Landlord Tips

7 Best Tenant Screening Company Options in Canada

The best possible way to avoid tenant problems is to be thorough in selecting them. Don’t just look for someone who can afford to pay your rent, but rather, someone who will take care of your property and who it will suit. Luckily, you can use a tenant screening company to find them!

Today, we’re sharing the best tenant screening services to help you screen your prospective tenants efficiently and thoroughly.

1. SingleKey

SingleKey has established a sturdy foothold in the Canadian landlord market through its full-spectrum tenant screening. Its reports provide landlords with deep insights into applicants’ financial health, social habits, and rent payment reliability.

These $24.99 reports cover:

Credit History and Background Checks: SingleKey examines the applicant’s credit score, borrowing history, and outstanding liabilities. This feature allows landlords to gauge financial reliability based on the tenant’s financial habits and credit performance.
Social Media Insights: While respecting privacy boundaries, SingleKey’s reports include an overview of an applicant’s social media presence, adding a modern layer of insight that can help landlords evaluate potential tenants’ lifestyles and online behaviours.
Rent Guarantee Program: One standout feature is SingleKey’s Rent Guarantee Program, which provides landlords with financial protection if a tenant defaults. This can give peace of mind to those wary of financial risks from potential non-payment.

Get access to our “How to Avoid Bad Tenants: 11 Pro Tips for Landlords” infographic here.

2. Rentcheck

For landlords who want to take a streamlined approach that focuses on credit and rental history, Rentcheck has been the trusted name in Canada since 1976. Their platform provides a clear picture of a would-be tenant’s creditworthiness and rental history.

Key offerings include:

Credit Reporting through Equifax or TransUnion: By utilizing credit data from one of the big three credit bureaus, landlords can feel confident that the financial information they receive is valid.
Annual Membership Plans: RentCheck offers annual memberships at different levels. Basic membership costs $75 per year and comes with standard reports. Individual credit checks cost about $38.
Rental History Verification: What’s in a tenant’s past? A lot, actually. RentCheck’s rental history report helps landlords track previous evictions, on-time rent payments, and lengths of residence, allowing them to get a feel for the reliability of a potential tenant.

By focusing on core financial and rental history data, RentCheck equips landlords to make tenant decisions rooted in solid, reliable data.

3. Tenant Verification Service (TVS)

For around $30 per report, Tenant Verification Service (TVS) gives landlords essential insights without the obligation of long-term contracts. This flexibility makes it an excellent choice for landlords managing only a few properties or requiring infrequent screenings.

TVS’s offerings include:

Rental History and Payment Consistency Checks: This report discloses the applicant’s past rent-payment history. The landlord can use it to spot red flags that indicate late or missed payments.
Employment Verification: TVS confirms employment, offering a momentary glimpse of financial stability that can bolster a landlord’s confidence in an applicant’s ability to pay rent.
Identity Confirmation: By verifying the applicant’s identity, TVS helps prevent fraud and other risks arising from leasing property to people you don’t know.

Don’t miss this article next: Tenant Screening Guide: Minimize Problems & Losses.

4. TenChek

TenChek is a comprehensive screening solution that combines data from credit bureaus with information collected directly from previous landlords, offering a clear and multi-dimensional view of an applicant. Notable features include:

Customizable Screening Criteria: Choose the factors you want to screen for (credit score, rental history, etc.) This level of customization means each landlord can screen for what’s important to them. Only the most qualified applicants make it to the next step.
Vroomsi Integration: Receive instant, electronic application submissions from prospective tenants, stay notified about which applicants are accepted, declined, or under review, and track all application activity from start to finish.
Detailed Screening Reports: Each report includes information about the tenant’s track record of payment on time, eviction history, and any other tenant complaints. For example, noise or property damage fees. Landlords can use all this information to build a picture of each applicant’s rental history.

TenChek’s features provide landlords with a robust screening process, which is especially beneficial for those managing multiple properties or seeking an in-depth look into an applicant’s background.

5. Certn

Certn offers a screening process that scales well with independent landlords and larger property management firms for this reason, and their offerings are built around efficiency and compliance, with screening features that include:

All-Inclusive Tenant Screening: Certn’s reports check for financial history, rental record, identity, and employment status.
Scalable Packages: Whether it’s one landlord or a complex organization like a property management firm, Certn offers a number of scalable packages and add-ons depending on what each of them might need. This makes it a perfect solution for those who could end up building up a sizable rentals portfolio in the future.
API Integration and Automation: Certn’s API enables property owners to integrate the tenant screening process directly into their website, allowing prospective tenants to conveniently apply and run their own screening. Certn’s automation also reduces the amount of time and manual follow-up property managers have to do.

Certn is a popular choice for landlords and property managers looking for a versatile, compliance-friendly option that offers reliable tenant insights without needing separate applications for each screening stage.

For the landlord or property manager who wants a single service to handle various compliance-friendly aspects of tenant screening, Certn is a versatile, one-stop tool that provides reliable tenant insights without maintaining separate applications for each stage of screening.

6. Plaid

Plaid is well-known for financial data verification services and has adapted its offerings to benefit landlords.

Their business is all about certifying tenant income and financial stability, demonstrating to a landlord that a tenant will be able to make rent every month:

Instant Income Verification: With Plaid, landlords get access to a network of financial data that allows them to check the applicant’s income sources to know the prospect’s monthly income while decreasing the risk of leasing to a flaky tenant.
Automated Rent Payments: With Plaid’s payment automation, your tenants can have their monthly rent payments automatically deducted from their bank accounts, allowing you to avoid the hassle of manual processing and potential errors or delays.
Risk Reduction Tools: Plaid verifies bank accounts, payroll records, and other financial data to help cut down on fraud and increase rental payments.

Plaid’s instant and reliable income verifications are a valuable addition to tenant screening for landlords concerned about stable cash flow.

7. Verifast

Verifast is a cutting-edge tenant screening solution that stands out as the top choice for landlords in Canada. By combining advanced technology with a seamless user experience, Verifast offers the fastest and most reliable way to screen tenants thoroughly.

Real-Time Financial Insights: Verifast provides instant insights into an applicant’s financial situation, including income verification and spending patterns, helping landlords ensure a tenant’s ability to meet rental obligations without delays.
Identity Verification and Fraud Prevention: Verifast’s advanced identity verification tools make the screening process secure, reducing risks associated with fraudulent applications.
Easy Integration: Verifast offers easy integration with existing property management systems, making the transition effortless for landlords and ensuring that the screening process is efficient and effective.
Fast Results: Verifast lives up to its name by providing quick turnaround times for tenant verification, ensuring landlords can make decisions confidently without unnecessary waiting.

For landlords seeking a comprehensive, efficient, and modern solution, Verifast is the best option in tenant screening. Its combination of real-time financial analysis and security makes it the clear winner among the top 7 options.

Learn more about Rental Deposits Now and how rental deposit alternatives can also help you attract the best tenants.

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