Credit glossary
Rent reporting
Sending your rent payment history to one or more credit bureaus, through a landlord or a paid service, so it appears on your report.
Most landlords don't report on-time rent, so it shows up only if you add it. Whether it helps depends on which bureaus receive the data and which score a lender uses. FICO says FICO Score 9 counts rental history when it's reported, VantageScore says VantageScore 4.0 uses it, and Experian lists reported rent as having no impact on FICO Score 8.
Fannie Mae's Desktop Underwriter can also consider positive rent payments found in bank statement data, a separate path from your credit report. Before paying a reporting service, check which bureaus it sends to, what it charges, and how it handles late rent, since some services report lates too. Rent that goes to collections can be reported and hurt you either way.
Guides that go deeper
- Rent reporting: which scores count it and which bureaus see itReported rent helps only in scores that read it, at bureaus that receive it. Which scores use rent, how it gets reported, and what a service costs.
- Do rent and utility payments count toward your credit score?Paying rent and utilities on time usually builds nothing, but missing them can hurt. Where these bills show up, which scores count them, and how to opt in.
- Experian Boost, UltraFICO and cash-flow data: what lenders seeExperian Boost edits one bureau's file and some scores. UltraFICO needs a lender to offer it. See which scores each one touches and when to use it.
Sources
- What is FICO Score 9?, Experian
- Homeownership just got easier for millions with limited credit history, thanks to VantageScore 4.0, VantageScore
- Experian Boost, Experian
- Fannie Mae Introduces New Underwriting Innovation to Help More Renters Become Homeowners, Fannie Mae
This is education, not legal or financial advice. Spot an error? Tell us and we'll fix it.