Tenant Screening
Screen applicants without paying for it
Pacific Rentals Pro takes rental applications online, runs the background checks you choose through our screening partner, and turns the applicant you approve into a lease. The applicant pays the fee, and your state's cap on that fee is checked before anyone is charged.
Built and ready, enabled per account. Screening runs through a partner connection that we switch on for each account on request.
Screening order
Example applicant
Application fee
Paid by applicant, in their portal
$47
- Your cost
- $0
- California fee limit
- Within cap
Illustrative order. Screening starts once the applicant's payment clears.
How it works
From application to lease in one record
The applicant's details are entered once, by the applicant. Everything after that works from the same record.
Apply
Your listing carries an online application. Applicants fill it in themselves, and every application arrives in one place for you to review.
- Who enters it
- The applicant
- Where it lands
- One review queue
Screen
Pick the checks you want for that applicant. The application fee is the total of those checks. The applicant pays it in their portal and screening starts automatically.
- Who pays
- The applicant
- Before charging
- State fee cap checked
Approve
Approve your pick and the application converts into a lease with their details already in place. The applicant is emailed when you approve them.
- Retyping
- None
- Decision
- Yours, always
Checks and prices
Seven checks, priced individually, paid by the applicant
Order only what a given applicant needs. Select checks to see the fee and how it sits against the state caps the app enforces.
Application fee
3 checksselected · charged to applicant
$47
- Applicant pays
- $47
- You pay
- $0
Against state fee caps
- New YorkOver cap
- WisconsinOver cap
- CaliforniaWithin cap
- DelawareWithin cap
Card processing (about 2.9% + 30¢) is added at checkout and also paid by the applicant. Delaware's cap is the greater of 10% of monthly rent or $50, so it depends on the unit. Figures are summarised for illustration and are not legal advice.
Fees and state rules
The fee is checked before anyone is charged
Most screening tools bill the landlord and leave the fee rules to you. Here the applicant pays, and the cap for the property's state is checked when you build the request — not after.
Applicant pays
The application fee equals the checks you select. The applicant pays in their portal, so you never front the cost or chase a reimbursement.
Caps checked up front
If the checks you pick would exceed the applicable cap, the request is blocked before it goes out. Remove a check and it goes through.
States differ
Some states set a flat dollar cap, some limit fees to actual cost, and some tie the cap to rent. The rule follows the property, not your mailing address.
New York
$20
A flat cap on screening fees. A single check fits; most combinations do not.
Wisconsin
$25
Limited to actual cost, up to $25.
California
~$65
Limited to actual out-of-pocket cost, with an indexed statutory maximum.
Delaware
10% or $50
The greater of 10% of monthly rent or $50, so it depends on the unit.
Summaries for illustration only. Fee caps change, and this page is not legal advice.
Questions landlords ask
Before you switch it on
Is screening available on my account today?
Screening is built and runs through our screening partner. That partner connection is enabled per account on request — ask us and we'll switch it on for yours. Applications, the fee check and lease conversion are all ready and waiting on it.
Who pays for the checks?
The applicant. The application fee equals the total of the checks you select, and they pay it in their portal; screening starts once payment clears. Card processing of roughly 2.9% plus 30 cents is added at checkout and also paid by the applicant, so you are never out of pocket.
What if my selection exceeds my state's cap?
The combination is blocked before the request is sent, so no applicant is charged a fee the state doesn't allow. Drop a check to come in under the limit. The cap that applies follows the property's state, not where you live.
Do I have to buy a bundle?
No. Each of the seven checks is ordered individually, per applicant. Run an eviction search on its own, or all seven, depending on the unit and who's applying.
Does the software decide who to accept?
No. There are no automatic approvals, denials, scores or recommendations. You get the results our screening partner returns for the checks you ordered, and the decision is yours. Screening laws vary by state and locality, and some jurisdictions restrict which checks may be performed or how results may be used — complying with the rules that apply to you remains your responsibility.
What happens when I approve someone?
The application converts into a tenant and a lease using the details the applicant already entered, so nothing is retyped. The applicant is emailed when you approve them, and the lease is ready to generate or upload and send for signature.
Turn on screening for your account
The application, the checks, the fee caps and the lease conversion are ready. Create your account, add the property you're letting, and request screening from inside the app — it's one click on the applicant.
Get started freeAlready have an account? Request screening from the applicant you want to check. Activation changes nothing about your existing data. See all property management tools.