Are TransUnion SmartMove Reviews Worth It?

SmartMove reports are generally reliable for basic credit and rental history, but treat them as one piece of a broader screening process. They excel at delivering fast, verifiable credit scores and eviction records, yet they can miss nuanced issues like late‑payment patterns or recent court judgments. As discussed in 'How accurate are SmartMove results?', the service's error rate hovers around a few percent, so a single adverse finding rarely tells the whole story.

Trust the numbers for clear red flags, but always supplement with personal references or a background check when the stakes are high. We'll dive into privacy concerns in the next section.

• Provides quick, officially sourced credit and eviction data (see TransUnion SmartMove overview)
• Shows strong consistency on clear‑cut defaults and bankruptcies
• Occasionally omits recent judgments or small‑scale disputes, which appear in landlord anecdotes later
• Works best when paired with personal references or a full background check
• Errors can be disputed quickly; see 'Dispute SmartMove errors fast' for the process

SmartMove pulls five core data points into every report. They let landlords gauge credit risk, eviction risk, criminal risk, income stability, and rental history.

• Credit score and credit‑file summary from TransUnion, showing payment behavior and debt load (SmartMove credit data overview).
• Eviction filings and court judgments nationwide, indicating past tenancy problems.
• Criminal background check limited to cases indexed in major databases, flagging serious offenses.
• Income verification through pay‑stub or bank‑statement analysis, confirming ability to meet rent.
• Rental history from previous landlords or public records, confirming lease length and any disputes.

SmartMove results are highly accurate, with TransUnion reporting about 97% match on credit data and roughly 90% match on eviction records; independent reviews place overall reliability between 85% and 95% depending on the data type (SmartMove official methodology page).

Accuracy dips when names are misspelled, recent filings haven't entered the databases, or criminal records are incomplete; landlord references are optional and can introduce false positives or false negatives. Cross‑checking key fields and confirming any red flags with a secondary source helps close those gaps (CFPB analysis of tenant‑screening accuracy).

You can read a SmartMove report in about five minutes by following these steps.

1. Open the email link from SmartMove and download the PDF. The first page shows a one‑line summary: overall rating, credit score, and eviction flag.
2. Scan the 'Credit Summary' box. Note the three‑digit credit score, the number of recent inquiries, and any negative marks.
3. Jump to the 'Public Records' section. Look for eviction filings, bankruptcies, or civil judgments; each item lists a date and outcome.
4. Review the 'Landlord Score' and accompanying comments. This short paragraph explains why the score is high or low - useful for quick risk assessment (see 'see what SmartMove checks in reports').
5. Decide within a minute: if the score is ≥ 70, credit is clean, and no evictions appear, approve; otherwise flag for follow‑up or a secondary check (see 'when SmartMove helps you screen risky tenants').

SmartMove screens risky tenants by delivering a single report that combines credit, eviction and (optional) criminal data.

The report highlights red‑flag metrics that landlords use to decide quickly whether to approve, consider, or decline an applicant. As noted in 'See what SmartMove checks in reports,' the key signals include:

• Credit score and recent credit inquiries
• History of unpaid debts or collections
• Documented evictions or court judgments related to housing
• Optional criminal convictions (state‑level)
• SmartMove risk score (0‑100) that weights the above factors

When those indicators cross the thresholds you set - such as a score below 600, an eviction in the past two years, or multiple recent collections - the report flags the applicant as high risk, letting you intervene before signing a lease. This lets landlords act on hard data rather than gut feeling, saving time and reducing costly turnover.

SmartMove wastes your time and money when the report arrives late, when it shows outdated credit data, or when you pay for a full report on every applicant instead of reserving it for high‑risk cases. Late delivery (often 24‑48 hours) stalls lease signing, and inaccurate balances can cause you to reject a qualified tenant or approve a problem renter, leading to vacancy loss or eviction costs. Each unnecessary report costs $39 plus fees, and correcting errors means filing disputes, which consumes hours and may involve legal fees.

