TransUnion SmartMove Report: What It Shows

When it comes to vetting new tenants, it never hurts to be thorough. Rent takes a large share of most renters’ income: 22.7 million renter households, 49% of all renters, spent more than 30% of their income on rent and utilities in 2024, and 26% spent more than half, according to the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies. A tenant screening report is how you see an applicant’s actual payment record rather than guessing at it.

With so many different screening tools available to landlords, it can be tough knowing which one is right for their rental needs. This article will serve as an essential guide for landlords navigating the complexities of tenant screening in the housing market and breaks down one of the more popular screening solutions provided by TransUnion.

The importance of tenant screening

Tenant screening is more than an extra step in the rental application process. It is where you get a factual record of how an applicant has handled credit and payments.

Without a screening process, you are deciding on instinct. A credit report, a criminal background check, and eviction records give you a documented record instead.

Overview of TransUnion tenant screening

One tool many landlords use for their tenant screening process is TransUnion SmartMove, an online screening service for property owners and rental applicants. SmartMove sells screening in 3 SmartCheck tiers, priced per screening, and TransUnion says most reports are delivered the same day, after the applicant verifies their identity (as of September 4, 2026). SmartMove operates under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA).

Understanding the TransUnion tenant screening process

Here is how the TransUnion screening process works, what each report covers, and where a criminal background check fits into the decision.

How TransUnion tenant screening works

Initiating the TransUnion screening process is conducted entirely online. You sign up for a free account and invite your applicant using the email they gave on the application. You select which tier you want and who pays: TransUnion says SmartMove lets you pay the cost yourself or pass it to the applicant, where local rules permit. Once the applicant verifies their identity and approves the release of their credit and criminal record information, the reports follow, most of them the same day (as of September 4, 2026).

How long does a TransUnion tenant screening report take?

Completion time depends on when the applicant confirms the application and completes identity verification, because nothing runs until they do. After that, TransUnion says most SmartMove reports are delivered the same day (as of September 4, 2026). For comparison, RentSpree says most of its screening reports are available within 2 hours and eviction checks are typically ready within minutes, though results that need additional review can take 1 to 2 business days (as of September 4, 2026).

What’s included in a TransUnion SmartMove report?

What you get depends entirely on which tier you buy, and the differences are larger than most landlords expect. The cheapest tier does not include a credit report or the Eviction Related Report at all (as of September 4, 2026).

SmartCheck tiers, from TransUnion’s pricing page, as of September 4, 2026. Prices are plus tax where applicable. TransUnion lets you pay or pass the cost to the applicant, where local rules permit.

As one of the 3 major credit bureaus, TransUnion provides credit checks that include a ResidentScore®, identity verification, credit history, and previous employment data. The Income Insights report, which estimates whether an applicant’s self-reported income holds up, sits only in the $49 Premium package. That matters more than it sounds: in a National Multifamily Housing Council survey of 75 leading apartment owners, developers, and managers, 84% of the 70 who reported experiencing fraud said it involved falsified pay stubs, employment references, or other income documentation (fielded November 2023 to January 2024).

One feature unique to TransUnion SmartMove is the ResidentScore®, built for rental screening rather than lending. It runs 350–850, with 850 the best score, and TransUnion says it generally weighs 5 factors: payment history, credit utilization, credit history, credit availability, and inquiries, though the elements can vary by applicant. On the eviction claim, read the footnote: TransUnion cites its own 2016 research finding that ResidentScore predicts evictions 15% more often than a typical credit score in the bottom 20% of the score range, where risk is greatest. That is a lift among the lowest-scoring applicants, not across all of them (as of September 4, 2026). RentSpree screening reports carry the same ResidentScore.

Interpreting the TransUnion tenant screening report

There is a lot on a screening report, and knowing where to start is half the work. Below is how to read the credit report and the criminal background check, and what the rules say you have to do if a report leads you to decline someone.

Understanding credit reports

TransUnion delivers credit insights in an easy-to-read format. These credit reports review an applicant’s credit history and payment history. RentSpree’s help center states that TransUnion uses a soft credit inquiry for screening through RentSpree, so it does not affect the applicant’s score (as of September 4, 2026).

