Tenant Screening with TransUnion SmartMove: California Owner Guide

TransUnion SmartMove can supply information for a rental application. It cannot select a tenant for the owner or promise that a lease will go well. This guide shows how to use the product’s current report categories inside a lawful California screening process, while checking the records and giving applicants the required chance to respond.

Start with criteria, not a report

Publish the rental terms and lawful screening criteria before reviewing applications. Record when a completed application arrives and use the same stated process for comparable applicants. Ask about the move-in date and information needed for that process; do not label an applicant risky because they ask a question, request an accommodation, have a gap in payroll employment, or want to use a housing subsidy. A written criterion still has to comply with California fair housing law.

What SmartMove currently offers

On its current tenant-screening page, SmartMove lists ResidentScore and criminal background information in its basic package, with credit and eviction-related reporting in higher packages. Its premium listing also includes Income Insights and an Identity Check Report. Select the package and confirm what it actually returns for the property’s jurisdiction. SmartMove says criminal and eviction records may be restricted by federal, state, and local law. Package names, availability, and prices can change; this article does not quote a price.

SmartMove describes its Eviction Related Proceedings Report as including records with a final judgment. That is different from assuming every filing is a judgment or that every matching name belongs to this applicant. Review the date, jurisdiction, disposition, and identity match, then check whether the information may be used under the governing rules. Its Income Insights compares a model-based estimate with self-reported income to suggest when further verification may be useful; it is not proof of the applicant’s actual income or a substitute for lawful alternative evidence.

Verify income without a universal “3x” rule

Use the property’s lawful, written financial criterion and consider all legal, verifiable income sources. A fixed three-times-the-full-rent rule is especially wrong when a government subsidy pays part of the rent. California requires an income standard for a subsidized applicant to use the tenant’s rent portion. If the monthly contract rent is $2,400 and an approved subsidy covers $1,700, the relevant tenant portion is $700 for that standard. The example does not decide the applicant’s eligibility or whether that subsidy amount is approved for a real unit.

If credit history is part of the review, California also requires an opportunity and reasonable time for a subsidized applicant to present lawful, verifiable alternative evidence of ability to pay their portion. The provider must reasonably consider that evidence in lieu of credit history. CRD’s source-of-income FAQ gives the governing explanation. Do not let a score or income estimate silently override that process.

Review report limits and corrections

The FTC’s landlord guidance treats tenant screening reports as consumer reports. Obtain one only for a permissible housing purpose and certify that purpose to the reporting agency. Protect sensitive application data, read the underlying report rather than only its recommendation, and give an applicant a route to dispute an inaccurate record. California’s CRD criminal-history FAQ describes records a provider may not consider and an individualized review when a conviction is relevant. A product’s ability to return data does not make every use of that data lawful.

If the owner charges an application screening fee, Civil Code §1950.6 controls the fee and process, including availability, actual costs, alternative selection/refund routes, an itemized receipt, and delivery of a paid-for credit report to the applicant within seven days of the owner receiving it. Whether SmartMove lets an applicant pay a product charge is a separate question from the owner’s duty under California law. Use the actual current fee and process records; no amount is asserted here.

When a report affects the outcome

If report information contributes even partly to an adverse action, send the Fair Credit Reporting Act notice. It applies beyond denial: a report-driven co-signer requirement, larger deposit, or higher rent can also qualify. The notice must identify the reporting agency by name, address, and phone; state that the agency did not make the decision and cannot explain it; and tell the applicant about the right to dispute information and obtain a free report on request within 60 days. Use written or electronic notice when a credit score was used, including the additional score details the FTC specifies. Check the actual report and action before using any template.

For the full application sequence, see our six-step residential screening guide. Coastline’s property management services include leasing operations; contact Coastline to discuss that work. No product report or article can guarantee a “reliable renter” or decide an individual application.

Primary sources

TransUnion SmartMove reports; SmartMove eviction report; SmartMove Income Insights; FTC landlord FCRA guidance; California Government Code §12955; California Civil Code §1950.6.