If you’re one of the approximately 9.7 million landlords in America, it will come as no surprise to learn that it’s important to choose the right tenant. There’s much to consider, too, as you’ll want to safeguard your investment. Evictions, on average, cost up to $7,000, made up of legal fees and lost rent, but that’s before we even start talking about the prospect of tenants causing property damage along the way.
That’s why finding the best tenant screening service to support your operation is wise, as you’re not just gathering tenant information for the sake of it. The reality is that you’re actively trying to protect not just your property, but also your time and peace of mind. The problem is, with numerous screening tools available, choosing the right one can be a little tricky.
However, you should not fret, as this article will walk you through exactly what you get with the best screening services and why you need what they offer.
What Are the Benefits of Tenant Screening Services?
Plainly speaking, it simply does not pay to refrain from using the tenant screening services available in 2025. It goes without saying that when you don’t vet a potential tenant properly, you open yourself up to issues like missed rent payments and property damage. However, by carrying out tenant screening, you get the tools to make smarter decisions before handing over the keys.
That said, there are plenty more reasons to take the sensible step of looking into the background of anyone you’re thinking of housing.
Benefit #1 – Reduced Risk from Day One
Perhaps the biggest advantage of a tenant screening service is reduced overall risk. It gives you detailed insight into the background of any prospective tenant, looking at things like their credit score, eviction history, and any prior criminal activity. It’s insight that can save you thousands further down the road.
Benefit #2 – Saved Time on Admin
When you start the screening process, it pulls together all the personal information to create a screening report. This covers the credit check, rental history, and criminal background check all in one go. For busy property owners and or real estate agent companies, this means less time spent chasing and fewer guessing games.
Benefit #3 – Improved Trust & Transparency
When tenants know you’re using a tenant screening service, it sends out a message. That message is that you take your rental property seriously. It also helps you to standardize your screening criteria, keeping everything fair and consistent and ensuring you abide by the Fair Housing Act.
Benefit #4 – Better Organization
Modern screening tools can often be integrated directly into your current property management software, making it much easier to store generated screening reports, keep records, and track your applicants. This kind of visibility is especially valuable if you’re managing multiple properties on your own.
Pro tip: Not all screening packages include eviction history or income verification, so make sure you know exactly what’s in the reports provided before you sign up with any platform.
What Are the Risks of Not Using Tenant Screening Services?
Of course, you could choose not to employ any kind of tenant screening services. But what would that mean for your operational effectiveness? You’ll basically be making decisions without reliable details to depend on, which can put you at a major disadvantage.
Here’s what you risk:
- Inaccurate Application Data – If you don’t have a verified screening report to use, it’s virtually impossible to confirm the accuracy of the applicant’s identity, their income or their rental history. Unsurprisingly, fraud is more likely to occur when you’re accepting any rental application that doesn’t involve the bare minimum of checks.
- Unintentional Bias – If you’re not consistently using the same screening criteria, there’s a risk that you’ll start treating different applicants unevenly. When you do that, it’s only a matter of time until you have a dispute raised, even if you’re acting in good faith.
- Data Security Issues – When you’re collecting tenant information on a regular basis, the law dictates that you should have secure systems in place to store it. Without a screening platform to assist you, it’s far easier to lose documentation or expose someone’s ID – something that could create serious liability for you.
- Operational Burnout – When you’re having to manually check references and documents, it takes time. Particularly when talking about small property management companies or independent real estate agents, this workload can slow everything else down unnecessarily and leave you burnt out.
- No documentation Trail – When any decisions are challenged, a formal screening report gives you valuable protection. Without it, you’ll struggle to defend why one tenant was chosen over another, especially if things get legal.
When you skip the tenant screening process, it doesn’t just increase the risk you’re facing – it removes structure, leaves you exposed, and makes every leasing decision harder than it needs to be.
Pro tip: It only takes one bad tenant to undo months of hard work. Screening helps you avoid high-risk applicants before they become long-term problems.
What Are the Different Types of Tenant Screening Services?
