TORONTO, Nov. 17, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, TransUnion launched ShareAble for Rentals in Canada, a new solution designed to empower consumers to share credit reports for the purpose of tenant screening. Leveraging TransUnion’s patented innovation in application screening, ShareAble is the first solution in the market to combine consumer credit report sharing with integrated fraud controls and support for property technology businesses to help their customers: property owners and tenants.
ShareAble enables property technology businesses in Canada to offer more secure access to consumer credit reports, helping property owners make better informed decisions about prospective tenants. The solution integrates with rental listing platforms, rental solution providers and property management companies to simplify the screening process on both sides. ShareAble allows prospective tenants to easily share their credit reports - with a “soft pull” which does not affect their credit score.
“Currently, digital tenant screening is a largely manual, friction-filled process because of extensive credentialing requirements,” said Pamela Dodaro, Head of Core Credit, Consumer and Business Solutions at TransUnion. “We’re launching ShareAble in this market to offer a more sustainable solution designed for what property owners and tenants in the digital era need: security, simplicity and support.”
A September 2022 TransUnion study found that 38% of independent property owners surveyed in Canada were not satisfied with the existing processes they used to screen tenants. Online access to prospective tenant information (42%) and built-in identity verification tools (31%) were cited as the most appealing benefits they don't have in their current process.
Uncertainty in Canada’s current economic climate enhances the importance of property owners’ access to consumer credit data in order to assess payment behaviour of prospective tenants.
“As consumers grapple with historic rates of inflation, they may be forced to make hard choices about what they can and can’t pay for to make ends meet, including rent,” said Matt Fabian, Director of Financial Services Research and Consulting at TransUnion.
“Understanding a potential tenant’s overall credit picture — through ShareAble — helps property owners make better informed decisions and reduce the risk of sudden economic shocks affecting their own cash flows.”
Reducing the risk of fraud in a rental transaction is critical for both property owners and tenants. ShareAble for Rentals includes a robust set of identity management tools for property owners and tenants to protect against identity fraud in a complex regulatory environment. This includes Device Risk, a TransUnion product that enables property owners to assess whether a prospective tenant’s device has a suspicious IP address or has been associated with fraud in the past.
“In a digital-first world, a safe online experience is a top priority for consumers when transacting online,” said Patrick Boudreau, Director, Product Management, Fraud Products at TransUnion. “But for property owners, screening for and addressing tenant identity fraud can be time consuming and expensive. ShareAble enhances security by verifying the tenant, helping to build trust and simplifying the process.”
ShareAble includes relationship management support, helping property technology businesses with set-up and servicing, as well as industry expertise in Canada and the US where ShareAble is already available. With ShareAble, users will gain access to educational materials including step-by-step guidance on how to understand credit reports, and have assurance credit scores are not affected in the tenant screening process.
To learn more about ShareAble for Rentals, visit transunion.ca/ShareAble
About TransUnion (NYSE: TRU)
About TransUnion
TransUnion is a global information and insights company that makes trust possible in the modern economy. We do this by providing an actionable picture of each person so they can be reliably represented in the marketplace. As a result, businesses and consumers can transact with confidence and achieve great things. We call this Information for Good®. TransUnion provides solutions that help create economic opportunity, great experiences and personal empowerment for hundreds of millions of people in more than 30 countries. Our customers in Canada comprise some of the nation’s largest banks and card issuers, and TransUnion is a major credit reporting, fraud, and analytics solutions provider across the finance, retail, telecommunications, utilities, government and insurance sectors.
Contact: Leeanne Mezzatesta,TransUnion
Email: Leeanne.Mezzatesta@transunion.com
Telephone: +1 (416) 662-8457
