Best Tenant Screening Services for Landlords

This guide is for landlords who screen their own applicants, with a focus on owners in San Diego and the rest of California. It compares the main online screening services on price, who pays, and what each report includes, then covers the California rules that decide how much you can charge and how you must run the process.

Prices come from each company's own pricing page, checked in September 2026, and can change at any time. California law adds rules most national comparisons skip, so read the second half before you pick a service or set a fee.

At a glance

1. TransUnion SmartMove

SmartMove (opens in a new tab) is TransUnion's landlord screening product, still at mysmartmove.com. As of September 2026, SmartCheck Premium is $49, Plus is $40 and Basic is $25, with a Background Check Basic at $25 (plus tax). Premium includes ResidentScore, credit, criminal, eviction, Income Insights and an ID check; Plus is the same without income and ID. The landlord chooses who pays, "where permitted". SmartMove's own disclaimer says its eviction records are "limited in California".

Best for: landlords who want to pick a tier and decide who pays.

2. RentPrep

RentPrep (opens in a new tab) sells a credit-only report for $29, a background-only report for $29 (landlord-paid) and a complete report for $49, as of September 2026, with an income verification add-on at $10 to $15. Reports cover credit and ResidentScore, an SSN check, criminal and sex offender records, evictions, and judgments and liens.

Best for: landlords who want to buy only the piece they need.

3. Zillow Rental Manager

Zillow's screening (opens in a new tab) is free to the landlord. The renter pays $35, which covers unlimited participating Zillow listings for 30 days. Reports combine Experian credit with criminal and eviction data from CIC, which Zillow says are "modified to reflect state and local laws".

Best for: landlords already listing on Zillow who do not want to pay for screening.

4. RentSpree

RentSpree (opens in a new tab) offers Standard at $39.99 and Comprehensive at $49.99, as of September 2026. Comprehensive adds bank-verified income and references. Reports use TransUnion credit, background and eviction data, and the landlord chooses who pays.

Best for: landlords who want income verified in the same package.

5. TurboTenant

TurboTenant (opens in a new tab) charges the applicant $45 when the landlord is on the Free plan and $55 when the landlord is on Pro, as of September 2026. Landlord plans run $149 a year (Essentials) or $199 a year (Pro). The landlord may cover the fee instead. Reports use TransUnion credit, criminal and eviction data; Pro adds Snappt income and fraud checks.

Best for: landlords who also want listings, leases and rent collection from one tool.

6. Avail

Avail (opens in a new tab), owned by Realtor.com, has plans at $0 or $9 per unit per month. Reports use TransUnion credit, nationwide criminal and eviction data. Either side can pay, and Avail says the tenant paying is most common. We could not confirm the per-report price on Avail's own page, so check it when you sign up.

Best for: landlords already listing through Avail.

7. Apartments.com

Apartments.com (opens in a new tab) offers a renter-paid screening report through its rental manager tools. We could not confirm its current price or report details on Apartments.com's own page, so check both before you rely on it.

Best for: landlords already listing on Apartments.com.

8. Experian Connect (no longer sold to landlords)

Many older comparisons still list Experian Connect. As of September 2026, its landlord page (opens in a new tab) redirects to an Experian page promoting Zillow's screening, so it is no longer a separate option for landlords.

California rules for screening fees and decisions

The service you choose does not change what California requires of the landlord. These rules apply statewide, as of September 2026. This is general information, not legal advice.

The application fee cap (Civil Code § 1950.6)

A screening fee cannot be more than the landlord's actual out-of-pocket cost: the screening service plus the reasonable value of the landlord's time. The statute sets a cap of $30 per applicant, adjusted each year for inflation since 1998, but it does not say which price index to use, so there is no single official 2026 number. Depending on the index, the cap works out to about $60 to $66 in 2026, and the fee can never be more than your actual cost. A guarantor or cosigner counts as an applicant. You must give a receipt itemizing costs and refund any part not spent on screening. Whatever service you use, check the applicant fee against the cap and against your actual cost.

Reusable screening reports (Civil Code § 1950.1)

Accepting a reusable report, such as one an applicant already bought on Zillow, is your choice, not a requirement. If you accept one, you cannot charge a screening fee or a fee to access it.

AB 2493: two ways to charge a fee

AB 2493 (Stats. 2024 ch. 966, effective 1 January 2025) amended § 1950.6. You may not charge a fee when you know, or should know, that no unit is or soon will be available. You may charge a fee only if, when you collect it, you offer one of two processes:

1. First-come review with written criteria. Completed applications are considered in the order received, under written screening criteria given with the application, and the first applicant who meets them is approved. Applicants are not charged until their application is actually considered, and a fee collected by accident from a concurrent application must be refunded within 7 days (or credited to another unit, at the applicant's choice).
2. Refund everyone not selected. The whole fee is refunded to every applicant not chosen, for any reason, within 7 days of selecting a tenant or 30 days of the application, whichever is first.

Either way, you must send each applicant a copy of their credit report within 7 days of receiving it, by hand, mail or email, whether or not they ask.

Voucher holders and credit history (SB 267)

SB 267 (Stats. 2023 ch. 776, effective 1 January 2024) amended Government Code § 12955. Where there is a government rent subsidy, you may not use an applicant's credit history without offering the option to provide "lawful, verifiable alternative evidence" of ability to pay the tenant's share, such as government benefit payments, pay records and bank statements. If the applicant chooses that option, you must give reasonable time and consider that evidence in place of the credit history.

Source of income (Government Code § 12955)

Source of income is protected, and it includes federal, state and local housing subsidies such as Section 8 and HUD-VASH vouchers. You may ask about the level or source of income. In subsidy cases, an income standard must be based on the tenant's portion of the rent.

Criminal history (2 CCR § 12264 et seq.)

California's Fair Chance housing regulations, in effect since 1 January 2020, bar blanket bans such as "No felons". You may say that a lawful criminal background check will be run. You may not seek or consider arrests that did not lead to a conviction, detentions or questioning by police, infractions, diversion or deferred entry of judgment, sealed, dismissed or expunged convictions, or juvenile matters (unless the applicant offers them). Only a directly-related conviction may be used, weighing its nature, severity and age. The Civil Rights Department's FAQ (opens in a new tab) recommends running the criminal check only after financial and other qualifications are verified, giving written notice of the chance to present mitigating information, and checking the report for accuracy.

Frequently asked questions

How much can a California landlord charge for an application?

No more than the actual out-of-pocket cost of screening, and no more than the § 1950.6 cap. The statute ties the $30 base to inflation without naming an index, so published 2026 figures run about $60 to $66. Charge your real cost, give an itemized receipt, and refund anything not spent.

Does AB 2493 require first-come, first-served?

No. It requires one of two processes when you collect a fee: first-come review under written criteria, or a full refund to every applicant not selected within 7 days of choosing a tenant or 30 days of the application, whichever is first.

Do I have to accept a reusable screening report?

No. Under Civil Code § 1950.1 it is your choice. If you do accept one, you cannot charge the applicant a screening fee or a fee to access the report.

Can I turn down an applicant with a voucher because of their credit?

Not on credit history alone without offering an alternative. Under SB 267, where there is a government rent subsidy, you must offer the applicant the option to show ability to pay with other verifiable evidence, such as benefit payments, pay records or bank statements, and consider it in place of the credit history.

For more on why screening matters, see our article on the benefits of tenant screening in San Diego, and for where to find applicants in the first place, our guide to rental listing sites for San Diego landlords. If you would rather not run the process yourself, McKee Properties processes online applications and screening reports as part of its leasing services, and our list of property management companies in San Diego compares other local options.