How to Send a Credit Check

Send a credit check to screen a prospect before you rent to them. Your prospect gets an email, completes a screening application, and you receive their Credit, Criminal History and Eviction History reports.

Before you start

• The person must be a prospect, and their email must be correct. The link goes to the email on file, so fix any typos first with Edit.
• Your prospect pays for the credit check by card through Stripe. Let them know they will be asked to pay.
• If you are a team member and see Access Denied or No Access, ask your account owner to give you the Contacts → Prospects → Update permission under Settings → User Roles.

1. Send the credit check

Use either of these:

• On Prospects, click ⋮ on the row, then Send Credit Check. This option is shown while the prospect's status is Unverified.
• On the prospect's page, click Send Credit Check. This button is shown for any status except Verified.

2. Accept the TransUnion attestations (first time)

The first time you send a credit check, an Attestations Required window usually opens. These come from TransUnion.

1. Read each item and tick I acknowledge and agree (Required) on every required one. A counter shows how many you have ticked.
2. The button reads Check All Required Items until all required boxes are ticked. Then it changes to Confirm & Continue.
3. Click Confirm & Continue. The credit check is sent.

If you have already accepted them, the credit check is sent straight away. If you see Unable to send credit check and an Action required window, read the message. It tells you what you need to do first.

3. Check the confirmation

• Credit check verification link sent successfully!: your prospect will verify their email and pay first.
• Credit check access link sent successfully!: your prospect has already paid and still has access, so the link takes them straight to the application.
• Credit check link sent to active tenant successfully!: this person is already an active tenant.

To send it again, click Send Credit Check again. If the option is gone from the ⋮ menu, use the button on the prospect's page.

4. What your prospect does

Verify and pay

1. They open the email link. A Credit Check Verification page opens and a 4-digit code is sent to their email.
2. They type the code. It checks automatically. If the timer runs out, they click Resend Code.
3. On Complete Your Purchase, they click Continue to Secure Payment and pay with Stripe's card form.
4. They see a thank-you page and receive a second email with an access link. Access lasts 30 days.

Important: after paying, your prospect must open the second email (the access link) to start the application.

Complete the application

The access link opens the Credit Check Application. There are 8 steps: Personal Info, Identity, Income, Employment, Rental History, Screening, Standard Questions and Verification. Progress is saved, so opening the same link again picks up where they left off.

• On Personal Info, they confirm their legal name exactly as it appears on their ID.
• Identity and Income open Plaid windows. Identity asks for a photo ID. Income asks them to link their bank or payroll account, or upload recent pay stubs.
• Verification is a TransUnion identity quiz. They answer every question and click Submit Verification.

5. Review the results

1. Watch the prospect's status badge. It updates as they go, for example Verification in process, Manual verification required or Verified.
2. Open the prospect, go to the Applications tab, and click the application.
3. Open the Reports tab to read the Credit Report, Criminal History and Eviction History.
4. Approve or deny the application, then use Convert To Tenant to create the lease.

Good to know

• Your prospect did not get the email? Check the email on the prospect, ask them to check spam, then click Send Credit Check again.
• Your prospect paid but cannot start? They need to open the second email with the access link. If they cannot find it, send the credit check again. The message should say the access link was sent.
• If your prospect sees Payment Processing, they should check their email before paying again.
• If your prospect sees Access Denied or Verification Error on a link, the link is invalid or access has expired. Send the credit check again.
• Reports pending for a long time? Ask your prospect to reopen their link. If they see Generate Reports, they should click it.

Need help?

Email us at support@digitaltenant.com, or use the Help button in the bottom-right corner of your dashboard.