FAQ

Tenant screening questions? We've got answers!

Answers to the most commonly asked questions.

When you order a Credit Report, your applicant will be automatically sent an email requesting permission to share their credit information with you. The applicant will give permission by filling out a quick, online form. Once complete, you will be able to finalize your transaction and view your applicant’s full report through the Applicant Details tab on your dashboard. Please note: Only United States credit reports are available to be requested.

As part of our requirements under both the FCRA and our contracts with the credit bureaus, we are required to implement measures to ensure that end users have a legitimate permissible purpose to access consumer reports. Requiring SSN and a credit card for landlords are both part of the necessary procedures to legitimize landlords, before allowing access to the personal information that a tenant screening report would include.

MyRental offers landlords access to several types of background data that can be used to screen prospective tenants. For example, a criminal search can look for a background of violence, property destruction, or sex offense. A credit report, which we pull from TransUnion®, looks at the applicant's banking history such as payments for credit cards, car loans, and mortgages along with financial situations that involved the courts.

All products containing credit report data (Premium and Stand-Alone Credit) require landlords to get consumer credit consent. Should you order one of these products, we will send each applicant listed on the application an email. The email will contain a link which will route the applicant through a secure authorization process with TransUnion®.

To accommodate this process and keep you informed every step of the way, we have built a robust tracking feature. You can monitor the status of each applicant via the pending application feature from your dashboard. Once all applicant(s) listed on the application have completed the authorization process, we will charge your credit card and make the report(s) available to you.

As the Landlord/Agent, you do not need to collect the applicant's social security number if you are running a Premium package or standalone Credit report. You simply need to enter their full name and email address to submit a request via MyRental. We will email a request to your applicants, who will enter their information (including social security number) and provide consent to release their credit information to you.


For the Basic package and other (non-credit) standalone reports, you will need to provide the applicant’s full name, email address, date of birth, social security number, address and income information.

Both a typical credit score and the TU Rental Score can help reduce risks when screening an applicant. However, the TU Rental Score is engineered for rental screening and is designed to provide a better estimation of risk to your future rental property income than a typical credit score. Below are the benefits of the TU Rental Score over a standard credit score:
• Identifies 15% more evictions and 19% more skips than other typical credit scores*
• Scores more applicants who have thin files (can score all applicants with at least one account on their credit report)*
• Built specifically to identify the likelihood of eviction

For the Premium and credit reports, once you add the applicant’s name(s) and email address(es), the applicant will receive an email link from My Rental. With the link, the applicant will create an account and log in to complete the screening. The reports will then be sent to the landlord upon completion by the applicant. For basic package and all other reports, the landlord will provide all required information, including the applicant’s full name, address, date of birth and Social Security number.

MyRental.com is a “pay as you go” service. You pay by credit card each time you run a report; there is no invoicing. We accept Visa®, MasterCard®, Discover® and American Express®.

Yes, prospective tenants can pay the cost of screening with our Premium package using a credit or debit card. All other packages must be paid for by the landlord. Once payment is complete and credit authorization process is complete, the landlord will receive the report privately and securely.

This doesn’t have to slow you down. If one or more applicants completes the authorization process but others decline or fail the process, the application will then be processed reflecting only the applicants who pass. The cost to run the reports will be updated automatically.

It depends on your needs. With no minimum and no sign-up fee, you can access valuable information on a potential tenant quickly. Our featured package, MyRental Premium, includes all of the data you need to make an informed decision on your applicant. For those individuals/owners that simply require an eviction report, address history and/or criminal history information, the Basic package is ideal.

SafeRent is a provider of resident screening for single and multifamily property operators. We designed MyRental.com to address the tenant screening needs of individual landlords.

Landlords turn to us for comprehensive data about their applicants' prior eviction records, address history, criminal backgrounds, credit report and more. Armed with this information, landlords can evaluate the risk of an applicant and thus, make more informed leasing decisions.

MyRental performs a “soft pull” when retrieving the applicant’s credit report. Soft pulls do not affect the applicant’s credit score.

Applicants cannot run reports on themselves.

Tenant screening is primarily done by residential landlords and property managers to evaluate prospective tenants. The purpose of screening is to minimize risk.

A tenant screening report is a cost-effective consumer report that may include criminal and civil background searches. Tenant reports may contain one or more of the following elements: credit score, eviction records, criminal records, sex offender registry check, employment verifications, and comparative analysis with scores in the same region. Landlords and property managers then set thresholds that will determine if a prospective applicant is approved or denied.

A rental application is used by property managers and landlords to collect pertinent information about the potential tenant.

Before a potential tenant can move into an apartment, they will likely need to provide some basic information, including the following: Name, social security number, contact information and employer’s name. In addition to this basic information, some property managers and landlords may require additional information such as: Proof of employment or a W2 to verify income, background and credit checks, past rental history and references.

Landlords and property managers must obtain written permission from the potential tenant before moving forward with a consumer background report. Prior to requesting a tenant’s credit report, a potential tenant should also be provided with a summary of their rights under the Fair Credit Report Act.

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