landlord can choose to pass this fee to the applicant as part of the application process, using SmartMove can effectively cost the property owner nothing out of pocket.

Where the System Falls Short

While SmartMove is a powerful tool, a balanced review must acknowledge its limitations:

First, the system relies entirely on the tenant completing the process. If an applicant is not tech-savvy, struggles with the identity verification questions, or simply ignores the email invitation, the process stalls. The landlord cannot force the report to generate without the tenant’s active participation.

Second, the cost can add up quickly if a landlord decides to cover the fees themselves and needs to screen multiple applicants for a single property. Screening four applicants at the Premium tier costs nearly $200.

Third, while the databases are vast, they are not infallible. Depending on the state, county court records may not be digitized or shared with national databases immediately. Therefore, a background check should be viewed as a risk-reduction tool, not a flawless shield.

Who Benefits Most from This Platform?

SmartMove is overwhelmingly optimized for the independent landlord — someone who manages anywhere from one to twenty doors. For these users, the lack of subscription fees, the ease of compliance, and the ability to pass costs to applicants make it a nearly perfect solution. It allows part-time property investors to access the same caliber of data as massive property management firms.

Conversely, enterprise-level property management companies handling hundreds of units per month will likely find the per-report pricing inefficient. These larger organizations typically benefit from enterprise subscriptions with dedicated screening software that integrates directly into their property management dashboards.

The Final Word

TransUnion SmartMove delivers exactly what it promises: fast, reliable, and comprehensive tenant data with zero ongoing commitment. By shifting the data entry and authorization to the tenant, it simplifies the landlord’s workflow and drastically reduces the friction of FCRA compliance.

The introduction of specialized metrics like the ResidentScore and Income Insights proves that the platform is actively evolving to address the specific pain points of property management. For the independent landlord looking to protect their real estate investment, SmartMove remains one of the most accessible and effective screening tools on the market today.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Is SmartMove legitimate and safe to use?

Yes. SmartMove is a direct product of TransUnion, one of the three major national credit reporting agencies. The platform uses bank-level encryption to protect sensitive data, and because the tenant enters their own Social Security Number directly into the TransUnion system, the landlord never has to store or handle highly sensitive personal information.

2. Will using SmartMove hurt an applicant’s credit score?

No. Because the tenant is technically requesting their own data to share with the landlord, the credit pull is classified as a “soft inquiry.” Soft inquiries do not impact credit scores, regardless of how many times a tenant applies for different properties.

3. How long does it take to get the screening results?

The process is highly automated. Once the prospective tenant opens the email invitation, creates their account, and successfully passes the identity verification questions, the reports are typically generated and sent to the landlord’s dashboard within minutes. The entire process can easily be completed on the same day.

4. Who pays for the SmartMove screening reports?

The platform offers flexible payment options. When initiating the request, the landlord can choose to pay the fee themselves via credit card, or they can opt to have the applicant pay the fee directly when they log in to authorize the screening. This flexibility is highly popular among independent landlords.

5. Can I use SmartMove for commercial tenant screening?

No. SmartMove is specifically designed and legally structured for residential tenant screening. It evaluates individual consumer credit files and personal background records. Commercial leasing requires business credit reports and different legal compliance mechanisms, which SmartMove does not provide.