Tenant Screening | Credit, Criminal, Eviction, SSN Validation

It's easy for landlords and property managers to begin tenant screening in Rentec Direct.

All Rentec Direct accounts automatically have access to order County, State, and National Criminal Reports, Inmate Records, Sex Offender reports, National Eviction Reports, SSN Validation (with previous addresses), and Bankruptcies, Judgments, Liens reports.

The following steps will have you setup to start screening your applicants today.

In your Rentec Direct account:

1. Click on Reports
2. Click on Screening Reports

3. Click on +Order a Report

   System Note: ID verification is required for tenant screening, online payments, and syndication. Once ID is validated once, all three services can be applied for or accessed without additional verification from Rentec Direct.

Learn more about Ordering Credit and Criminal Reports

Ordering Credit Reports

Credit reports can be ordered directly through your Rentec Direct software, but requires an application process to ensure compliance with the Fair Credit Reporting Act ( FCRA).

There are two types of Credit Reports that can be obtained through your Rentec Direct software: 

• Credit Report Cards with FICO Score -  Provides significant information regarding types and total amounts of debt as well as a credit score range. An example of a Credit Report card can be seen here: Credit Report Card
• Full Credit Reports with FICO Score - Provides very specific information about creditors and debt payment history, as well as an exact FICO credit score. An example of a Full Credit Report can be seen here: Full Credit Report
  • Requires a $50 On-site inspection, which may include the following:
    • Verify there is a physical office or home office, which is a secure environment that does not allow public access to your computer or managing device
    • This may include a lock on the door or a password-protected device
    • Look to see that you have the ability to secure or dispose of any printed credit reports properly by way of a paper shredder and a locking filing cabinet
    • Verify that credit reports will be used for tenant screening only and for no other purpose
    • Take pictures of the location

System Note: Credit reports can be returned in quickly as 60 seconds and will be saved in your Rentec Direct account for up to 90 days. If permitted in your area, you may consider printing and storing reports in a secure location.

Applying for Credit Report Access

There are two quick steps in applying for Credit Report Access in your Rentec Direct account:

1. A quick four-question application
2. An agreement for Tenant Screening Products

Important Notes: 

• Applications are processed daily and reviewed to ensure they are complete and accurate. 
• You will receive an email as soon as your account is ready to go.

Step 1 Complete the Four-Question Application

In your Rentec Direct account:

1. Click on Reports
2. Click on Screening Reports
3. Under "Ready to order credit reports", Click Here to access the application
4. Click on Next Step to proceed to Step 2

Application Tips:

1) A Business account is required to order credit reports 

2) You are required to have an existing rental application on file for a current or prior vacancy

• Clarification - This is to verify that at some point, you have received a rental application that you have on file

3) Do you need to order a credit report immediately? 

• If you need to order a credit report immediately, apply for access to a Credit Report Card. The Credit Report Card gives you valuable information for evaluating an applicant's financial background. You can use this option immediately, once approved, and upgrade to Full Credit Report Access at anytime. Full Credit Report Access requires a site inspection. 
• If you would like to access Credit Report Cards while waiting for the site inspection for Full Credit Reports, select Tenant Credit-Report Card with FICO Score when applying, then send an email to success@rentecdirect.com that includes:
  • A good contact number for you
  • Request an upgrade to Full Credit Reports
    • In order to gain access to Full Credit Reports, you must complete a site inspection, as detailed above, which requires a one-time $50 fee. 
• While you wait for the site inspection to be completed, your account is fully activated to order Criminal Background Reports, eviction history reports,  and more. 

Step 2 Complete the User Agreement

The second step is a user agreement, which is required to run credit reports. The user agreement may require supporting documentation based on the information indicated in the application portion.

Click on Option 1 to complete and submit your agreement electronically 

Click on Option 2 to download the agreement as a PDF that can be:

• Emailed to docs@rentecdirect.com
• Faxed to 888-882-1062

• Physically Mailed to: 

  Rentec Direct

  Application Processing

  231 SW I St

  Grants Pass, OR 97526

System Note: Running tenant screening reports requires there to be a credit card in your Rentec Direct account as back up. If your indicated payment method is bank draft, payments will continue with this method. Click here for details on how to  Update Payment Information

Note: The cost of ordering reports may vary depending on which reports are selected. There are hundreds of reports available and criminal reports can be run on multiple counties. The cost of each report will be displayed during selection. Click here for more details of pricing for Tenant Screening Report packages Rentec Direct Pricing

Tenant Paid Screening Reports

If you would like applicants to pay for the Screening Reports, you may want to incorporate the fees into the application fee. If you prefer to have applicants pay for their screening reports, you may want to reach out to ApplyConnect or RentPrep.