FAQs For Tenants

Address

Yes you can! As long as you have a written agreement with the primary landlord / management company or owner of the home. We are unable to report any rent payments if you only have an agreement with the original renter that signed the rental agreement with the landlord or management company. (If you’re not on the main lease – you should request to be added)!

We count on you and your landlord to keep us informed so that we can ensure accurate reporting to the credit bureaus.  If we receive notice from your landlord that you are no longer renting from them, we will reach out to you for confirmation and then close out your account.

We are able to report the last 24 months of your past rental history (from today back 2 years). This helps to add age to your credit profile, which in turn provides a greater increase in your credit score. Of the five factors in determining your credit score, length of history contributes 15% to the mix. Upon enrolling and receiving your photo id and lease agreement (if you have it available - not required), our verification department will reach out to your landlord and confirm all information. Upon confirmation, you will receive credit for the last two years of your rent payments!

Yes you can! We can report up to the last 24 months of your past address, and do ongoing monthly reporting for your current address. For enrollment into the program, you would either select the past 12 months or past 24 months of reporting for your previous address, and then also select either the annual payment (renewal every 12 months), or the monthly subscription option for the ongoing reporting for your current address.

Yes! Your address on your photo ID does not need to match your lease agreement. We do need a copy of your photo id to verify we are talking to you!

No! TransUnion, Equifax & Experian only allows an address to be reported once on your credit report. If you have another company already reporting the address you want to enroll with us, we will not be able to report it for you. Please note that if you do enroll and it turns out you have another company reporting the same address, we will be unable to issue any refunds.

3rd Party Rent Reporting agencies such as ourselves are only authorized to report Residential Leases - not commercial leases (even if the commercial lease is in your personal name).

Unfortunately no.  The credit bureaus have not opened up rent reporting to other planets yet.  We are able to possibly report any residential address in the United States, on planet Earth!  

Credit Bureaus

Yes!  We report to TransUnion, Equifax & Experian. 

Experian has a slightly different reporting process than TransUnion & Equifax.  After we complete your account for TransUnion & Equifax, you will receive a text message and email letting you know that you now have the opportunity to start the Experian process.  Please see our Experian FAQs.

To have your rent reported to Experian, you must:

  • Pay your rent from your bank, savings, or credit card account.  Experian is not currently accepting rent payments made with cash or money orders.
  • If you have a spouse or roommate, the entire rent payment must only come out of one person's bank, savings, or credit card account.  It is fine if your spouse or roommate reimburses you their share, but the payment to your landlord must come out of one person's account.
  • Experian requires you to connect your bank, savings, or credit card account that you pay your rent with in our secure tenant portal using Plaid.  
  • After you connect your account, you will receive a text message and email letting you know that your account has downloaded your transactions.
  • Once your transactions are downloaded, you will be able to select your rent payments and apply them to the appropriate month.
  • After you have applied all of your rent payments, you will verify the information, and then submit it to our team.
  • Your landlord will also receive a copy of the verification of rent.
  • To complete the Experian process you will need to do it on a laptop or desktop computer.  (Mobile coming soon).

 

 

Experian Reporting Timeline:

If the above steps are completed by the 15th of the month, then your new Experian account will be reported on the 5th of the next month!

Credit Score / Report

No two credit profiles are identical. However, we have generally seen a range of 7 to 120 point increases. For someone that has not established credit, it is possible for them to get a score above 640 fairly quickly. On the other side of the spectrum, if someone has  established a strong credit profile, with all on-time payments, they will probably see a much lower impact to their credit score – as with adding any new trade line. It has been our experience that in most cases someone will always pay their rent on time, however, may let a car payment or credit card go late. If this is the case, they should definitely be reporting their monthly rent payments. While you should never go late on any payment, you should at least get credit for all your on-time payments.

It is important to understand that with any company that reports information to the credit bureaus, they (including us) do not control how much a score is increased. Whether the reporting is a mortgage loan, car payment, credit card, or rent, we simply take the data, verify it, and submit it to the credit bureaus. Each credit bureau has their own algorithm and fico scoring model to determine how much, if any, that new account will affect your overall credit score.

 

No! We do not pull your credit and cause a new inquiry! This is another benefit of having your rent payments reported! You can create a new account without any inquires! Every inquiry on your credit report can reduce your score.

