How to Run TransUnion Landlord Credit Check?

Gather a government‑issued ID, Social Security number, and recent pay stubs before you run a TransUnion landlord check. Also collect a signed consent form and any prior lease agreements to verify rental history.

• Valid photo ID (driver's license or passport) to match the applicant's name and birthdate
• Social Security number or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number for the credit query
• Two months of pay stubs, bank statements, or employment verification letters to confirm income
• Signed consent form authorizing the TransUnion landlord check, meeting FCRA requirements
• Copies of previous leases, rent receipts, or eviction court documents to cross‑check rental history

Secure written consent before pulling a TransUnion landlord check. The consent form must be a standalone document, signed (or electronically affirmed) by the applicant, and must state the specific purpose: 'to obtain a consumer report for housing eligibility.' Include the applicant's full name, current address, and Social Security number, then retain the signed form for at least five years. Electronic signatures are valid if the process records the applicant's affirmative action and the date‑time stamp.

Stay FCRA compliant by limiting the request to a permissible purpose - the applicant's rental application. Do not disclose the report to anyone unrelated to the leasing decision, and store it in a password‑protected system.

If you deny the application based on the report, deliver a timely adverse action notice that includes the report's source, the applicant's right to dispute, and the contact information of the reporting agency. Proper handling now smooths the transition to the next step on pricing and turnaround for your TransUnion landlord check. Fair Credit Reporting Act guidelines

TransUnion landlord checks cost $14.95 for a credit‑only pull and $39.95 for the full package that adds eviction and criminal data, with volume discounts of 10 % or more when you run ten or more applicant reports in a month. Credit results appear instantly - usually within a minute - while eviction and public‑record sections may need up to 24 hours, though most users see the complete report within a few minutes to an hour.

• Credit‑only (soft pull): $14.95 per applicant, instant results.
• Full report (credit + eviction + criminal): $39.95 per applicant, most complete data in under an hour, occasional delay up to 24 hours for public records.
• Bulk pricing: 10 %‑15 % off for 10+ reports, custom rates for larger volumes.
• Turnaround guarantee: credit score delivered in seconds; eviction/criminal data typically ready within 30 minutes, rarely exceeding 24 hours.

Run a 6‑step TransUnion landlord check by securing consent, entering data, selecting the right package, submitting the request, waiting for the report, then reviewing key items.

1. Get written consent - have the applicant sign a disclosure that authorizes a credit pull; keep the document for FCRA compliance.
2. Log in - access your TransUnion landlord portal (or approved API) with your credentials.
3. Enter applicant details - type the full name, Social Security number, date of birth, and current address exactly as they appear on the consent form.
4. Select the appropriate report - choose the 'Standard Landlord' package, which meets most state screening requirements; confirm any extra modules you need (eviction, criminal) before proceeding.
5. Submit and wait - send the request; most reports return in 5‑15 minutes, while deeper searches may take up to 24 hours.
6. Review the report - check payment history, outstanding balances, public records, and any recent inquiries. Use the balance totals to calculate the applicant's debt‑to‑income ratio yourself; the ratio does not appear on the credit file.

The TransUnion landlord check surfaces a handful of data points that reveal an applicant's financial reliability.

• Credit‑score range - provides a quick risk gauge.
• Payment history - shows on‑time versus late payments across all accounts.
• Current balances and credit‑utilization ratio - high utilization may signal overextension.
• Delinquent accounts - any 30‑, 60‑, or 90‑day past‑due items raise red flags.
• Recent bankruptcies, liens, or judgments - indicate severe financial distress.
• Eviction filings and court judgments - directly affect tenancy risk.
• Public records - tax liens or civil judgments can affect affordability.
• Number of recent hard inquiries - many inquiries suggest recent credit hunting.
• Account types - revolving, installment, and mortgage balances give context to overall debt load.

After you've collected the necessary documents (section 1) and secured applicant consent (section 2), zero in on these sections; they form the backbone of the risk assessment before you move on to checking eviction and public‑record details in the next step.

The TransUnion landlord check displays any eviction filings and other public records tied to the applicant after you capture the required consent.