A credit report shows how an applicant has handled credit and payments over time, including their credit score. It is a record of what happened, not a rating of the person.

Evaluating criminal background checks

A criminal background check is one part of the picture, alongside credit and rental history. TransUnion SmartMove checks millions of criminal records including the FBI’s Most Wanted, sex offender public registries, and the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). Coverage is not uniform everywhere: TransUnion states that the Criminal Report and Eviction Related Proceedings Report are subject to federal, state, and local laws that may limit or restrict SmartMove’s ability to return some records (as of September 4, 2026).

A criminal background check tells you what is on record. It does not rate the applicant, and it does not tell you what to do with the record.

What you may consider is limited, and the limits vary by state. In California, guidance from the Civil Rights Department on the Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) states that housing providers cannot make any statement indicating a blanket ban on renting to anyone with a criminal record, and lists categories that may not be considered, including arrests that did not lead to a conviction, and convictions that have been sealed, dismissed, or expunged unless the applicant offers that information themselves as mitigating information (guidance dated November 2022).

What the FCRA requires if a report leads you to decline

If you reject an applicant, increase the rent or deposit, require a co-signer, or take any other adverse action based partly or completely on a screening report, the Federal Trade Commission states you must give the applicant notice of that fact, in writing, electronically, or orally. Per the FTC, that notice has to carry the name, address, and phone number of the agency that supplied the report, a statement that the agency did not make the decision and cannot give specific reasons for it, and notice of the applicant’s right to dispute the information and to get a free report from that agency if they ask for it within 60 days. The FTC adds that the notice is required even when the report was not the primary reason for the decision (FTC guidance, July 2023).

Reviewing previous rental experiences

Another significant piece of information all landlords should review is an applicant’s previous rental history and eviction records. In compliance with the FCRA, TransUnion SmartMove checks eviction databases to pull data on an applicant’s judgment for possession and money, unlawful detainers, and any judgments for small claims. Note that the Eviction Related Report is not in SmartMove’s $25 entry package (as of September 4, 2026).

Rental history shows what is on record from an applicant’s past tenancies. The information provided in any eviction records must comply with the FCRA in order for it to be considered when evaluating rental applicants.

Limitations of the TransUnion SmartMove report

Even the most trusted names in tenant screening aren’t 100% free of error and it’s in every landlord’s best interest to carefully review the information included in these reports. Additionally, because TransUnion SmartMove relies on the applicant to initiate the process for the report to be completed, any holdups on the applicant’s side can delay or even cancel the screening process.

Possible report errors

Reports can carry inaccurate data, the same as any credit file. If you receive a complaint from an applicant about errors appearing on their credit report or criminal background check, you may need to run additional screening or use another tool to get a complete picture of an applicant.

Tenant privacy

Because TransUnion SmartMove is initiated by the rental applicant, it relies on applicants giving TransUnion permission to run reports in order to complete the screening process. If an applicant expresses privacy concerns about what information is shared with a landlord, they may choose not to move forward with the application. Should an applicant decline a SmartMove request for permission to release their credit and criminal records, the application will not be completed.

How a SmartMove report compares to a RentSpree screening report

Both are TransUnion-powered, so the underlying data is the same. What differs is what arrives in the base package, what it costs, how fast it lands, and whether screening sits inside a rental application or stands on its own.

Sourced from TransUnion and RentSpree, as of September 4, 2026.

The clearest difference is at the entry price. SmartCheck Basic at $25 returns a ResidentScore and a criminal background check, with no credit report and no eviction records, so the 2 reports most landlords are actually looking for start at the $40 tier. A RentSpree report includes credit, criminal background, and eviction at $39.99, and it is the applicant who typically pays it.

Finding the right tenant screening solution for you

A SmartMove report gives landlords a detailed look at an applicant, from the credit and payment timeline to criminal records to rental history, provided you buy the tier that carries the reports you need. It is a solid standalone screening tool for a landlord who wants to run a report and nothing else.

Which option is right for you depends on what you need in the report, who pays for it, and whether you want screening on its own or attached to the rental application.

If you want the applicant to enter their own information and start the screening themselves, RentSpree runs the rental application and the screening in one place, powered by TransUnion. See how the options line up in our guide to the best tenant screening services.