Generally our customers always see some sort of score increase. Some points to keep in mind:

  1. Are you looking at the correct report? All of our rental accounts are reported directly to TransUnion, Equifax & Experian. Please make sure you are looking at your TransUnion, Equifax or Experian report. If you are not sure, TransUnion, Equifax & Experian allow you one free credit report per week. You can use this link to access your TransUnion report: https://www.transunion.com/annual-credit-report. Before you use your one free TransUnion, Equifax & Experian reports, please wait up to 10 business days after we submit your file to TransUnion, Equifax & Experian. While in most cases, TransUnion, Equifax & Experian will have your new account active in 72 business hours, sometimes they do require a bit more time.
  2. If you see your new account, but no score increase it is possible that the 3rd party credit report provider you are using has updated your report, but not your score. Sometimes it will take them an additional week or so to fully update your credit report.
  3. Did you just add ongoing reporting? If so, it may take a bit longer to see a score increase since the credit bureau needs to see continued on time monthly payments. If you have lived at your property longer, you should consider adding the past reporting option! This will put your past payments on your credit report, helping to get you a quicker score increase.

Yes – Your account will show closed if you only enroll in the past 12 or 24 month reporting. This still has the benefit of creating a great past history for you and building your credit profile. To show the account as open, we are required to verify your ongoing monthly payments with your landlord. Most of our renters experience the best increase in their scores when we report past history along with current ongoing reporting!

We report twice a month to TransUnion and Equifax on the 5th and 15th. After reporting, TransUnion & Equifax typically have your new account active within 5-7 business days.

For Experian - if we have received your rent verification by the 15th of the month, then your new Experian account will be reported on the 5th of the next month (see Experian FAQs).  Experian will typically have your new account active within 5-7 business days.

If you are using a 3rd party Credit Report Provider such as Credit Karma, Free Credit Report, or Credit Sesame to view your report, you need to be mindful of how often they update their database. Some of these companies only update once a month, while others update once a week. In addition, some of these companies will update and show your new rental account, but will not update your score.

If you do not see your new account appearing by the 15th of the month (for reporting from the 5th ) or the 25th of the month (for reporting from the 15th ). Please follow these steps:

 

  1. Contact the 3rd Party Credit Report Service you are using and ask how often they update their information and make sure they are also including data from TransUnion & Equifax.
  2. If it appears the 3rd Party Credit Report Service has updated and should be showing your new account, try pulling your credit report directly from TransUnion or Equifax using the following link: https://www.transunion.com/annual-credit-report. There should not be any charge for this if this is the first time you have pulled your report directly from TransUnion or Equifax.
  3. If your new account is not appearing on your TransUnion or Equifax Credit Report (that you pulled from the above link), contact our office at 844.950.7368 or submit a copy of your credit report using this secure link Secure Document Upload.
  4. We will immediately open a help ticket with TransUnion or Equifax and they will require a copy of your credit report that you downloaded from their site. We typically hear back from them with a resolution within 3 business days!

While this is very rare, in some situations if you have a “freeze” or “monitoring” on your account, this can cause your new rental account to be deleted. If this happens, please reach out to the company that your hired to “freeze” or “monitor” your account and ask them to allow your new rental account to appear.

If you do not have the above service associated with your credit profile, and your account disappeared, please contact our office and we will open a help ticket with TransUnion, Equifax & Experian. We typically hear back from them within 3 business days.

No - we are not a credit repair company. We are a third-party credit reporter. Our job is to verify your payments and report that information to the credit bureau.

The below graphic shows how an actual rental account appears. Your new account will show Creditrentboost.com!

Credit Rental Account

Commercial Address

3rd Party Rent Reporting agencies such as ourselves are only authorized to report Residential Leases - not commercial leases (even if the commercial lease is in your personal name).

Cost / Refunds

We have several different options:

Ongoing Rent Reporting (From today for the next 12 months):

  • Annual payment: $49.00 1 Renter / $88.00 2 Renters / $117.00 3 Renters
  • Monthly Subscription*: $6.95 1 Renter / $9.95 2 Renters / $12.95 3 Renters

*If only selecting a monthly subscription, there is a $25.00 one time enrollment fee. However the enrollment fee is waived if you also add a past reporting option!

