A “TU SmartMove” charge on your bank or credit card statement is a one-time tenant screening fee from TransUnion’s SmartMove platform, billed after you applied for a rental and either you or the landlord authorized a background and credit check. The amount runs from $25 to $48 depending on which screening package the landlord selected. It’s not a subscription, and it won’t recur unless you apply to another property that uses the same service.
How the Charge Shows Up
The line item usually reads “TU SMARTMOVE” or “TRANSUNION SMARTMOVE” followed by a transaction ID. It posts shortly after you authorize a landlord to screen your application. If you applied to more than one property that uses SmartMove, each application generates its own charge, so multiple entries within a short window are normal.
You may also see a pending hold before the final amount posts. That’s the billing system verifying the card and typically settles to the actual price within a few business days. Give a mismatched pending amount a couple of days to resolve before assuming something is wrong.
Why the Amount Is $25, $40, or $48
SmartMove sells three packages, and the landlord picks one. The price sets what the landlord receives, not the effort behind pulling it.1TransUnion SmartMove. Pricing
- SmartCheck Basic at $25 covers a rental-specific risk score and a national criminal background check, with no traditional credit report.
- SmartCheck Plus at $40 adds a full credit report and an eviction history report.
- SmartCheck Premium at $48 adds an income estimate and an identity check on top of everything in Plus.
Pricing is flat and doesn’t change based on where you live or how thick your credit file is.
Who Authorized the Charge and Who Pays
When a landlord sets up a screening request, SmartMove asks them whether they’ll pay or pass the cost to the applicant. That selection decides whose card is charged.2TransUnion SmartMove. Pricing Frequently Asked Questions If the landlord absorbs the fee, nothing hits your statement. If they pass it to you, you enter your card into the SmartMove portal during the application, which is the moment the charge originates.
Larger property managers more often pay for screening themselves. Independent landlords more often pass it on. Some states cap what a landlord can charge applicants for screening, with limits generally between $20 and $50, and a few require the fee not exceed the landlord’s actual cost. At least one state prohibits application fees entirely. If a charge you see exceeds your state’s cap, that’s a separate issue from whether the charge itself is legitimate.
Does It Affect Your Credit Score?
No. A SmartMove screening pulls your credit as a soft inquiry, which doesn’t affect your score.3TransUnion SmartMove. Tenant Credit Checks for Landlords Multiple SmartMove screenings during an apartment search won’t stack up as hard inquiries. Lenders and other landlords also won’t see them; soft inquiries show up only on the version of the report you pull yourself. Applying for a mortgage or car loan at the same time as apartments isn’t complicated by these screenings.
If You Don’t Recognize the Charge
Start with SmartMove support. Have the transaction date, the exact dollar amount, and the email address you used on any rental application ready. Support can match the charge to a specific screening request or catch a technical error such as a duplicate bill for a single application, which is usually a straightforward refund.
If direct contact doesn’t fix it, or the charge looks genuinely fraudulent, dispute it with your card issuer. Under the Fair Credit Billing Act, you have 60 days from the date the statement containing the error was mailed to send a written dispute to the creditor.4Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 1666 – Correction of Billing Errors The creditor must acknowledge the notice within 30 days and resolve the dispute within two billing cycles. If you never applied for a rental or never authorized a screening, say so in writing; that evidence carries weight. FCBA protections apply to credit cards. For a debit card charge, work through your bank’s fraud dispute process instead.
If the Report Was Used Against You
If a landlord denied your application, asked for a larger deposit, raised the rent, or took any other unfavorable action based even partly on your SmartMove report, federal law requires them to send an adverse action notice. That notice must identify the screening agency by name, address, and phone number, state that the agency didn’t make the decision, and tell you how to get a free copy of the report and dispute anything inaccurate.5Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 1681m – Requirements on Users of Consumer Reports The obligation is on the landlord, not TransUnion. You can request a free copy of the report used against you within 60 days of the adverse action.6Federal Trade Commission. Using Consumer Reports – What Landlords Need to Know
If the report contains something that isn’t yours, like a criminal record belonging to someone else or an eviction you weren’t part of, file a dispute with TransUnion’s Consumer Dispute Team by phone, email, or mail.7TransUnion. Rental Screening Dispute Process Identify the specific item and explain why it’s wrong. TransUnion contacts the source to verify. If the source confirms the error, the item is corrected or removed. If the investigation doesn’t go your way, you can add a 100-word statement to your file that travels with future reports, and you can file a complaint with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau or your state attorney general.