Published 2026-09-28 · 10 min read

SmartMove vs Avail Screening (2026): Which Tenant Screening Wins?

SmartMove and Avail are the two screening names every independent landlord runs into first — SmartMove because it's TransUnion's own product, and Avail because it's the free landlord platform that bundles screening into its application flow. They solve the same problem, but they're built for different landlord workflows. Here's the honest comparison.

The short answer

Choose SmartMove if you screen tenants as a standalone task — you list wherever you want, collect applications your own way, and just need the best possible report on each applicant without committing to a platform.

Choose Avail if you want screening inside a full landlord workflow: free online listings, applications, rent collection, and screening in one account, with the applicant paying for a bundled report you never have to administer.

The core difference: SmartMove is a screening product you bolt onto any workflow. Avail is a screening feature inside a free landlord platform. Which one you pick depends on whether you want a toolkit or a single report.

Head-to-head comparison table

Report quality: what you actually get

SmartMove sells what TransUnion sells — the bureau's own data, repackaged for landlords. The standard package includes a full credit report with score, national criminal background check, eviction history, and an identity verification step. The Income Insights add-on estimates whether the applicant's income is sufficient for the rent, which replaces a surprising amount of manual pay-stub verification. Because the data comes straight from the bureau, dispute handling and report accuracy benefit from TransUnion's infrastructure. Turnaround is typically minutes once the applicant authorizes and completes the check.

Avail bundles a full screening report — credit, background, criminal, and eviction history — into its application flow for roughly ~$55, paid by the applicant. The data is comprehensive and FCRA-compliant; landlords report that it's as actionable as SmartMove's for standard accept/reject decisions. The difference is branding and depth of customization: you get Avail's bundled report rather than configurable packages.

Winner: SmartMove on data depth, Avail on convenience. For the standard landlord decision — does this applicant pay bills and avoid evictions — both reports are sufficient. SmartMove's Income Insights is the genuinely differentiating add-on: if you spend time verifying pay stubs and employment, it pays for itself in saved hours. Avail's bundled report is simpler to administer — the applicant applies, pays, and the report lands in your dashboard with zero setup.

Pricing math: who pays what

Both services cost the landlord $0. The applicant pays in both cases, so your comparison is about the applicant's burden and what you get for it.

The applicant-paid angle matters more than landlords admit. A $55 screening fee at Avail vs. ~$40 at SmartMove is a $15 gap per applicant. In competitive markets, higher application costs cause drop-offs — applicants comparison-shop rentals partly on friction. If you're screening five applicants per vacancy, the total applicant-paid friction is ~$200–$225 at SmartMove vs. ~$275 at Avail. It's their money, but it affects your lead conversion. For a broader view of screening costs, see our tenant screening cost guide.

The flip side: Avail's $55 is the only cost in its funnel — listings, applications, and screening all live in one free account. SmartMove is a standalone purchase; you still need somewhere to list and collect applications, which may mean another free platform (see our best tenant screening services comparison for the full field).

Turnaround and applicant experience

Speed matters when good tenants apply to three rentals in a weekend. Both services deliver reports in minutes once the applicant completes their portion — the bottleneck is always the applicant, not the provider. Where they differ is what you ask the applicant to do.

SmartMove sends the applicant a standalone link. They verify their identity, enter their own SSN directly with TransUnion, authorize the check, and pay. The whole flow takes about 10 minutes and happens outside any listing platform, which means applicants don't need an account anywhere — they just complete the check and the report lands in your dashboard. For landlords who list on multiple sites, this is the lowest-friction way to screen a finalist: one link, no signup, done.

Avail runs screening inside its application. The applicant creates a free Avail account, fills out the rental application (employment, rental history, references), then pays for and completes the screening as the final step. It's a longer flow — but you get a complete application file, not just a screening report. The tradeoff: applicants who are comparison-shopping may balk at creating an account for a unit they haven't seen yet. If your market moves fast, consider collecting Avail applications only from serious prospects after a showing, and use SmartMove's send-a-link flow for early-stage finalists. Both approaches keep you FCRA-compliant as long as every screened applicant authorized the check and received the required disclosures.

One operational note: whichever you use, apply your screening criteria in writing before you run the first report. Minimum credit score, income multiple, eviction history policy — decide once, apply to everyone. Consistent criteria are what keep a screening process legally defensible, and both platforms' adverse-action guidance assumes you have them.

Workflow fit: the real deciding factor

This is where the comparison stops being about reports and starts being about how you run your business.

SmartMove fits the independent-stack landlord. You list on Zillow or wherever you prefer, collect applications however you like, and when you have a finalist, you send them a SmartMove link. No account migration, no platform commitment. It's also the right pick if you screen outside a rental context — e.g., screening a prospective property manager or roommate arrangement — because it's not tied to a listing. If you want a standalone process you control end to end, read our guide on how to screen tenants and plug SmartMove in as the report step.

Avail fits the all-in-one landlord. You list the unit on Avail (free syndication), applicants apply through Avail (free), screening runs inside the application (~$55, applicant-paid), and then you collect rent through Avail (free ACH). One login, one dashboard, zero subscriptions. The tradeoff is lock-in: your applications, leases, and payment history live in Avail's system. Read our full Avail review for the complete platform picture.

The hybrid move some landlords use: list and manage on Avail for the free workflow, but run SmartMove screening for finalists when they want TransUnion-direct data and Income Insights. There's no rule against using both — the applicant-paid model means it costs you nothing either way.

Compliance and landlord protections

Both services handle the two things that get DIY landlords in legal trouble: FCRA compliance and SSN handling.

• FCRA compliance: Both run applicant-authorized checks with built-in consent flows and provide adverse-action notice guidance if you reject based on the report. Neither lets you screen someone without their authorization.
• SSN handling: In both, the applicant enters their own Social Security number directly with the provider — you never see it, store it, or become responsible for protecting it. This alone is worth using a professional service instead of asking applicants to email you sensitive documents.
• Record-keeping: Avail keeps the application, screening report, and lease in one account — convenient if a decision is ever questioned. SmartMove keeps your screening history in its own dashboard; pair it with your own filing system.

Neither service replaces your judgment or your obligation to apply screening criteria consistently. For the criteria side, our tenant screening red flags guide covers what to look for once the reports come back.

The verdict: who should use which

The bottom line: the reports are close enough that workflow decides. SmartMove is the better screening product — deeper data, income insights, no lock-in. Avail is the better screening workflow — bundled into a free platform that also lists, leases, and collects rent. Pick the product if you run your own stack; pick the workflow if you want one dashboard. For the rest of the screening market, our tenant screening services comparison has the full field.

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