A rental application lands on your desk with all the right pieces: solid income, good credit score, clean background check. What you don't realize is that the person applying doesn't exist —they're using a synthetic identity mixing real and fake information that even credit bureaus can't detect. This is just one type of rental fraud on the rise, along with applicants using stolen identities or learning how to doctor paystubs, offer letters, and other documents on TikTok and Google. 

"Technology is getting better for us, but it's also getting better for people that don't have the best intentions with your homes. Things that you used to be able to catch with the human eye, now you can't catch with the human eye," says Matt Lynch, a Sales Development Representative at Findigs.

The scale of the problem

A National Multifamily Housing Council survey found that 93% of property managers recently encountered fraudulent applications, with over 70% reporting an increase in fraud attempts. Those who saw increases reported an average jump of 40%. Property management companies face average write-offs of $4.2 million in bad debt, with roughly $1 million tied directly to fraud-related nonpayment.

"We're seeing more move-outs, twice as many move-outs year-over-year, and fraud is far more rampant this year than it was last year. There's just more bad actors coming to our properties and trying to get in," says Josh Lin, VP at McKinley Apartments and Properties.

Property managers need screening software that can accurately verify applicants' information and identity while moving qualified renters forward quickly. The goal is simple: make sure renters can comfortably afford their monthly payments, creating stable homes for residents and reliable income for properties. 

This guide takes a closer look at the leading tenant screening platforms and their verification capabilities, helping you choose the right solution for your team.

Findigs

Findigs tackles four key types of rental fraud with a multi-layered verification approach:

• First-party fraud occurs when applicants misrepresent their own information, like inflating income or claiming jobs they don't have. To verify income and employment accurately, Findigs connects directly to banks and payroll systems with permission from the applicant. When applicants choose to upload documents instead, the system analyzes both visible details and underlying metadata to catch edited or falsified materials.
  
  
• Third-party fraud involves using stolen identities. While basic ID checks just match photos, Findigs takes verification further. Applicants snap a selfie while the system scans ID barcodes and cross-references records. The platform also watches for suspicious patterns—like how someone enters their Social Security number—and uses device checks to block common tricks like burner phones and fake IP addresses.
  
  
• Synthetic ID fraud combines real and fake information to create false identities that can slip past credit checks. Findigs spots these by cross-referencing multiple data points throughout the application. Rather than checking individual pieces, the system analyzes how everything fits together—from device signals to behavioral patterns—to expose inconsistencies other platforms might miss.
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• Document fraud looks for key indicators of fraud above and below the surface. Get alerted to signs of digital altering or online creation: native document analysis flags fraud indicators in PDFs.

How DecisionAssist works

To deliver these verifications seamlessly, Findigs created DecisionAssist, their flagship product that automates the entire screening process. The system can return clear decision guidance quickly—with simple cases reviewed in minutes and nearly 75% of applications processed the same day—without requiring property managers to log in or manually review anything.

The verification process runs automatically in the background while applicants complete their forms. Rather than bouncing people between different verification tools, everything happens in one place. This means authentic renters zip through quickly, while the system quietly builds a complete picture of each applicant's credentials.

The ‘what’ vs ‘how’ something is submitted

"Most companies look at what an applicant submits—what the paystub looks like or what the ID looks like," explains Brendan Phillips, Product Manager at Findigs. "We look at how they're submitting it. Is it from a burner phone? Is it tied to past fraudulent applications? All these behavioral signals build a complete picture."

Results from property managers show the impact: When using Findigs, Imagine Homes saw their delinquency rates drop 55%, while Northpoint found Findigs caught 9 times more potential fraud than other systems they tested.

The key difference is how Findigs looks at the whole picture. Instead of just checking individual documents or data points, the system analyzes how everything fits together—from the device used to apply to the way documents are uploaded to the patterns in how information is entered. 

In a recent analysis with McKinley, Findigs looked back at residents who had faced eviction. While evictions can occur for many reasons beyond what application screening can detect—including unexpected financial hardships, changes in personal circumstances, or other factors that emerge after the approval process—the results showed our system flagged 44% of those applications upfront as potentially fraudulent. 

All told, Findigs allows property managers to welcome a wider range of residents while reducing the chances of costly nonpayment situations that are difficult for everyone involved.

Competitor overview: Vero

Vero focuses on identity and income verification for property managers, supplemented with data insights to inform leasing decisions. Their platform claims to verify applicant information directly from source data in under 30 seconds, helping to filter out unqualified prospects before they complete formal applications.

