Stessa vs Zillow Rental Manager Tenant Screening

Stessa helps real estate investors manage property portfolios with bookkeeping, financial reporting, rent collection, leasing and tenant screening. It imports, categorizes and indexes rental transactions, and supports single-entry bookkeeping. Dashboards and reports include an Income Statement, Net Cash Flow, Schedule of Real Estate Owned and Tenant Ledger. Landlords can collect rent online with automated reminders and late fees; tenants can pay by ACH, credit card or debit card. Leasing includes state-compliant agreements, legal forms, templates and e-signatures, with limits depending on plan. RentPrep integration supports background and credit checks. Stessa says it connects with banks, lenders, credit cards and property managers to consolidate financial data. Web access is joined by iOS and Android apps for receipt scanning and transaction management. Essentials is free and includes unlimited properties, one portfolio and five receipt scans per month; state-compliant leases cost $15 each. Manage is $12 per month billed annually or $15 per month billed monthly. Pro is $28 per month billed annually or $35 per month billed monthly. Stessa describes encryption, optional multi-factor authentication, backups, fraud monitoring and role-based access control.

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.