Past Reporting:

  • Past 12 Months: $49.00 1 Renter / $94.00 2 Renters / $94.00 3 Renters
  • Past 24 Months: $65.00 1 Renter / $125.00 2 Renters / $125.00 3 Renters

Expedited Service: $100 – With expedited service, your rent trade-line will be reported to TransUnion & Equifax within 72 business hours of us receiving all documents and completing your file (your lease agreement, photo ID, any documents needed from your landlord, and your landlord verifying your payments). TransUnion & Equifax typically have your trade-line active within 72 business hours after receiving your file. Expedited service accounts do not qualify for a refund for any reason.

You are welcome to cancel anytime. If we have already started to process your file or reported the new tradeline, you will not be entitled to a refund. If your landlord has enrolled their company in our credit reporting program, which is causing us to report your rent payments, you will need to contact them directly to cancel any reporting. It will be solely at their discretion, and they will need to provide us written authorization.

We take your personal information security very seriously. You will never be asked to provide your social security number over the phone or in an email. All employees of 950 Credit, Inc must pass a full background check and have different security levels in our internal system. Periodically we have an outside IT security firm perform an audit of our systems to ensure we have the best and most UpToDate software protecting our data.

We want you to enroll with confidence! If we are unable to verify your landlord, we will immediately issue you a 100% refund as long as you also meet the requirements to be eligible for a refund (see FAQ "Why would I not qualify for a refund?"). We do not set the landlord verification methods… TransUnion, Equifax & Experian have a strict vetting procedure that we are required to follow. While we are able to verify most landlords, some unfortunately will not qualify.

If you enroll in our service and it appears that you and/or your landlord are trying to commit fraud – we will not issue a refund and will also notify the appropriate authorities. 950 Credit, Inc along with TransUnion, Equifax & Experian are committed to providing 100% accurate information. It is a federal crime to commit fraud in reference to credit reporting.

If you own the home, or are on title in any way of the home you will not qualify for a refund.

We are unable to issue a refund if you simply change your mind or you currently have another company reporting rent payments for the address you enroll with us.

If you are subleasing without the landlord's or owners consent.

If you have not requested a refund within 30days of enrolling you will not qualify for a refund.

If you select expedited service at checkout, your account will not qualify for a refund for ANY REASON (even if we are unable to verify your landlord). When selecting expedited service, your file moves to the front of the line and all of our staff start to process it immediately. This is especially important to keep in mind if you rent from an Individual Owner – you need to verify that they will either submit a copy of their photo ID or complete five questions with our Landlord Department.

After your file is completed, we are unable to issue any refunds. Please note we do not control how much your credit score will increase since all credit profiles are 100% different. We have seen a range of 7 points to 120 points depending on how strong your credit currently is. If your current credit score is in the lower range, you will most likely see a higher increase then someone with a 690+ score.

Contact Us

We love to talk to our clients! There is a communication feature found within your Tenant Portal allowing you to contact us. Our Phone Support hours are Monday - Friday, 10am to 2pm (Arizona MST). Plus you are always welcome to chat live with us directly from our website during those hours! You may also email any questions to Support@CreditRentBoost.com, or feel free to call 844-950-Rent (7368) during our Phone Support Hours. All emails and communications through the tenant portal will be responded to within 24 business hours.

Contact us: https://www.creditrentboost.com/contact/

Documents Needed

1. Complete the enrollment form – Choose from 1, 2, or 3 renters – Depending on how many names are on your lease agreement that would like to build their credit! At checkout, you will be given the option to choose which services best fit your needs. We offer reporting for the past 12 – 24 months and current reporting – from today for the next 12 months. For best results, our clients have opted to have us report the past 24 months and current reporting. This builds history, while also creating a current trade-line.

2. You will receive a link to your Tenant Portal within a few minutes of your enrollment.

3. Upload your photo ID in your Tenant Portal as we must have this to get started.  You can also upload your lease agreement if you have it available for quicker processing. If you do not have the lease agreement, no worries! We will reach out to your landlord to verify all information OR you or your landlord can email  a copy of your lease agreement to support@creditrentboost.com.

4. Let your landlord know we will be contacting them! This is especially important if you rent from an Individual Owner (IL), as TransUnion, Equifax & Experian require us to either obtain a copy of their photo ID, which they can upload through their Landlord Portal OR they can answer five questions also in their Landlord Portal to verify their identity. We are also required to obtain a copy of the public tax records to verify ownership. If you do rent from an IL, it is VERY IMPORTANT that you speak to them prior to enrolling to verify that they will be willing to submit a copy of their photo ID or answer 5 quick questions to verify their identity.