A notable aspect of Vero's approach is that they own the entire application process—apply links direct applicants to Vero's own website rather than providing an embedded experience within the property manager's current property management system (PMS).

Their verification tools aim to prevent fraud and protect rental income by using direct verification rather than self-reported information. Vero positions their screening process as giving property managers a more complete picture of applicants through their verification methods and data sources, helping them avoid processing applications from unqualified applicants and reducing the risk of costly evictions.

Vero vs. Findigs

Vero helps property managers automate and protect from certain types of fraud, specifically identity and some income fraud. However, they don't verify documents like offer letters or social security awards, nor do they handle employment verifications. They also lack integration with several key property management software systems that Findigs supports.

While Vero's product handles many situations, property managers still need staff available for scenarios it can't process. In contrast, Findigs makes it so no matter what the edge case is, on-site teams don't have to touch applications at all. Findigs isn't just a tool that enables your team—it's a tool that takes applications off their job description completely.

Competitor overview: Snappt

Snappt aims to help property managers verify the authenticity of financial documents and applicant identities during the rental application process. Their platform is designed to detect manipulated or edited documents like bank statements and paystubs.

The system works through a streamlined verification process where applicants upload their documents through Snappt's portal. The platform then analyzes these materials to identify potential alterations, providing property managers with clear results.

For income verification, Snappt offers both document analysis and direct connections to payroll systems, automating income calculations to reduce manual work for property managers.

Their identity verification component allows applicants to submit ID documentation and complete facial scans, with the system performing security checks to confirm authenticity.

Property managers can access all verification results through a central dashboard that integrates with common property management systems like Yardi and RealPage.

Snappt vs. Findings

Snappt focuses specifically on document and ID verification, analyzing financial documents for signs of manipulation. While effective at flagging suspicious documents, Snappt leaves the decision-making about flagged documents to your team. Their process often requires applicants to take extra steps on a separate website.

Findigs provides a fully embedded application experience that catches fraud across all document types while handling the fraud decisions for you. Unlike Snappt, Findigs integrates directly into your existing systems without adding steps for applicants. Choose Snappt if you want document verification as an add-on; choose Findigs if you want to address fraud more broadly without extra work for your team or applicants.

Competitor overview: ApproveShield

ApproveShield’s goal is to provide comprehensive applicant screening for property managers, combining multiple verification types into a single process. Their approach aims to simplify rental screening by consolidating credit, criminal background, employment, and rental history checks.

Their criminal background screening component emphasizes accuracy in record matching and case status verification to help property managers make informed decisions.

For employment and rental history verification, ApproveShield works to validate applicant-provided information through direct verification channels.

The platform includes eviction data monitoring as part of their screening solution, providing property managers with information about applicant rental histories.

ApproveShield allows property managers to customize screening criteria while maintaining consistent processes across different properties in their portfolio.

Findigs vs. ApproveShield

ApproveShield typically takes around 3 days for decisions – much slower than Findigs' same-day processing for most applications. ApproveShield leaves your team handling incomplete application follow-ups, creating extra work for on-site staff.

At approximately $89 per application, ApproveShield costs significantly more than Findigs while supporting fewer property management systems. Findigs automates the entire verification process including applicant follow-up, delivers comprehensive recommendations quickly, and integrates with more management platforms—all at a more affordable price point.

Competitor overview: RentZap

RentZap combines software with human underwriters to handle rental application processing for property managers. Their model aims to reduce the time property management teams spend reviewing documents and communicating with applicants.

Property managers establish their qualifying requirements in the system, after which RentZap creates application links for property listings. Their underwriting team manages the review process when applications are submitted.

The platform utilizes third-party data sources for verification while RentZap staff coordinates with applicants to collect additional information when needed. The system includes automated communication to maintain application momentum.

Property managers can monitor application progress through a dashboard without managing the review details themselves. RentZap handles regulatory compliance for rejection notices and manages refund processing when necessary.

Competitor overview: Rentspree

RentSpree collaborates with TransUnion to provide tenant screening and verification services. Their platform conducts background checks covering credit, criminal history, and eviction records while also examining income information.

Property managers initiate the screening by sending applicants a verification link. The system streamlines the application submission process and delivers screening results through a dashboard. RentSpree has built relationships with numerous real estate partners and served millions of users.

The platform incorporates security measures to safeguard applicant data and verify identities during the screening process.

