Who are we?

HomeScreen is a completely non-discriminatory, Fair Housing-compliant tenant screening service, free of charge for landlords looking to maintain good tenants. We are unique in the tenant screening field because we are a non-profit service, looking beyond applicants’ credit scores and arrest records when screening their applications for housing. We acknowledge the systemic issues that have disproportionately affected low-income renters and people of color as they search for housing for decades and we are working toward a more equitable solution for both renters and property owners.

What do we do?

We use multiple data points, provided by the applicant during the application process, to access the most current and comprehensive credit data through Equifax, including FICO or Insight Score. We also conduct a national criminal background and national civil courts records search. HomeScreen then verifies the applicants’ current employment and income, as well as verifies their residential history for the past five years. With respect to each application that HomeScreen screens, HomeScreen will make a recommendation to the landlord, but ultimately, the landlord approves or denies the application. We base our recommendation on objective, verified information to eliminate bias throughout the screening process. HomeScreen will notify the applicants of the landlord’s final decision.

Where did we come from?

HomeScreen is a product of the Tower Grove Community Development Corporation. TGCDC is a non-profit, non-denominational organization that works to improve the quality of life in three St. Louis neighborhoods - Shaw, Southwest Garden and Tower Grove South - by addressing community development related issues. TGCDC’s mission is to promote and improve the quality of life by attracting public and private investment and providing real estate and other community services. Our verification and screening service started over 15 years ago in the Tower Grove Neighborhoods, but has grown to meet the needs of surrounding communities in the City of Saint Louis, St. Louis County, Illinois and across the country.