Why Landlords Should Report Rent Payments to All Major Credit Bureaus

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Important Reasons Landlords Should Report Rent Payments to All Major Credit Bureaus

Being a landlord means more than merely collecting monthly rental payments from your tenants. From handling maintenance to addressing repairs and much more, you also have several duties you should fulfill in your role as the owner of the property that other people are renting from you. One of the lesser-known responsibilities you should handle as a landlord is to report rent payments to credit bureaus.

Do your tenants consistently pay their rent on time? You should consider yourself fortunate and return the favor by reporting their payments to all three major credit bureaus. Reporting rental payments can help your tenants boost their credit scores and become more creditworthy individuals.

Doing so is not just good for your tenants’ credit history -- when you report rent payments to credit bureaus for your tenants, you can also experience some benefits as the landlord.

Everybody needs to have a good credit score to enjoy a happier life. Of course, building a good credit score takes time, effort, and discipline. A major part of building a healthy credit score is making all your payments on time. Not many tenants realize the importance of using timely rental payments to build their credit histories.

Ideally, tenants should realize how useful timely rental payments can be for them. Rent accounts for a major portion of monthly expenses for many people. It would only make sense to use the money they are already spending to become more creditworthy people.

Today’s post will discuss some of the most important reasons landlords should report rent payments to all three credit bureaus. From helping your tenants to build their credit history to improve the rental experience for your tenants and yourself, there are several reasons to consider becoming a consistent “rent reporter” for the credit bureaus.

How Should Landlords Report Rent Payments to the Major Credit Bureaus?

Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax are the three major credit bureaus you should report monthly rent payments to. Do your tenants pay rent online? If so, landlords and property managers can sign up to report rent payments through rent reporting services. When you report the payments you collect to the credit reporting agencies, the data becomes a part of your tenant’s credit history and impacts their credit scores.

Suppose you are a landlord who does not have much time to handle your tenant affairs. In that case, you should consider working with property managers who can handle these tasks for you. They can do everything from collecting rent payments to addressing maintenance work, making repairs, and even reporting rent to the credit bureaus for you.

And if you are a property manager handling property for the landlord, taking care of these tasks can help you provide a better rental experience to the tenants and improve your reputation. After all, it is an important part of being a successful property manager.

4 Reasons Landlords Should Report Rent Payments to Credit Bureaus

There are more benefits to reporting rent payments to credit reporting agencies than being a good samaritan helping tenants improve their credit history. As a landlord, becoming a regular “rent reporter” for credit bureaus brings several benefits, including:

1. You Encourage Timely Payments

Whether you are a landlord or a property manager, rent collection can be the most challenging aspect to deal with.

The best reason to regularly report rent payments is to encourage your tenants to make timely payments. When your tenants know that you report the payments to credit agencies, they will feel more inclined to pay on time each month. Late payments reflect poorly on their credit history and have a negative impact on their credit scores.

TransUnion conducted a survey and found that rent reporting encouraged 73% of tenants to avoid missing or making late rental payments to their landlords.

2. You Can Attract Better Tenants

As a landlord, there is nothing better than having high-quality tenants renting your property. Property managers offering rent reporting services and landlords can advertise it to attract better potential tenants.

Tenants who understand the importance of using rent payments to improve their credit histories prefer renting from landlords who offer rent reporting services. Tenants serious about fulfilling their financial commitments for better credit history are likelier to pay rent on time and take better care of the property.

Attracting higher-quality tenants for your property means you can stabilize your monthly rental income and save you from the trouble of haggling with tenants to pay rent on time.

3. Filling Vacancies Faster

Landlords who sign up with credit reporting agencies can easily attract new tenants to fill vacancies. Consider a renter who is looking at two similar apartments to rent with the same monthly rent, but one landlord offers free-of-cost rent reporting services. In that case, a potential tenant is more likely to choose an apartment that can also benefit their credit history.

If you are learning how to become a property manager, you should know that offering free rent reporting services can make you a more attractive prospect for landlords because of the benefits rent reporting offers them. The promise of working with a property manager who can help landlords fill vacancies faster can make landlords feel more inclined to hire you.

4. It Improves the Tenant-Landlord Relationship

When you report rent payments to credit bureaus, you can improve your relationship with tenants and make the overall rental experience better for everyone. A tenant will be happier knowing that you report their timely rental payments to help them boost their credit history.

By offering this service, you are making it easier for them to get lower interest rates on loans and get better credit cards. Keeping good tenants happy means you can retain them for longer and enjoy a long and mutually beneficial tenant-landlord relationship with them.

Final Thoughts

It is important to report rent payments to credit bureaus for landlords and tenants alike. Are you a landlord who owns several investment properties? Managing a large portfolio of rental properties can become tedious.

Using ExactEstate’s property management software can make your life much easier. Consider scheduling a demo today to learn how using the right property management software can benefit your rental business.

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