How much does a tenant background check cost?

A full package with credit, criminal and eviction searches usually runs about $25 to $60 per adult. Confirm the current price and what is included before you order.

Can a landlord charge for tenant screening?

In many states yes, but some cap or ban the fee. Check your state and city rules, keep the charge to the real cost and tell applicants before they apply.

Should I screen every applicant?

Screen applicants who have a complete application and meet your written basic criteria. Screening everyone costs more and adds nothing.

How Much Does Tenant Screening Cost?

A tenant screening usually costs between about $25 and $60 per adult applicant, depending on whether the package includes a credit report, criminal history, eviction records and identity checks. Many services add a markup on the provider's price. A few state laws also cap what a landlord may collect from an applicant, so check the rule for your state before you charge anyone.

What a screening typically costs

Prices vary by package, not just by company. A basic check of identity and eviction records costs less. A package with a credit report, criminal history, eviction history and a watchlist search costs more. A rough range for a full package is $25 to $60 per adult. Ranges shift over time, so ask for the current price in writing before you order.

The cost matters because you may run several screenings for one vacancy. If three applicants apply, you may pay for three reports to fill one unit.

What the price should cover

Before you compare prices, compare contents. A cheap report that leaves out evictions is not the same product as a more expensive one that includes them.

Credit report with a score and payment history.
Criminal history search, with the scope the service covers stated.
Eviction and landlord-tenant court records.
Identity verification or a government watchlist check.
Whether a report can be reused if the applicant applies to another unit of yours.

Ask whether the screening company or a middleman sets the price. Resellers often add their own margin on top of a credit bureau's charge.

Who pays, and what the law allows

In many places a landlord may charge an applicant a screening fee. Some states and cities limit the amount, and a few ban it. For example, New York caps what a landlord can charge for a background or credit check at the actual cost, up to $20. Our guide to application fee limits by state lists the rules we have checked.

If you charge an applicant, keep the charge to what the screening actually cost you, say so on the application, and give a receipt. Never charge for a screening you did not run, and never collect more than the law allows. Because rules differ, check your state and city rules or ask a local lawyer before setting a fee.

How to avoid paying for the same report twice

Pre-check basic criteria first: rent-to-income, move-in date, pets, and number of occupants. See the application process step by step.
Screen only applicants who have a complete application and pass your written criteria. Do not screen everyone who asks for a tour.
Screen in order of the date the complete application arrived, and stop when one applicant qualifies. This keeps the process even-handed; see first come, first served applications.
Ask the applicant for a recent report only if your criteria allow it, and know that you still need the report to come from a source you trust.

Example a made-up owner pays $35 per screening. Running all eight applicants for one unit costs $280. Running only the two who completed an application and met the written income rule costs $70, and the unit rents just as fast.

Rules that apply to any screening

Screening reports are consumer reports under the Fair Credit Reporting Act. You need the applicant's written permission, you must use the report only for the rental decision, and you must give an adverse action notice if the report leads you to deny the applicant or raise the deposit or rent. See the FTC guide for landlords and 15 U.S.C. 1681m. Apply your criteria the same way to every applicant, because fair housing law bars differences based on protected traits (42 U.S.C. 3604).

How DoorKeeping prices a screening

DoorKeeping orders a Checkr screening for an applicant when you tap Accept, and charges it at DoorKeeping's own cost, never marked up. The price shown is the provider's price for the package, and you can ask Claude or ChatGPT, connected to DoorKeeping, for the screening price at a property before you order. You read the report and decide; nothing is approved or denied automatically.

A note on the law

This is general information, not legal advice.

Sources

FTC, Using Consumer Reports: What Landlords Need to Know, read Oct 30, 2026
Fair Credit Reporting Act, 15 U.S.C. 1681m (Cornell LII), read Oct 30, 2026
Fair Housing Act, 42 U.S.C. 3604 (Cornell LII), read Oct 30, 2026

Questions

How much does a tenant background check cost?: A full package with credit, criminal and eviction searches usually runs about $25 to $60 per adult. Confirm the current price and what is included before you order.
Can a landlord charge for tenant screening?: In many states yes, but some cap or ban the fee. Check your state and city rules, keep the charge to the real cost and tell applicants before they apply.
Should I screen every applicant?: Screen applicants who have a complete application and meet your written basic criteria. Screening everyone costs more and adds nothing.