RentSpree offers applicants the ability to reuse their application for multiple properties within a time window, helping reduce repetitive verification expenses while maintaining screening quality.

Property managers can access screening outcomes through a mobile-compatible dashboard. The system includes functionality to communicate acceptance or denial decisions to applicants based on results.

Companies have the option to integrate RentSpree's screening capabilities into their existing websites, allowing property managers to require background checks as part of their application process.

Findigs vs. RentZap and Rentspree

While RentZap offers human underwriters to handle application reviews and RentSpree 

provides TransUnion-powered screening with reusable applications, both still require your team's involvement at critical points. Neither fully removes applications from your staff's responsibilities.

Findigs stands apart as the only solution that completely takes over your entire application process. Unlike these competitors, Findigs handles all edge cases without requiring your team's intervention, achieving true 100% automation. This means you can eliminate the need for staff dedicated to watching for, working on, and making decisions about applications, enabling full centralization that other tools simply can't match.

Competitor overview: AmRent

AmRent offers property managers access to credit reports from all three national bureaus, criminal background checks at multiple jurisdictional levels, and housing court records that detail eviction history.

Their identity verification system validates applicant details by cross-checking name, address, DOB, and SSN information, flagging potential fraud risks and helping with compliance requirements. For income verification, AmRent uses a consumer-permissioned process to retrieve online bank statements.

The service integrates with popular property management software and offers customizable screening criteria rather than one-size-fits-all solutions. AmRent backs their technology with dedicated account executives and customer service teams focusing on rental housing compliance and risk management.

AmRent vs. Findigs

AmRent still requires your team's involvement for application review and decision-making. Findigs automates the entire application process with its DecisionAssist product, eliminating the need for manual intervention even in complex cases. 

Competitor overview: RentButter

RentButter is a tenant screening platform that goes beyond basic credit scores to provide a comprehensive financial assessment of applicants. Their system evaluates income stability, spending patterns, and financial responsibility using over 100 financial indicators.

Their FraudGuard feature handles identity verification through government ID validation and face-matching technology, while also verifying personal information like SSN and contact details. For financial verification, their Pulse system analyzes bank statements and payroll records directly to confirm income and employment.

RentButter's Shield component performs nationwide criminal background checks that automatically adjust to comply with local, state, and federal regulations. The platform integrates with major property management systems and emphasizes both reducing eviction risks and maintaining fair housing compliance throughout the screening process.

RentButter vs. Findigs

Unlike RentButter's system which provides data for your team to review, Findigs delivers clear approve/decline guidance based on your criteria and handles all edge cases without staff intervention.

Competitor overview: Verifast 

VeriFast combines biometric ID matching with public records checks, while their income verification handles diverse income types including gig workers, self-employed individuals, retirees, and investors. VeriFast's fraud detection uses AI to analyze documents, cross-reference financial data, and implement "proof of life" verification to prevent synthetic identity fraud.

The platform offers customizable screening settings by region or building, and provides full financial profiles of applicants by analyzing bank transactions and payroll data. They prioritize security compliance and offer support seven days a week.

Verifast vs. Findigs

While VeriFast offers comprehensive data collection, it still expects your team to analyze and interpret results. Findigs automatically applies your criteria to deliver actionable decisions and handles edge cases without pulling your staff away from more valuable work.

Why Findigs stands out

The rental industry is facing a unique challenge with fraud. "Online fraud was later to come to us than it did to any other industry because we were late to the internet. When you're committing fraud in a home, it takes longer to determine something bad has happened than in other industries—they might pay the first three months of rent, but then it takes time to get them evicted and fully flesh out the damage," says Erin Holcomb, Senior Customer Success Manager at Findigs.

Findigs stands out by treating fraud detection as one piece of a larger tenant screening process. Unlike point solutions that just check IDs or income, Findigs built a system that watches how all the pieces fit together. 

The platform's key strength comes from automating complex judgment calls through detailed, pre-established screening rules that can even reliably process edge cases like international students or self-employed applicants. They turned these subjective decisions into clear, automated processes that treat every applicant consistently.

Their five-point authentication goes beyond surface-level checks, examining everything from device signals to behavioral patterns in how applicants enter their information. But what's more is how they do this invisibly in the background while applicants complete their forms. No jumping between verification tools or waiting for manual reviews.

Want to see how your current screening process measures up? Book a demo to learn how Findigs can help you welcome qualified residents while keeping fraud at bay.