Eviction entries typically cover filings up to seven years, though exact windows depend on state law; each record shows the filing date, case number and the court that issued it, allowing you to verify the incident without needing a live link to the source document.

Criminal convictions do not appear in the standard landlord check; you must purchase a separate criminal background service if that data is needed, which you will address in the upcoming adverse‑action section.

After a TransUnion landlord check, if you refuse an applicant or change the lease terms because of the report, you must issue an FCRA adverse‑action notice within 30 days of that decision. The notice must name the reporting agency, summarize the applicant's rights, include a copy of the report or a statement that the report is available for inspection, and provide the contact information for the agency that supplied the report.Fair Credit Reporting Act adverse‑action guidance offers a ready‑made template.

Send the notice by certified mail, email with read receipt, or another verifiable method, and retain a copy for at least five years. The same process applies whether the action is a denial, a higher security deposit, or a lease‑term change. With the notice handled, you can move on to verifying co‑signers and screening multiple applicants separately.

Run a separate TransUnion landlord check for every co‑signer and each additional applicant, and keep each report distinct.

Key actions:

• Obtain a signed consent form and a valid SSN for each co‑signer (the same consent required for primary applicants).
• Submit each person as an individual applicant in the TransUnion portal; the system will generate separate credit files.
• Review scores, payment histories, and public records on a one‑to‑one basis; do not merge data across applicants.
• Record any adverse action notices individually, matching the specific report that triggered the decision.

This isolated approach preserves FCRA compliance and lets you compare co‑signer strength side by side, setting up the next step of handling adverse actions and required notices.

Disputes, credit freezes, and identity‑fraud blocks each stop a TransUnion landlord check from returning a full report; the landlord must prompt the applicant to act, never request the applicant's PIN, password, or personal ID documents.

If a dispute appears, tell the applicant to log into the TransUnion consumer portal, locate the disputed item, and follow the 'resolve dispute' workflow; the report will update within 1‑3 business days after the consumer's submission.

For a credit freeze, ask the applicant to lift it by entering their PIN or password at TransUnion's credit‑freeze portal or by calling the freeze service; the freeze removal typically takes 1‑3 business days. When an identity‑fraud block shows, instruct the applicant to verify their identity directly with TransUnion - usually by answering security questions or submitting a government‑issued ID through the secure portal; the block clears only after TransUnion confirms the applicant's identity.

Example: An applicant's report shows 'Dispute pending - 2024‑09‑12.' The landlord emails the applicant, 'Please log in to TransUnion, review the dispute, and confirm resolution; I'll re‑run the check after it's cleared.' Two days later the applicant lifts a freeze by entering their PIN at the portal, and the landlord runs the check again, receiving an unrestricted report. No landlord‑collected IDs or passwords are involved, keeping the process FCRA‑compliant.

If an applicant doesn't have an SSN, you can still run a TransUnion landlord check by providing name, date of birth and a government‑issued ID such as a passport, ITIN, alien registration number or foreign driver's license; TransUnion matches the applicant using address history and those alternative identifiers and will also let you order a global consumer report that pulls credit data from overseas bureaus, so you can see foreign credit activity, payment patterns and any public‑record items that are available - just be sure to obtain written consent that explicitly mentions you may use non‑SSN data and to disclose any foreign source in the adverse‑action notice, exactly as required in the compliance step,

then treat the resulting report like any other TransUnion landlord check and follow the same adverse‑action procedures discussed earlier before moving on to the co‑signer verification section.

Tenant‑screening platforms bundle the TransUnion landlord check with credit, eviction and public‑record pulls, automate FCRA‑required disclosures, and let you run multiple applicants in seconds; they charge a per‑report fee that typically ranges from $25‑$45 and deliver results within 10‑20 minutes, plus a dashboard for storing consent forms and adverse‑action notices as discussed in the 'handle adverse actions' section.

Doing the check yourself means logging into the TransUnion landlord check portal, paying the flat $30‑$39 fee per applicant, and waiting 24‑48 hours for a PDF report; you must manage consent paperwork, draft your own adverse‑action letters, and manually track each applicant's data, which can be time‑consuming but gives you full control over who sees the information and avoids subscription fees.