Comparison

Settl vs Rentberry

Both Settl and Rentberry are renter-initiated tenant screening profiles. But Rentberry is TransUnion-powered. Credit scores, criminal records, and eviction history. Settl verifies what actually predicts rent payment: bank income, cash reserves, and payment history.

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The core difference

Rentberry verifies who you were: credit history, criminal records, eviction filings, employment history. Settl verifies who you are right now: live bank income, current cash reserves, actual rent payments made. Both are renter-initiated. But Rentberry is tied to their marketplace. Settl works with any landlord, anywhere.

Feature-by-Feature Comparison

Feature	Settl	Rentberry
Price One-time renter-paid fee. Both platforms are tenant-paid.	$99 once	$39.99 (one-time)
Bank-verified income Income read directly from your bank account via Plaid, not a pay stub you submit. 84% of landlords regularly see fake pay stubs (NMHC 2024). Bank-direct cannot be faked.	Yes	No
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
Document-based income / employment history Rentberry verifies employment history, document-based, submitted by the applicant. These can be fabricated. Settl connects directly to your bank.	No	Yes
Verified cash reserves Shows how many months of rent you have saved. Rentberry does not surface savings at all. A tenant with 3–5 months of reserves is a fundamentally lower risk.	Yes	No
Rent payment history from bank 12 months of actual bank transactions showing payments made to landlords, proof you paid, confirmed from the source.	Yes	No
Biometric identity + liveness check Your government ID is matched to your face in real time. Rentberry does not include biometric liveness, only standard credit bureau identity via TransUnion.	Yes	No
Credit report (TransUnion) Settl includes a VantageScore 4.0 soft pull via TransUnion. Zero score impact. The credit tier and range are shown on your report (not the raw numeric score). Rentberry is also TransUnion-powered: credit score reflects debt repayment history.	VantageScore 4.0 (soft pull, no score impact)	Yes
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. Criminal background bans are law in Seattle, NYC, Chicago, California, and dozens more cities. Rentberry includes criminal records, exposing landlords to Fair Housing Act liability.	Yes	Yes
Eviction history check Settl includes 7-year eviction history via CIC. Dismissed and withdrawn filings are suppressed per FCRA. Rentberry includes eviction records via TransUnion; dismissed filings may still appear.	Yes	Yes
Portable profile you own Settl is a profile you build, own, and share. Rentberry is also renter-initiated, but tied to their rental marketplace platform.	Yes	Marketplace-tied
Fake pay stub resistant Because Settl connects directly to your bank, there is no document to forge. Rentberry cannot verify whether submitted employment documents are real or fabricated.	Yes	No
SSN required Settl uses your SSN internally for the soft pull credit check only. Your SSN is encrypted and never shared with landlords or displayed on your report. Identity is verified biometrically via government ID + live selfie. Rentberry's TransUnion pull requires your SSN.	No	Yes
FCRA compliance required Settl is a registered Consumer Reporting Agency (CRA) under FCRA §1681a(f). Compliance is built in — dispute rights, adverse action guidance, and required disclosures are all included in the Settl report. Landlords receive adverse action notice guidance directly in the report. Rentberry is also an FCRA consumer report with landlord compliance obligations.	Yes	Yes
Works with any landlord Settl works with any landlord on any platform. Rentberry is integrated into their rental marketplace, outside their platform, its utility depends on the landlord accepting it.	Yes	Best within Rentberry marketplace
Verified rent ceiling You choose what income range to display , landlords see "Verified for rent up to $X/mo" rather than your exact income. Protects your financial privacy.	Yes	No
Household / co-applicant reports Settl combines multiple applicants into one Household Report with weighted combined income and a single shareable code. Rentberry is individual only.	Yes	No

The Real Differences

🏦 Bank-direct vs TransUnion-powered

Rentberry uses TransUnion: credit score, criminal history, eviction records, employment history. 84% of landlords regularly see fake pay stubs (NMHC 2024). Rental fraud is up 40% year-over-year. Settl eliminates the document problem by connecting directly to your bank via Plaid. Income comes from your bank's own records. No document to forge.

🌍 Platform-tied vs landlord-agnostic

Rentberry is a rental marketplace. Your screening works best within their platform. Outside it, landlords may or may not accept the report. Settl is landlord-agnostic. Your verification code works with any landlord: individual owners, property managers, large REITs, on any platform, by email, or in person.

💰 Cash reserves: what Rentberry misses

Rentberry shows credit score, criminal history, eviction records, and employment history. It does not show savings. A tenant with 3–5 months of cash reserves can absorb a job loss, medical bill, or slow month without missing rent. That financial buffer is the most reliable predictor of tenancy stability. It is invisible to Rentberry. Settl surfaces it directly.

⚖️ Criminal + eviction legal exposure

Rentberry includes criminal records and eviction history via TransUnion. Both carry Fair Housing Act liability in dozens of cities. Settl includes FCRA-compliant criminal background checks (national + county via CIC, state lookbacks enforced, no arrests shown) and 7-year eviction history. Fair Housing Act individualized assessment notices are built into the report. As a registered CRA under FCRA, Settl handles the compliance framework — the required disclosures and adverse action guidance are included in every report.

🧬 Biometric identity vs bureau identity

Rentberry's identity check is bureau-based via TransUnion. SSN lookup,, no live biometric match. Settl pairs a government ID with a biometric liveness check: the person completing verification must match the document in real time. Synthetic identities and fraudsters using borrowed credentials cannot pass Settl's identity step.

📊 12 months of actual rent payments

Rentberry checks eviction records. Court filings that include dismissed cases and pandemic-era filings. Settl shows 12 months of bank-verified transactions to landlords: actual proof that rent was paid, on time, from a real account. Eviction records are noisy and legally risky. Bank payment history is behavioral evidence, more reliable and legally safer.

⚖️ Fair Housing guardrails built in

Settl runs criminal and eviction checks with Fair Housing guardrails built in: state-specific lookbacks (3–10 years), no arrests ever shown, and individualized assessment notices included. Financial behavior — income stability, savings, actual payment history — remains the strongest predictor of rent payment. Settl surfaces all of it.

📋 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.

Pricing Side by Side

Settl

Settl Verified Passport: $99

Biometric identity (KYC), bank-verified income ceiling, employer payroll + tenure (Argyle), rent payment history, VantageScore 4.0 soft pull credit check (zero score impact), criminal + eviction background check. Share with unlimited landlords. Valid 30 days.

30-Day Renewal: $39

Already verified? Extend your acceptance window by 30 more days. Same code, no re-verification needed.

Rentberry

Screening: $39.99

Credit (TransUnion), background, employment history, eviction, criminal. Renter-initiated, tenant-paid. Free for landlords.

Rentberry pricing as of March 2026. Subject to change.

Which Is Right for You?

Choose Settl if…

Your income is bank-deposited and verifiable
You have savings and want that to count
You want a profile that works with any landlord, not just one marketplace
You don't want to share your SSN
You are applying with roommates (Household Report)
Your landlord is in a city with criminal background check bans
You want biometric identity verification, not just a bureau lookup

Rentberry might work if…

You are finding and applying for apartments within the Rentberry marketplace
You have a strong credit score and employment history you want to lead with
Your landlord specifically requests a credit + background report
You are comfortable sharing your SSN for a TransUnion pull

Ready to build a fraud-proof renter profile?

Bank-verified income. Cash reserves. Biometric identity. One code. Works with any landlord, no marketplace required.

Get Settl Verified Passport

One report. Any landlord. Valid 30 days.

Apply to as many properties as you want. Update your settings before each new application. How it works →