This is for the agent on a lease or landlord deal, when a tenant screening report does not come back as expected.
The report has not come back yet
Not every delay is a problem. A report can take up to three business days when there are potential matching records that need further verification.
If it has not returned the same day, give it up to three business days before treating it as a fault. Some failed reports are also retried automatically, with nothing needed from you or the tenant.
The report came back with no data
The usual cause is a credit freeze or fraud alert on the tenant's credit.
Only the tenant can lift it. You cannot do it for them, and neither can Jointly. Direct them to TransUnion at https://www.transunion.com/credit-freeze, or the TransUnion Consumer Credit Freeze Assistance line at 1-888-909-8872.
Once the freeze is lifted, TransUnion regenerates the reports at no additional charge to you or the tenant.
The applicant's identity could not be verified
A freeze is not the only reason a report comes back empty. The screening can also fail because TransUnion could not verify the applicant's identity online.
When that happens, the applicant sees Manual Verification Required on their Tenant Verification step, with a message that reads "We are unable to verify your identity online." The screen gives them a phone number and a Screening Request ID.
The applicant calls (833) 458-6338 and gives them the Screening Request ID shown on that screen.
They complete the screening over the phone with support.
Back in Jointly, they tick I have called TransUnion and I am ready to proceed and save.
This is a different number from the credit freeze line. Use (833) 458-6338 for an identity that could not be verified, and 1-888-909-8872 only for a freeze or fraud alert.
What you see on your side
You can check this yourself. Open the tenant's Screening Report task and select the Tenant Verification step — it reads "Tenant's identity could not be verified. Tenant must call TransUnion for manual verification." The task itself shows as Waiting on tenants.
The phone number and the Screening Request ID are not on your screen — they are only on the tenant's. So you cannot read them out; the tenant has to open their own Tenant Verification step to get them.
Identity verification is TransUnion's process, not Jointly's. Jointly cannot override it, verify the applicant for you, or skip the step — the applicant has to make the call themselves.
Does the screening affect the tenant's credit score?
No. Jointly's tenant screening runs through TransUnion ShareAble, which lets people share their credit report as a soft pull. It does not affect their credit score.
A screening report covers credit, criminal background and eviction.