SmartMove avoids those pitfalls when you treat the report as a screening tool, not a decision‑maker, and follow the 'read a SmartMove report in 5 minutes' steps from earlier. Order reports only after the initial application, use the free preview to confirm identity, and dispute any discrepancy through the online portal - usually resolved within days, saving both time and money. Pairing SmartMove with local background checks (see 'three red flags SmartMove often misses') further reduces false positives, letting you close deals faster and keep vacancy rates low. For guidance on filing disputes, see the CFPB's credit‑report dispute guide.

SmartMove commonly skips three key warning signs that can turn a seemingly solid applicant into a problem tenant.

• Recent evictions that haven't entered the public record yet - SmartMove pulls data from county courts, but evictions filed within the last 30 days often lag, leaving the report clean while the tenant faces imminent legal trouble.
• Criminal convictions sealed or expunged in states with restrictive reporting - Because many jurisdictions prohibit sharing sealed records, SmartMove's background check can show no offenses even though the applicant has a relevant criminal history.
• Partial rent‑payment history from non‑reporting landlords - If a tenant's former landlord never submitted payment data to credit bureaus, SmartMove reports 'no rental history,' masking missed or late payments that would otherwise signal risk.

These gaps explain why we advised cross‑checking SmartMove results with a direct landlord reference in the 'when SmartMove helps you screen risky tenants' section.

SmartMove can be a game‑changer, but real landlords still hit both highs and lows.

• A single‑family landlord in Ohio ran a SmartMove report on a candidate with a steady 3‑year job; the report flagged a prior eviction that the tenant never disclosed, allowing the landlord to reject the application and avoid a $2,500 loss.
• A Chicago property manager used SmartMove for a corporate lease; the report showed a clean credit history, yet the tenant defaulted after six months because the service missed a recent bankruptcy that only appeared in a county court docket.
• A Texas duplex owner screened three applicants; SmartMove highlighted one renter's high debt‑to‑income ratio, prompting a deeper interview that revealed strong savings, and the tenant signed a one‑year lease with no issues.
• A Phoenix landlord relied solely on SmartMove's 'no criminal record' tag; the tenant later was arrested for a violent misdemeanor, a record that the service omitted because it was filed after the report was generated.

These snapshots illustrate why you should cross‑check SmartMove results and be ready to dispute errors (see the next section on fast dispute steps).

You can correct SmartMove report mistakes quickly by disputing them through SmartMove's portal and, if needed, escalating to the credit bureaus.

1. Scan the report, highlight the inaccurate entry, and save any lease agreements, payment records, or court documents that prove the correct information.
2. Log into your SmartMove account, open the 'Dispute Results' page, and click the 'Start Dispute' button.
3. Upload the supporting documents, write a brief explanation of the error, and submit the request. SmartMove usually replies within 48 hours.
4. If the response confirms the correction, download the updated report and replace the original in your tenant screening files.
5. When SmartMove refuses or ignores the correction, file a formal dispute with TransUnion using the TransUnion online dispute portal. Attach the same evidence and note the SmartMove reference number.
6. Monitor the dispute status; the Fair Credit Reporting Act requires a resolution within 30 days. Once fixed, request a fresh SmartMove pull to verify the changes.

SmartMove gathers your full name, Social Security number, and credit history, then stores that data on TransUnion's servers and shares it with any landlord who orders a report. That means the information can travel beyond the original request, stay for years, and be subject to the same breach risks that affect any large credit bureau.

For example, a landlord in California once ordered a report, saved the PDF to a shared drive, and an employee later posted the file to a public folder, exposing the tenant's SSN and income details. In another case, a data‑breach at a third‑party vendor used by SmartMove leaked thousands of tenant reports, forcing victims to monitor their credit for fraud. Those incidents illustrate why you should weigh how much personal data you're comfortable handing over before you click 'order.'

If SmartMove's price, limited data fields, or turnaround time don't suit your rental process, you can turn to free annual credit reports from each bureau, pull a consumer‑grade TransUnion report directly via its website, conduct manual reference checks (contact former landlords, verify income with pay stubs), or use a pay‑as‑you‑go service such as thecreditpeople.com tenant-screening service that bundles credit, eviction and criminal data without a subscription.