Rental Screening Companies: What Renters Should Check
Many Texas communities screen through RealPage LeasingDesk or SafeRent. You can ask a screening company for your own report before you apply. You don’t need a denial first.
Find the company named on your notice
The names you’ll hear most in Texas apartment screening are RealPage’s LeasingDesk and SafeRent Solutions. They sell different reports, and their sources don’t always match. If a community uses one, that doesn’t mean it sees what another property sees.
If you were denied, go by the company name and contact details on your notice. A screening company and a collection agency aren’t the same thing, even when the names look alike. Before you send anything personal, check that contact info yourself.
You can ask for your report before you apply
The CFPB lists LeasingDesk and SafeRent as companies that give you one free copy of your file every 12 months if you ask. Ask for a LeasingDesk report through RealPage’s consumer page and a SafeRent report through SafeRent’s consumer support page. For any other screening company, use the contact details on your notice or look the company up yourself.
The report and the decision are two different things
The report may include credit, rental and court records, plus other checks. The screening company may give a score or recommendation based on rules the landlord picked. If you were denied, the notice should tell you which company made the report, and you can ask that company for a copy.
Check the record, not the company’s reputation
- Check your personal details and the property listed.
- Compare account balances and dates with your statements.
- Check if any court record shows how the case actually ended.
- Look for anything listed twice, missing or out of date.
Ask for corrections the right way
If a report is wrong, contact the company that made it. Tell them exactly what’s wrong and send records that back you up. The CFPB keeps a list of these reporting companies and explains your right to see your report.
We keep track of which communities work with a broken lease, a balance and other screening issues, and send you the ones that fit. We don’t help you hide a broken lease or guess which database will miss it. Be honest and accurate about your history when you apply.
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