GUIDE
Which Tenant Screening Companies Do Apartments Use?
RealPage, TransUnion SmartMove, Entrata, AppFolio, Yardi and more: how each screening vendor pulls data and why results differ.
Every Texas apartment uses a tenant screening vendor, and which vendor a property uses is one of the biggest reasons two applicants with the same record can get different answers at different properties.
The vendors you’ll actually see
- RealPage. Enterprise vendor used at many large Texas apartment portfolios. Pulls broad national aggregator data plus county-level records where available.
- TransUnion SmartMove. Widely used at mid-size properties. Screening runs off TransUnion’s own credit bureau plus criminal database aggregators.
- Entrata. Property-management platform with integrated screening. Common at newer lease-ups.
- AppFolio. Property-management platform popular with smaller ownership groups.
- Yardi ScreeningWorks Pro. Yardi is a dominant property-management platform in Class A; ScreeningWorks Pro is the screening arm.
- First Advantage. Enterprise-focused vendor used at some large national portfolios.
- National Tenant Network. Longstanding vendor used at some regional Texas portfolios.
How they aggregate
Each vendor pulls from a mix of:
- County records (the primary source — most accurate, most current).
- State records (Texas DPS criminal history).
- National aggregators (LexisNexis, TransUnion RiskScore, third-party public-records databases).
- Rental history / eviction filings.
The mix and update schedule differ by vendor. This is why two vendors reading the same person can produce two different reports.
Why database lag keeps cleared records showing
Aggregators cache records. When a county clears a record — through expunction or non-disclosure — the aggregator does not automatically re-pull. The stale record can keep showing for weeks or months until the vendor updates. This is a common cause of surprise denials for renters who thought their record was cleared.
What this means for your search
- Two different properties can screen your record differently. A denial at Property A with Vendor X is not a denial everywhere.
- You can dispute an inaccurate report with the specific vendor named on the adverse action notice. Under the FCRA, the vendor generally has 30 days to investigate.
- Pre-screening bypasses guesswork. Instead of blind applications, we match your record to properties whose vendor + policy combination is likely to review.
Related
Common Questions
Which screening company do most apartments use?
It varies by management company. RealPage and TransUnion SmartMove are among the most common at Class A and larger Class B properties in Texas. Entrata, AppFolio, and Yardi ScreeningWorks Pro are common at mid-size management companies. First Advantage and National Tenant Network appear at some corporate portfolios.
Why does my record show on one report but not another?
Vendors pull from different mixes of state, county, and national databases that update on different schedules. A record removed at the county last month may still show at a national aggregator until that aggregator re-pulls. Different depths and different sources produce different results.
Do screening vendors make mistakes?
Yes — most commonly from database lag. You can dispute errors under the FCRA. See [how to dispute background check errors](/guide/how-to-dispute-background-check-errors/).
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Criminal Background Lookback Periods Explained
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DWI Non-Disclosure in Texas (Section 411.072)
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