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A lot of landlords like to do a credit check before renting an apartment/house now. Can the renter provide a copy of their report? That would save an inquiry plus the home owner wouldn't have to pay to get a copy.
Usually not. Usually the apartment has a credit check subscription and it is as easy as submitting your info and getting a check. That's not to say it never happens that they would allow you to provide a copy, but it probably isn't likely.
In this age of electronic scan and paint shop, it is unlikely they will accept a copy from the consumer.
Transunion had developed a product just for this purpose as part of TURSS.
I was going to link it, but it now appears to be a dead link.
Essentially it allowed you to release your report to the landlord and therefore it was a soft pull.
Hard pulls for rental inquiries "track" you and provides better information for address verification and skip tracing to other clients of the CRAs.
This data can be sold
In my experience, a properly coded "rental screening" will show up as a hard pull, but FICO will disregard it from scoring. The same appears true for some utility pulls, but not all.
I travel for work and it is often cheaper to do a short term rental than stay in hotels for an extended period.
I racked up several over the years.
The properly coded "rental screening" does not appear to be factored into scoring by FICO.
The "misc reporting" coding will effect your score.
I have been questioned (verification) on why my address hasn't changed but I have rental screening inquiries on my reports in addition to mortgages.
Check out Experian Connect. It is a service that allows you to give others access to your credit report and VantageScore 3.0. No HP or SP - downside could be VantageScore - but if its the report and not a Fico score they care about, then this should work quite well.
https://connect.experian.com/ - click on personal icon button
The Benefits of Experian ConnectSM
Take control of who sees your credit file. Grant access to your personal credit report for up to 30 days at a time, to the people you trust. Know your rights under the FCRA.
You may be eligible to view a free Credit Snapshot if one of our participating members --lenders or credit grantors-- has accessed your Experian credit report as a result of your initial application for credit (e.g. applying for a credit card or a loan) within the last 60 days. Some participating members may use credit reports from several consumer reporting agencies. Ask your lender if they accessed your Experian credit report.
Landlord Credit Check Services
Experian® is a trusted provider of credit checks for landlords. Leverage our landlord background check data on more than 220 million U.S. consumers when running your tenant credit checks.
How to do a credit check as a landlord
Experian Credit Report and Score for Landlord Credit Checks
Request a landlord credit check using only a rental applicant's name and email address. Applicants can purchase their Experian credit report for landlords and grant private access, for up to 30 days. All done online, directly through Experian ConnectSM.
Tenant check reports include:
Private access can be granted to landlords, property managers and real estate agents for up to 30 days
You Pay: $0 Rental applicants pay $14.95 and can grant you private access for up to 30 days
Good info!
I just put a deposit down on a new apartment...2 hours ago. My lease is up April 1st. . Moving in with DBF so yeah.
They gave me a copy of my Experian Rental Report. It showcased my 60 day Auto late from 2014, but everything else including my paid in full collection, was blasé. All my revolvers were there, a listing of "Terriorist" record and prior Landlord complaints. Thank you Odin I had none.
So, whatever report this is, I have a copy of it. My late installment was highlighted and everything else was under a sort of "good listings" section. They stated based on our credit reports, the apartment is ours, but we still have to provide 2 months of pay stubs. It's "protocol." I was thrilled to have them view my EX file! (THIS DOES NOT GO AGAINST MY BET. I need a place to live)
We both were approved for the rental. Now to move next month! YUCK.
I'm current looking for a new place. An e-mail that I received tonight said this - Recent Credit Report - You can obtain on for free on creditkarma.com
The issue is you have to treat all potential tenants equally (I own some rental property), so I need to compare ""apples to apples",,,I can't pull a report from service for one potential tenant, and use the report another provides,, you want to be able to show you treated everyone exactly the same
Are inquiries for housing submitted as a HP or SP? It's no big deal if it's a SP but a person can rack up a bunch of them if they are looking at multiple places.