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Who benefits most from rental reports
Rent Reporting Services pursue a user's rent.
The parts of rental payments have an advantage for participants, especially for those who are “loan”, or have no credit history, say experts.
Those who have enrolled usually see their creditworthiness. If rent payments are included in credit reports, consumers have average growth of 60 points on their creditworthiness, as can be seen from a transunion report 2021.
Rental reporting services can also help younger adults because they are more likely to have a short credit story and rent, said Schulz.
In 2025, about 18% of Gen -zer's surveyed reported their rent payments to the credit stoves, as the Transunion report shows. Although this went from 26% in 2024, this is still the largest proportion compared to other generations.
About 16% of the Millennials surveyed stated their rental activity in 2025. According to the report, 12% of the respondents follow gen Xers and 8% of the baby boomers surveyed.
Gen z made 15% of the 2,006 respondents from Transunion. Millennials were 28% of the survey base and gene X made 30%. Baby boomers made 27%.
5 questions before you report your rent payments
However, experts do not work all rental reporting services in the same way. For example, although some only share punctual payments, others also report late payments. If you fall back, this activity can also be reflected in such tools, which has a negative impact on your score.
Before you register for a rental reporting service, take into account the negative consequences or the worst-case scenario such as a job loss, said Chi Chi Wu, a senior lawyer in the National Consumer Law Center.
Schulz agreed: “If you are concerned, for example, and are not sure whether you will be able to make your rent payments in six months, it may not be the best time for you to register.”
Ask these five questions before registering.
1. Do you really need it?
You may not even have to use rent payments to improve your credit.
For those with a thin or non -existent credit file, even a small amount of positive rent can “have a really significant impact on their creditworthiness,” said Schulz. However, if you already have a long credit story and a good score, adding another data point has no significant change, he said.
First check your creditworthiness and assess whether the message of your rent payment is a difference, said WU.
2. What does it cost?
Some rental reporting services are free of charge, while others need a fee that, according to the apartment list, can be between 6.95 and 9.95 per month. Services can also collect a one-time enrollment or a setup fee, which can cost from $ 25 to 95, as the website is found.
See whether you would be additional costs for you or whether your landlord covers the fees.
3 .. Has the service agent reported to the three loan offices?
Make sure that the service reports to all three large loan offices: Experian, Equifax and Transunion.
Sometimes the rental reporting services only share the data with one or two of the three offices, experts say.
This can be a problem if you apply for loans or credit cards, said Schulz. If your lender checks your report from one of the offices that are not included in the service, the reported data is “largely irrelevant because they are not seen,” he said.
4. What data does the service report?
Some services only report the payments for the rental payments in the period, while others could also report late payments, say experts. But even if the service reports only a positive story, it can be a risk, said WU.
Suppose you report rental payments for one year and then “suddenly the data stop,” she said.
“Will a future landlord be viewed and assumed?” Wu said.
5. What is the cancellation directive?
Cancellation guidelines for rental reporting services will probably differ from the provider to the provider because the standardization is lacking, said WU.
Before you register, find out how you can cancel and understand the service what the effects have, “especially if you talk about something related to your loan,” said Schulz.