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RentReporters

3.5 out of 5

RentReporters helps the credit invisible or people with thin credit files to become scoreable by reporting their monthly rental payments to the credit reporting agencies. Rent reporting is a great way to build credit without a credit card or installment loan. But, these service is only worth paying for if you’ll benefit from alternative credit data somehow.

EFFECTIVENESS
2.5 out of 5
PRICE
3.5 out of 5
SPEED OF SERVICE
4 out of 5
SUPPORT
4 out of 5

Pros

Can Increase Your Credit Score

Online Application

Credit Education Tools

Money-Back Guarantee

Reports Your Rental History To Credit Bureaus

Cons

There Is A Start-up Fee

Doesn't Report To Experian

26 million Americans have no credit histories at all and another 19 million don’t have enough information in their credit files to generate a score. Millions more have thin credit files that give a poor representation of their financial capacity. If you’re one of them, RentReporters may be able to help.

Credit reports have traditionally contained records of money you borrow: loans and credit cards. They don’t include your record at paying bills, an important part of your financial record.

RentReporters is a rent reporting company that will place up to two years of your rent payment history in your credit record. That can make an important contribution to your credit file, especially if you are struggling to establish your credit history.

RentReporters isn’t free: there are startup fees and monthly fees. This RentReporters review will help you understand how their program works, its benefits, and its shortcomings.

Who Is RentReporters

RentReporters was founded in 2015 and is based in Pasadena California. They are changing the way that credit scores are calculated for over 100 million renters in the United States.

Rent Reporters home page

What Makes Them Different?

Rent reporting companies allow placing your rent payment history on your credit report. This can give your credit score a quick boost, especially if you have a thin credit file. 

They have credit education tools that also teach you how to manage your credit and what to do with your newfound credit score.

How Does Rent Reporting Work? 

Let’s look at what rent reporting is and how it works. There are 4 main steps to the process:

1. Verification of your identity and rent payments

The first thing you will need to do is to complete an application with your basic information on it.

You will need to supply your social security number, date of birth, address, and your landlord’s contact information.

👉 Your social security number is needed to make sure that your rent history is clearly matched with your credit profile.

2. Verify Your Rent Payments With Your Landlord

The rent reporting company will work directly with your landlord to verify their identity and confirm your on-time rent payments over the last 24 months and in the months to come. 

3. Rent Reporting to Credit Bureaus

The reporting company will report your rent history to the major credit bureaus. You will receive an email notification when this process is complete.  

4. Tradeline Creation on Your Credit Report

A new tradeline is created on your credit report within 5-7 business days. You receive a notification when this is completed.

Once this process is completed, as long as you pay the monthly fee to the reporting company your rent will continue to update and continue to help your score. 

Who Does Rent Reporters Report To

Currently, Rent Reporters will report your rent payments to TransUnion and Equifax.

They plan to be able to add your tradeline to Experian soon as well. 

Will Rent Reporting Increase Your Credit?

👉 Any time you add a new tradeline to your credit it has the ability to increase your score, especially if you show a history of on-time payments.

The good thing about rent reporting is that usually we already have years of rent that we have paid on time.

Rent Reporters average credit score increase

This means not only will you be getting a new tradeline added to your credit, but you will also be adding more credit history to your account.

This credit history is known as your “Average Age of Accounts”. The longer your credit history is, the better your score will be.

RentReporters has an average increase of 35 to 50 points for customers just from adding their rent history to their credit reports. 

Click here to visit RentReporters

Results may vary. Visit site for details.

How Long Will It Take for Your Score to Change?

RentReporters will add a new tradeline called “RentReporters/Residence” to your credit report within 5 days after they have verified your landlord and rent.

Usually, it takes around 10 days total before you see the tradeline hit your credit and see a score increase.

Because of the guidelines laid out by the CROA, no company can guarantee that they will fix bad credit.

Is Rent Reporters A Credit Repair Service?

Rent Reporters is not a credit repair service. While you can use their service to help improve your credit score, they do not assist with credit repair.

If you are interested in credit repair, be careful: there are numerous credit repair scams out there. Check out our list of the best credit repair companies for a few that won’t rip you off.

You can use RentReporters and a credit repair company at the same time because they complete two entirely different functions.

How Much Does Rent Reporters Cost?

The best thing about Rent Reporters is that it has one plan for one set start-up cost and one cost for the monthly reporting of your rent.

