SmartMove vs RentPrep: My Honest Take After Screening Way Too Many Tenants
Did you know that the average eviction costs a landlord somewhere between $3,500 and $10,000? Yeah, I about fell out of my chair when I first read that stat too! That number alone should be enough to convince any landlord that tenant screening isn’t a place to cut corners. I’ve been renting out properties for a while now, and let me tell you, I’ve made some mistakes that cost me real money.
So when I started digging into SmartMove vs RentPrep, it wasn’t just some academic exercise for me. I needed to actually figure out which one deserved my hard-earned cash. Both are big names in the tenant screening world, and both promise to save you from renting to a nightmare tenant. But they’re not identical twins, not even close.
What SmartMove Actually Does (And Why I Started There)
SmartMove is owned by TransUnion, which honestly gave me a little peace of mind right off the bat. It’s basically a self-service platform where you send an invite to your applicant, they fill in their info, and boom, you get a report back. I used it for a duplex I was renting out in 2019, and the process was smoother than I expected.
- Credit report pulled directly from TransUnion
- Criminal background check
- Eviction history
- Income insights (this one’s kinda neat, estimates their income based on data)
The applicant pays for their own screening in most cases, which I loved. Saved me some cash and also made applicants think twice before applying if they knew their history was shady. One time a guy backed out of applying the second he saw the screening fee. Tells you something, right?
Where RentPrep Fits Into the Picture
RentPrep is a different beast entirely. It’s less “do it yourself” and more “let us handle it for you.” They actually have real humans reviewing applications, which sounds fancy until you realize it also means longer turnaround times sometimes. I remember waiting almost 24 hours for a report once, which felt like forever when I had a vacant unit bleeding money every single day.
But here’s the thing, RentPrep’s customer service genuinely impressed me. I called them confused about a report (I’m not always great with numbers, ha), and the rep walked me through it like I was her only client that day. That kind of personal touch is rare these days.
- Manual review by screening specialists
- Nationwide criminal database access
- Eviction records
- Landlord-specific credit reports (not the same as a generic consumer credit report, which actually matters more than people realize)
The Pricing Breakdown (Because Money Matters)
Okay, let’s talk dollars. SmartMove’s plans range depending on what package you choose, but you’re usually looking at somewhere between $25 and $40 per screening. RentPrep runs similarly, though their pricing structure felt a little more confusing to me at first, with different tiers for landlords versus property managers.
Honestly? Neither one is going to break the bank. But if you’re screening a ton of applicants regularly, like say you own multiple units, those little fees add up fast. I once ran the numbers after a particularly busy leasing season, and I’d spent almost $400 just on screenings that year.
Speed vs Accuracy: The Real Tradeoff
This is where things get interesting, and honestly kind of annoying. SmartMove reports usually come back within minutes since it’s an automated system. RentPrep, because a person is actually reviewing it, takes longer but tends to catch some nuances an algorithm might miss.
I remember one screening through RentPrep flagged an alias the applicant had used previously, something a purely automated system might’ve overlooked. That kind of detail matters a lot when you’re trying to protect your investment property from potential issues down the road. For more on why thorough screening matters, the folks over at Nolo have a solid breakdown of what landlords should legally check for.
Which One Should You Actually Pick?
Here’s my honest, no-nonsense opinion. If you want something fast, easy, and mostly automated, go with SmartMove. It integrates well if you’re already using TransUnion’s other services, and for smaller landlords like me managing just a few units, the speed is a lifesaver.
If you manage a larger portfolio, or you just want that extra layer of human review, RentPrep might serve you better. Their customer support alone almost tipped my decision toward them permanently. It’s a bit like choosing between a fast food burger and a sit-down diner meal, both fill you up, but one’s got a little more care put into it.
For a deeper look at general tenant screening best practices beyond just these two companies, Apartments.com has a great resource worth checking out too.
Wrapping This Up (Without Getting Too Repetitive)
At the end of the day, both SmartMove and RentPrep can seriously reduce your risk of renting to a problematic tenant, but neither one is a magic bullet. You still gotta trust your gut, verify employment yourself sometimes, and maybe even call a previous landlord or two. Screening tools are just that, tools, not a replacement for good old-fashioned diligence.
Whichever service you choose, make sure it complies with Fair Housing laws and that you’re applying the same screening criteria to every single applicant, no exceptions. That’s not just good practice, it’s the law. If you found this comparison helpful, swing by the Propentrify blog for more real-talk guides on being a landlord without losing your mind (or your money) along the way!
