Hemlane vs Zillow Rental Manager Tenant Screening

Hemlane is a long-term rental management service with tools for advertising, screening, accounting, rent collection, leases, and maintenance. Its free Starter plan includes rental advertising, applicant and tenant screening, and full rental accounting. Basic adds lease tracking and management, document storage and e-signing, rent collection, late fees, and tenant messaging; Essential adds 24/7 repair coordination, work orders, and state-specific leases. Complete includes those features plus a property management assistant, vetted repair network, and local leasing and turnover network. Basic, Essential, and Complete have 14-day trials. Their listed monthly prices are 30.00 USD, 48.00 USD, and 86.00 USD, respectively, with annual billing able to save up to 20%. Hemlane says it is available in 50 states and its tenant platform supports unlimited users. Owners can connect financial accounts for rental performance and accounting. Rent and late fees go directly to the owner with $0 ACH fees; card transactions carry a 3% fee. Screening costs $40 total, paid by the tenant. Hemlane says it is not a property management firm and cannot decide for owners.

Zillow Rental Manager Tenant Screening lets landlords request renter credit, background, income, and eviction-history checks, then review applications and screening reports in one dashboard. Experian supplies the tenant credit report, while CIC performs background checks that include nationwide eviction, sex-offender, and criminal searches. Credit reports typically include a score, open credit lines, employment and residence history, and past bankruptcies or collections. Renters may submit up to five income-verification documents, such as pay stubs, W-2 statements, bank statements, or offer letters. Landlords can enable applications on listings or privately invite applicants, including prospects who did not come from Zillow. Applications are available through participating listings on Zillow, Trulia, and HotPads. Landlords pay nothing for screening reports; renters pay a $35, paid once application fee and can use that application with unlimited participating landlords for 30 days. When available, credit and background checks are included upon submission. Legal requirements may modify application components, and landlords cannot add their own custom questions or criteria.