If you rent from a property manager or apartment complex, we will reach out to them to verify your monthly payments!

No! Your address on your photo ID does not need to match your lease agreement. We do need a copy of your photo id to verify we are talking to you!

No – Unfortunately you do need to be listed as a renter on the lease agreement. We would recommend reaching out to your landlord and asking them to add your name to the lease agreement.

Yes you can! As long as you have a written agreement with the primary landlord / management company or owner of the home. We are unable to report any rent payments if you only have an agreement with the original renter that signed the rental agreement with the landlord or management company. (If you’re not on the main lease – you should request to be added)!

Process For Landlord

Yes! Please reach out to your landlord or management company and let them know that you have enrolled in our rent reporting program. While it is our goal not to cause them any additional work, we will need them to verify your monthly payments and potentially provide us some other information. Feel free to cc support@creditrentboost.com if you email your landlord or management company.

No! It is our goal not to inconvenience your landlord or management company. If you have enrolled in our Current Rent Reporting, your landlord or management company will receive one email a month from our verification department.

Property Management Company (PMC) Or Apartment Complex (AC) – If you rent from a PMC or an AC and they have a website, we are able to fulfill the credit bureaus’ vetting requirements without inconveniencing your landlord. We simply reach out to them to verify your on-time payments.

Individual Owner (IL) – If you rent from an IL, TransUnion, Equifax & Experian require us to either obtain a copy of their photo ID, which they can upload through their Landlord Portal; Or they can answer five questions, also in their Landlord Portal, to verify their identity. We are also required to obtain a copy of the public tax records to verify ownership. If you do rent from an IL, it is VERY IMPORTANT that you speak to them prior to enrolling to verify that they will be willing to submit a copy of their photo ID or answer 5 quick questions to verify their identity.

While it is our goal to help all renters, not all landlords will be able to provide the necessary information required. If we are unable to work with your landlord/property manager or verify your rental history, we will issue you a full refund in 7-10 business days. So, you can enroll with confidence! In addition, you might be able to provide alternative proof of payment. Each situation will be reviewed case by case.

No! Rent reporting has no affect on your landlord’s personal credit or their income taxes. Rent reporting can have a very positive effect for the renter!

Yes! If you rent from a family member, TransUnion, Equifax & Experian requires us to either obtain a copy of their photo id, which they can upload in their Landlord Portal;  Or they can answer five questions also in their Landlord Portal to verify their identity.  We are also required to obtain a copy of the public tax records to verify ownership. If you do rent from a family member, it is VERY IMPORTANT that you speak to them prior to enrolling to verify that they will be willing to submit a copy of their photo ID or answer 5 quick questions to verify their identity.

No. If your name appears on title to the home we cannot report on your credit report. The only exception to this is if you had previously leased the home and then purchased it. In which case, we will need documentation to this effect.

Rent / Roommates

TransUnion & Equifax only requires payments that are past due 30 days to be reported as late. Most renters always pay before their account reaches that status. However, if a landlord does report to us that you are 30 days late, we are obligated to report it. If that information is incorrect, please provide us proof of payment and we will confirm with your landlord and immediately work towards correcting the reporting.

Great question! You continue to pay your rent directly to your landlord every month. We do not accept any rent payments.

If your rent changes, please send us a copy of your new lease or addendum and will update your account!

TransUnion, Equifax & Experian requires us to only report rent. Sometimes there are utilities, parking, or storage included in the amount you pay in each month, we are not allowed to report those extras.

We work with all names on the lease, so roommates and spouses can also build their credit. In fact, we offer a multi-renter discount on current rent reporting. For two renters, the cost is $88 for the first 12 months with an annual subscription, or a monthly subscription at $9.95/ mo. If you decide to continue reporting for the next year, you simply renew at the current rate. Roommates and spouses can also take advantage of our past rent reporting option!

Sublease

Yes you can! As long as you have a written agreement with the primary landlord / management company or owner of the home. We are unable to report any rent payments if you only have an agreement with the original renter that signed the rental agreement with the landlord or management company. (If you’re not on the main lease – you should request to be added)!