Comparison
Settl vs Traditional Credit Check
Traditional landlord credit checks measure past debt and share your SSN. Settl measures your income right now — verified from your bank — plus a soft pull VantageScore 4.0, FCRA-compliant criminal background, and 7-year eviction history. SSN never shared with landlords.
Get your Settl profileWhy credit checks miss the point for renters
A credit score tells a landlord how well you managed credit cards and loans. Not whether you can afford this apartment. Millions of great renters have thin credit files: new graduates, immigrants, people who pay cash, or anyone who simply avoided debt. Settl shows what actually matters: verified income, cash reserves, a soft pull VantageScore 4.0, and a history of paying rent — with FCRA-compliant criminal and eviction screening built in.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
| Feature | Settl | Traditional Credit Check |
|---|---|---|
Shows current income? Credit scores are based on your past debt repayment. They do not show what you earn today. Settl reads income directly from your bank account via Plaid, verified in real time. | Yes. Bank-verified today | No. Inferred from debt behavior |
Debt-to-Income (DTI) ratio Settl calculates monthly debt obligations as a percentage of gross income and displays it on the report, color-coded from Excellent to Elevated. Tenant-controlled opt-in only. No other portable screening tool offers this layer. Subsidy holders are automatically excluded per source-of-income law. | Yes | No |
SSN required? Every traditional landlord credit check shares your SSN with each landlord who runs one. Settl uses SSN internally for its soft pull credit check only. Your SSN is never shared with landlords or shown on your report. | No | Yes |
Hard credit pull? Settl performs a soft pull VantageScore 4.0 credit check (zero score impact). No hard pull, never visible to other lenders. Some landlords run hard pulls that temporarily lower your score. | No | Sometimes (hurts your score) |
VantageScore 4.0 credit check? Settl includes a soft pull VantageScore 4.0 via TransUnion — zero score impact, never visible to other lenders. Your SSN is used internally only and never shared with landlords. | VantageScore 4.0 (soft pull, no score impact) | Hard or soft pull (SSN shared with landlord) |
Criminal background check? Settl includes national + county criminal background checks via CIC. State-specific lookbacks enforced (3–10 years depending on state). Arrest records never shown. Fair Housing Act individualized assessment notice included. Traditional credit checks do not include criminal screening. | Yes | No |
Eviction history? Settl includes 7-year eviction history via CIC. Dismissed and withdrawn filings suppressed per FCRA. Traditional credit checks do not include eviction records. | Yes | No |
FCRA compliance? Settl is a registered Consumer Reporting Agency (CRA) under FCRA §1681a(f). Dispute rights, adverse action guidance, and required disclosures are built into every Settl report. | Yes | No |
Works without credit history? A thin or nonexistent US credit file leaves you effectively invisible to credit-based screening. Settl verifies bank income, employment, and runs a soft pull VantageScore 4.0 (no score impact) — anyone with a US bank account and verifiable income can build a strong renter profile. | Yes | No |
Verified cash reserves? How many months of rent you have saved. A tenant with 3–5 months of reserves can absorb a job loss or emergency without missing rent. Credit checks cannot show this. | Yes | No |
Rent payment history verified? 12 months of actual bank transactions proving rent was paid. Credit checks only show rent history if a prior landlord reported it. Most do not. | Yes | Only if previously reported |
Identity verification included? Your government ID matched to your face in real time. Synthetic identities and borrowed documents cannot pass this step. Credit checks rely on SSN-based identity matching only. | Yes | No |
Portable across applications? One Settl profile works with any landlord. Credit check results are ordered per landlord and cannot be reused. Each new application means a new inquiry and potentially a new fee. | Yes | No |
Cost to renter Credit checks cost $20–$50 each time a landlord runs one. Apply to five places and the cost compounds. Settl costs $99 once and is reusable with any number of landlords. | $99 once | $20–$50 per application |
Turnaround How quickly your verified profile is ready to share after completing verification. Credit checks range from instant to 48 hours depending on the service used. | < 10 minutes | 1–48 hours |
Privacy-first design? Settl applies the same bank-verified criteria to every applicant with no protected-class data involved. Credit data correlates with race, age, and other protected characteristics, a Fair Housing compliance risk. | Yes | No |
The Real Differences
Past vs Present
A credit score is a snapshot of how you handled debt. Some of which may be years old. Settl connects to your bank account today and shows your actual income deposits, your current balance, and 12 months of real transactions. Landlords see what you earn now, not what happened years ago.
SSN Never Shared
Every traditional landlord credit check shares your SSN with each landlord who runs one. Settl uses SSN internally for the soft pull VantageScore 4.0 credit check only. Your SSN is never shown on your report or shared with any landlord.
No Credit History Needed
Thin or no US credit file? You still qualify for a Settl profile. International renters, recent immigrants, young adults, and cash-preferring individuals all get the same strong verification as someone with a 780 FICO. Settl uses VantageScore 4.0 (soft pull only) alongside bank verification — not FICO alone.
One Report, Many Landlords
Traditional credit checks cost $20–$50 each and can only be used once. Settl costs $99 and is yours forever. Share it with as many landlords as you want via a private, revocable link. Never pay per-application fees again.
FCRA compliance handled for you
Settl includes FCRA-compliant criminal background checks (national + county via CIC, state lookbacks enforced, no arrests shown) and 7-year eviction history with dismissed filings suppressed. Fair Housing Act individualized assessment notices are built into every Settl report. As a registered CRA under FCRA §1681a(f), Settl handles the compliance framework so landlords don't have to.
📋 Payroll-verified directly from your employer
Settl connects directly to payroll providers like ADP, Gusto, Paychex, and thousands more, covering 170M+ U.S. workers. Employment and income are confirmed from two independent sources: your bank account and your employer's own payroll system. No pay stub required. No document to forge. Two data streams that must agree.
Which Is Right for You?
Choose Settl if…
- You have little or no US credit history
- You want to apply to multiple rentals
- You care about privacy. Your SSN is never shared with landlords
- Your income is non-traditional (gig, freelance, self-employed)
- You want landlords to see your real income today
Credit check might work if…
- Your landlord requires it specifically
- You have a strong established credit score
- You only need to apply to one place
- The landlord is covering the cost
Your income speaks for itself.
Build a verified renter profile in under 10 minutes. Bank-verified income, biometric identity, soft pull VantageScore 4.0, and FCRA-compliant criminal + eviction screening — all in one portable profile. SSN never shared with landlords.
Get your Settl profile