What Is TransUnion Tenant Screening?

TransUnion tenant screening is a background‑check service that landlords use to evaluate your rental application.

The service pulls data from credit bureaus, public‑record databases, and proprietary rental‑history sources to generate a screening report. The report typically includes your credit score, payment history on existing debts, past evictions, civil judgments, and any documented criminal convictions. It may also list address history, utility payment records, and employment verification if you've provided that information.

For example, a landlord reviewing your screening report might see a 720 credit score, three years of on‑time rent payments reported by a previous property manager, a 2019 eviction filing that was later dismissed, and a recent utility bill paid through a third‑party service. Those details help the landlord decide whether to approve your lease, require a higher security deposit, or request a co‑signer.

(Next, we'll explore why landlords prefer TransUnion screening over other options.)

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• Landlords use TransUnion tenant screening to quickly gauge an applicant's financial reliability and rental risk.
• The screening report reveals your credit score and payment patterns, helping landlords predict on‑time rent.
• It flags any past evictions or judgments, allowing landlords to avoid tenants with costly histories.
• The report confirms your employment or income sources, reducing uncertainty about your ability to afford rent.
• By standardizing the data, landlords can make fair, consistent decisions and speed up lease approvals.

TransUnion builds your tenant screening report by pulling information from three primary buckets: your personal credit file, public‑record filings, and specialty rental‑payment sources that track rent and utility payments. As described in the 'understand TransUnion tenant screening' section, these buckets feed the data points you'll later see on the screening report.

• Your credit file (payment history, balances, inquiries) from the TransUnion consumer database
• Court‑record data: evictions, bankruptcies, judgments, tax liens, and civil suits
• Rental‑payment and utility data from RentBureau, utility‑billing aggregators, and landlord‑submitted payment histories

Your TransUnion tenant screening report displays the data landlords use to decide if they'll rent to you.

• Identity section - full name, Social Security number, date of birth, and current address.
• Credit summary - total debt, payment history, any late payments, and a score range (if you have a credit file).
• Rental history - previous landlords, lease dates, rent amounts, and any reported lease violations or unpaid balances.
• Eviction records - filed evictions, court outcomes, and dates of judgments.
• Criminal background - convictions, felonies, misdemeanors, and the jurisdiction of each case (often limited to the past 7‑10 years).
• Public records - bankruptcies, liens, or civil judgments that affect tenancy eligibility.
• Inquiries - who has pulled your report in the past 12 months, typically prospective landlords or property managers.

Understanding each block lets you verify accuracy before a landlord reviews the report, and prepares you for the next step on costs and turnaround time.

TransUnion tenant screening usually costs landlords between $15 and $50 per screening report, depending on the package and any add‑ons such as eviction or criminal checks. Tenants who order the report themselves typically pay $10‑$30. Prices are published on the provider's site and may drop with volume discounts for property managers handling dozens of units.

Turnaround time is almost immediate for digital requests; most landlords receive the screening report within a few minutes after payment. If a paper copy is requested, delivery can take 24‑48 hours. Faster results help you make leasing decisions before the next rent cycle begins, which ties into the credit‑impact discussion in the next section.Learn more about TransUnion tenant screening pricing and speed

Tenant screening does not lower your credit score because TransUnion tenant screening runs a soft inquiry that never appears on your credit report, so the screening report merely reflects existing public records, rental history, and any credit‑based data already in your file; only a rare hard pull - usually disclosed - could cause a temporary dip, and any negative items uncovered (evictions, unpaid debts) may later affect your score when they are reported separately,

which is why the next section explains how to get your TransUnion tenant report fast and the following one covers disputing errors that could hurt your credit.

You can receive your TransUnion tenant screening report in minutes by following these steps.

1. Visit the TransUnion tenant screening portal and select 'Get My Report.'
2. Enter your full name, Social Security number, and current address; these identifiers match the data used in the landlord‑focused screening file.
3. Verify your identity with a one‑time code sent to your phone or email; this step prevents fraudulent requests.
4. Pay the standard fee (typically $7‑$15) using a credit card or PayPal; the charge appears on your credit record as a 'tenant screening' inquiry only.
5. Download the electronic screening report instantly or receive a secure PDF link within 15 minutes.

After the report arrives, you can review the sections discussed earlier - payment history, eviction listings, and public records - before moving on to dispute any errors.

You can dispute and remove errors from your TransUnion tenant screening file by submitting a formal dispute through the TransUnion consumer dispute portal, emailing their tenant‑screening support line, or mailing a written statement with copies of supporting documents. Include the exact item you contest, why it's wrong, and any receipts, court records, or landlord letters that prove the correct information.

TransUnion will investigate within 30 days, contact the data furnisher, and update your screening report if the item is verified as inaccurate. While the investigation runs, the disputed entry is flagged so landlords see a 'disputed' notation instead of the original claim.

After the correction, request an updated screening report to confirm the removal, then share the fresh copy with prospective landlords. This step links back to the 'see what appears on your screening report' section and prepares you for the upcoming discussion on evictions in tenant reports.

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• Evictions show up as a distinct 'Eviction' section on your TransUnion tenant screening report, listing case number, court, filing date, and outcome (Eviction data in TransUnion tenant reports).
• Typically, an eviction remains on the screening report for seven years from the filing date, regardless of the final judgment.
• Landlords treat any eviction as a risk marker; multiple entries often lead to a denial or higher security deposit.
• You can dispute inaccurate eviction records by submitting court documents or settlement proof through TransUnion's online portal.
• When the eviction is accurate, add a brief 'explanation' note and highlight recent on‑time rent payments; many landlords weigh the overall rental history before deciding.

You can still rent even if you have no credit history or only a thin file, because many landlords rely on a TransUnion tenant screening report that accepts alternative data sources.

• Proof of steady income - recent pay stubs, bank statements, or an employment verification letter show you can meet rent payments.
• Utility and telecom payment history - upload records of on‑time electric, water, or cell‑phone bills; these appear in the screening report as non‑tradeline data.
• Rental references - former landlords can submit a written reference that TransUnion incorporates into your report.
• Co‑signer or guarantor - a credit‑worthy family member or friend can be added to the application, giving the landlord another risk metric.
• Higher security deposit - offering an extra month's rent reduces the landlord's exposure and may offset a thin credit file.
• Alternative credit services - enroll in programs that report rent and subscription payments to TransUnion, such as the option described in alternative data for credit scoring.

Use these tactics to build a stronger TransUnion tenant screening profile, then move on to the next section on screening international or non‑U.S. applicants.

TransUnion tenant screening pulls your overseas credit file, rental payment records, and any public court data that the agency receives from partner bureaus in Canada, the UK, Australia and other participating countries, then compiles it into a single screening report you can share with a U.S. landlord; the report flags delinquencies, evictions and high‑risk flags just like a domestic file, but it also lists foreign address history and foreign‑credit‑score equivalents, giving landlords a comparable risk snapshot.

If you lack an overseas credit file or your foreign data isn't covered by a partner bureau, the screening report may show only a 'thin' file or blank credit sections; in those cases landlords often request supplemental proof such as bank statements, utility bills or a guarantor, and they may weigh the foreign‑address history and employment verification more heavily than a traditional credit score, which can slow the approval process.