Signup Cost: $94.95
Subscription Cost: $9.95/month or $95.40/year
Past 24 Months Cost: Included in Signup Fee
Spouse or Roommate: Yes
2nd Person Cost: $50 discount

Let’s break that down.

You’ll pay a one-time fee of $94.95. Included in this fee is reporting your rent history for the past 24 months.

After that, you pay $9.95 per month for ongoing rent reporting. You can save $24 if you pay for an entire year in advance. In that case, you’ll pay $95.40 (instead of $119.40) for an entire year of reporting your rent to the credit bureaus.

If your spouse or a roommate wants to sign up and report their rent, they will get a $50 discount off the one-time signup fee.

Here’s what you would pay in different scenarios:

  • One person – Signup + 24 months of rent history + 1 month of rent reporting: $104.90
  • One person – Signup + 24 months of rent history + 1 year of rent reporting: $190.35
  • Two people – Signup + 24 months of rent history + 1 month of rent reporting: $159.80
  • Two people – Signup + 24 months of rent history + 1 year of rent reporting: $330.70

For a fee of $50 each, they can also verify and report rent payments made to multiple landlords within the past 2 years.

Rent Reporters also offers an option to expedite your reporting for a $25 fee (included in the annual plan). This means that you can get your past 24 months of rent reported in 3-5 days for that additional fee.

Who is RentReporters For? 

These are the consumers that will get the most benefit from rent reporting.

Credit Invisible And Credit Unscorables

Not having a credit score can affect you in ways you might not have considered. If you plan to purchase a car, buy a home, or even get a cell phone people are checking your credit.

You don’t have to be credit invisible. You can use your rental history to help you get a credit score.

Sometimes people will fall into the credit unscorable category where they have had credit in the past but not enough in the past 7 years to have a credit score. 

Rent reporting is a great way to start building credit and earn a credit score. 

People With Bad Credit

If your credit has taken a beating, adding a new positive tradeline to your record can help. Remember that any negative entries that you have run up will still be on your record. It is easier to establish good credit from scratch than it is to repair bad credit.

Rebuilding damaged credit takes time, but a new positive tradeline can help.

Visit RentReporters

Results may vary. Visit site for details.

Rent Reporters Customer Reviews

Rent Reporters reviews are extremely positive. Users report credit score gains up to 100 points.

Rent Reporters user reviews

RentReporters BBB Reviews 

BBB reviews show a company with the Better Business Bureau since 2013. 

RentReporters has a B BBB rating. All complaints are addressed promptly. 

Rent Reporters BBB ratings

How To Cancel RentReporters

RentReporters gives you a few ways to cancel your policy.

You can just call, email, or live chat with them on their website to cancel your subscription.

RentReporters phone number is: (626)-737-6100

They will ask for the reason for cancellation before you cancel, which is no huge deal and probably helps make the product better.

Best Alternative To RentReporters

Here’s a list of companies similar to Rent Reporters. None of these require your landlord to be enrolled in order to report your rent to the credit bureaus.

Credit Rent Boost Best for low total cost
LevelCredit Best value
Rent Report Team Best credit bureau coverage
Rock the Score Good customer service
Esusu Rent Worthy newcomer
Boom A different way to report your rent

Read our article on the Best Rent Reporting Companies to learn more about each of these services, compare features and costs.

Taking Action On Your Credit

Increasing your credit score can be complicated and confusing.

There is no better time than now to get things started and the sooner you get your credit in a better position the better off you can obtain the things that have been eluding you. 

Start establishing or rebuilding your credit today with the help of RentReporters.

Click here to sign up RentReporters

Results may vary. Visit site for details.

FAQ:

What does a RentReporters tradeline look like on the credit report?

Your RentReporters tradeline will appear on your credit report, as “RR/Residence.”

How long will it take for me to see changes in my credit score?

Usually, it takes around 10 days total before you see the tradeline hit your credit and see a score increase.

Do I need to involve my landlord?

RentReporters will contact your landlord to verify their identity and confirm your rent payments over the last 24 months and in the months to come.

How Much Does Rent Reporters Cost?

There’s a one-time fee of $94.95. Included in this fee is reporting your rent history for the past 24 months. After that, you pay $9.95 per month for ongoing rent reporting. You can save $24 if you pay for an entire year in advance.

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