When you spend time looking at the tenant screening services available, you’ll notice that the offerings can vary quite a lot. Each type of screening package will typically include different types of checks, so it’s important for landlords and property managers to know what’s covered before running a screening report.
The most common types include:
- Credit checks – Detailing a tenant’s credit score, payment history, and any collections or bankruptcies on their file.
- Eviction history – A kind of report that shows any previous eviction, helping you to side-step any high-risk applicant you encounter.
- Criminal background checks – This check will reveal any past criminal offences while helping you to adhere to the Fair Housing Act.
- Income verification – A report like this confirms the ability of any prospective tenant to pay rent, often via employer or bank data.
- Rental history – A check that shows any previous rental application, as well as landlord references, and general tenant behavior.
Your job is to choose the level of detail that fits your rental property, your budget, and your tolerance for risk. Some commercial property managers prefer bundled options, while other DIY residential landlords often go with pay-as-you-go.
Pro tip: Some screening tool platforms only include credit data. Opt for a screening package that includes criminal background check and eviction history check functionality.
What Should a Tenant Screening Report Include?
What does a comprehensive tenant screening report look like? Well, its purpose is to give you a complete picture of who you might be renting to, rather than just what their credit score is like. It tells you all sorts of things, like how reliable, responsible and financially stable they are as people. However, if you’ve never seen one before, you might not know what to look for.
At a minimum, the report you get should include the following:
Credit information
What we’re talking about here is more than just a score. A proper tenant credit report should list:
- Collections, charge-offs, or bankruptcies
- Length of credit history and account types
- Outstanding debt
- Payment history
Essentially, this data shows how the applicant handles their money. It demonstrates whether they’re financially overextended, consistently late, or generally stable.
Eviction records
When it comes to red flags, there’s nothing more telling than if a prospective tenant has a previous eviction on their record. Evictions are a strong indicator of risk, and a quality screening report should search for:
- Repeated evictions in different counties or states
- Judgments or forced removals
- Formal eviction filings
Not all databases are created equally, so you should choose a service that checks nationally, especially if the applicants you’re screening are from out of state.
Criminal Background Information
This part of the screening process should include local, state, and national records. As a landlord, a report should give you important information relating to:
- Felony or misdemeanor convictions
- Any sex offender registry matches
- Pending charges
You should be making sure that the service you choose respects Fair Housing Act guidelines, especially when it comes to arrest records and non-convictions.
Rental History
Some screening service reports will show any past rental application that the person has made, the contact info of the landlord involved, and whether rent was paid on time. This section is less common but can be very helpful when available.
Employment And Income Verification
You’ll sometimes see reported income or employment data shown, either via linked financial records or employer verification. This info helps to confirm that the tenant can reasonably afford the rent.
Application Summary
Lastly, the report should also clearly display the applicant’s contact information, application date, and any consent-related timestamps, as they’ll be useful for your records and future reference.
Pro Tip: In short, the tenant screening report should be detailed, accurate, and easy to understand. If you can’t read it or act on it quickly, it’s not doing its job.
Rentler – Smarter Screening, Better Tenants, Less Stress
Finding tenants is one thing. It’s just that finding the right tenant takes a bit more work – and that’s where Rentler comes in. With a range of useful features covering credit checks, eviction history, criminal background checks, and income verification, Rentler gives you the comprehensive insight needed to make confident, informed decisions about the people you allow into your property.
Our customers get extra peace of mind, too, as every report is processed securely through TransUnion, giving you access to reliable, up-to-date data without the guesswork. So, whether you’re managing a single rental property or multiple units, you’re equipped with all the insights you need, right at your fingertips. This helps you avoid problems before they begin.
Rentler’s features also extend beyond tenant screening, as it’s a full property management platform that covers rental applications, rent collection, rental forms, and more, all in one place. That means fewer tools to juggle and more time to focus on what matters – growing your rental business.
If you’d like to explore how Rentler can support your property management goals, visit rentler.com. Or, if you’d rather speak with someone directly, call 1-888-222-1009, and a member of our team will be happy to walk you through your options.
