SmartMove vs RentPrep
Vendor pages read live on 2026-09-04 · prices change without notice
Both sell you a decision aid, and they differ in how the report is produced: one is automated and instant, the other is assembled and reviewed by a person before you see it.
- Best overall
- RentPrepA complete package at $49 with an FCRA-certified screener reviewing it, plus verification add-ons.
- Best free
- NeitherScreening costs money; the question is only whether you or the applicant pays it.
- Best for many units
- SmartMoveInstant turnaround suits a leasing season where speed decides who signs.
What each package costs
| SmartMove | RentPrep | |
|---|---|---|
| Complete package | SmartCheck Premium $49 | Complete Screening Package $49 |
| Cheaper option | Lower SmartCheck tiers offered | Credit Report Only $29 · Full Background Check $29 |
| Review | Automated, instant | FCRA-certified screener review on the background package |
| Add-ons | Not published as separate line items | Income Verification $10 · Income & Employment $15 |
| Who may pay | Landlord or applicant, where permitted | Landlord and tenant-pay options available |
Read live from mysmartmove.com/pricing and rentprep.com/pricing on 2026-09-04. RentPrep's page also states that its reports are now delivered by Stessa.
Automated against reviewed
SmartMove returns a TransUnion credit file with a resident score, plus criminal and eviction searches, immediately. RentPrep's background package puts a certified screener between the databases and your inbox, which is slower and catches the things a name-match search gets wrong — common names, aliases, records filed under a variant spelling.
Speed is a real feature in a hot market
If two applicants are equal and one can be approved today, the instant report wins you the tenant. If the applicant pool is thin and one file is complicated, the reviewed report is worth the wait.
What neither of them verifies
No screening report confirms income. RentPrep sells verification as an add-on at $10 or $15; SmartMove does not publish one. Either way the underlying documents — pay records, bank statements, an employer call — are your job, and they are the part that predicts payment better than any score.
The same is true of rental history. Call the previous landlord, not just the current one; the questions are in tenant screening questions.
Whichever you use, the notice is yours
Both products are consumer reports. Declining an applicant, requiring a co-signer or raising the deposit because of one triggers the FCRA adverse action duty — the vendor does not discharge it for you. The mechanics are in the tenant screening guide.
Buying checklist
Decide who pays before you list. Check the report is available in your state. Confirm what identity verification the applicant must pass. Ask how long the report stays accessible. Keep the adverse action template ready before the first decline, not after it.