How to Report Your Rent to Credit Bureaus: Rent-Reporting Services Guide

Millions of people in America rent an apartment or home, but rental payments haven't traditionally been reported to the credit bureaus or included in credit scores.

As a result, some renters might not have much of a credit history, making it hard to see that same credit boost that their home-owning peers get by paying their mortgages.

You can’t report rent payments yourself, but rent-reporting services can get your credit reports to reflect your rent payments. However, the cost can depend on the service — some are free and some cost renters or landlords a fee.

How do rent reporting services work?

1. A tenant enrolls in a rent reporting service, either by downloading an app or opting in to a service offered by their landlord or property manager. Some services require tenants to link their bank accounts so that rent payments can be tracked and automatically reported.  Some services will even go back in time, reporting up to 24 months of previous payments.

2. Rental payments are then recorded and reported to one or more of the three major credit bureaus, Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. Some rent-reporting services only report positive, or on-time, payments while others report all payments, which means late payments could harm their credit.

3. Tenants can expect to see a rental tradeline, or record of the account,  appear on their credit reports roughly 30 days after the first payment is reported. The tradeline should include key details, like when the account was opened and the payment history.

4. Once your rent payments are on your credit reports, credit scoring companies, use that data to calculate your credit scores. On-time payments are the biggest factor shaping credit scores, so building a record of on-time rental payment history should help your score.

» Get your free credit score from NerdWallet

Pros and cons of rent reporting services

How to choose a rent reporting service

There are several ways to get your rental payments on your credit reports.

First, check to see if your property manager already works with a service, such as Esusu, TurboTenant, PayYourRent or Bilt. If so, you can simply opt-in. It’s typically free for tenants to participate — just read the fine print to make sure only on-time payments are reported. This protects your score if you miss a payment.

If a service isn’t available through your landlord or property manager, you’ll need to find a rent-reporting service that you can sign up for directly. Here are some questions to guide your research:

Cost and fees

• What would my total costs be for a year of service, including any setup fees or fees for reporting rental history? (Some services can go back as far as 24 months.)

• How can I cancel the service, and is there a fee?

• If I move to a new address, does the service continue to my new address or do I need to re-enroll?

Data privacy

• How do you protect my personal data?

• Is my data shared with third parties beyond the credit bureaus?

Reporting details

• Which of the major credit bureaus do you report to? (All three are ideal.)

• Does the service provide free access to credit scores, and if so, which score(s)?

• How soon should I expect the information to appear on my credit reports?

• What happens if I have a dispute with my landlord or break my lease? In some states, renters have a right to withhold payment if the landlord fails to keep the unit repaired and habitable. Find out whether rent withheld during a dispute is reported as nonpayment or a negative mark.

Specifics about your living situation

• What if I split rental payments with a roommate or family member? 

• What if I don’t live in a traditional apartment?

» Learn more: What to expect from a rental credit check

How much do rent-reporting services cost?

Prices for rent-reporting services vary. When assessing the cost of a rent-reporting service, look for a setup fee, a monthly or annual fee for ongoing reporting, a charge for reporting past payments and prices for plan upgrades.

Here are some examples of popular rent-reporting services and their costs:

• Self: Free for the basic rent-reporting plan, but the premium plan, which reports other utility payments, costs $6.95 per month. 

• Boom: Charges $3 per month for ongoing reporting and a one-time $25 payment to include 24-months of past payments from your current residence.  

• RentReporters: Get started for a $94.95 sign up fee and then choose either a monthly plan ($10.95/month) or an annual plan ($8.75/month). 

Other ways to build credit

Paying your rent alone will not help you build credit — getting your on-time rent payments reported can help you build credit.

The effect can be big, especially if you are new to credit and trying to build a more robust credit file or if you're rebuilding your credit after a financial mistake, like bankruptcy, or a circumstance beyond your control, such as a divorce, job loss or medical emergency.

Having rental payment information in your credit report can be useful if you rent again in the future. Landlords prefer tenants who can show a history of paying on time.

However, there are other, more efficient, strategies to build credit. These options cost can cost less, or nothing at all.

• Become an authorized user on someone else's credit card and benefit from their good credit history.

• Apply for a credit-builder loan at a credit union or community bank. Your loan payments are reported to the bureaus, and you get access to the funds only after you have paid the loan off.

• Have utility payments added to your credit report using a service like eCredable Lift or Experian Boost.

» Learn more: What is a thin credit file and how can it affect you?