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Home » RentTrack Review: Build Credit by Paying Your Rent

RentTrack Review: Build Credit by Paying Your Rent

Last Updated On November 23, 2018 Robert Farrington Leave a Comment

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RentTrack review

Have you ever wished you could easily build your credit as a renter? When you buy a house, your mortgage is reported every month to the credit bureaus, building your credit. But if you rent? You don't get that...

But RentTrack is looking to change that with a service that allows your rent to be reported to the credit bureaus. This can be a huge help for renters looking to build their credit.


Renttrack

Quick Summary

  • Build credit by paying your rent
  • Only $6.95 per month
  • Landlord doesn't have to be involved
Get Started
Quick Navigation
Quick Summary
Who Is RentTrack?
How Does RentTrack Work?
What Is Reported to the Credit Bureaus?
What Are the Costs for Using RentTrack?
Is RentTrack Secure and Is My Data Protected?
Are There Any Credit Monitoring Services Included?
How Do I Get Started?

Who Is RentTrack?

Many people struggle to build credit when starting out. It’s difficult to open up a credit account when you don’t have any credit. It seems like a chicken-and-egg problem, right? Additionally, a credit account implies you’ll take on debt. In other words, to build credit, you also have to take on debt. But what if you didn’t?

That’s where RentTrack comes in. They allow you to build credit by paying your rent.

After you sign up with RentTrack, they will report your rent payments to all three credit bureaus. When you apply for new credit, you’ll already have a credit history. The upside is that you didn’t even have to take on any debt. This feature is great for anyone building new credit or trying to repair damaged credit.

Fico.com found that just 0.3% of people renting have a rental tradeline reported in their credit file. Obviously, RentTrack has tapped into a potentially huge market.

“We spent years fighting to make rent reporting a real part of your credit history, and we're thrilled that you can now get credit for your largest monthly expense,” said Matt Briggs, CEO of RentTrack.

How Does RentTrack Work?

When you sign up through RentTrack, they deduct your monthly rent from your checking account and mail it to your landlord. Your landlord doesn’t need to sign up for anything. They receive a check each month from RentTrack under your name.

RentTrack then reports your payment to all three credit bureaus: Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax.

What Is Reported to the Credit Bureaus?

RentTrack reports your rent payments to the credit bureaus. Rent payments are different from other tradeline payments such as credit cards, car payments, or mortgages. Rent payments fall under FICO Score 9 and VantageScore. Those are the two scores you’re working to improve each month.

When you apply for new credit, most creditors will use other FICO scores to determine your creditworthiness. You might wonder then what good is it to report rent payments if no one is using them. Some creditors do use FICO Score 9 and VantageScore. It still is worth reporting to build up these scores.

What Are the Costs for Using RentTrack?

RentTrack costs $6.95/month. Landlords don’t pay anything.

There is an additional service available from RentTrack for anyone who wants to report their past rent payments. A history of 12 and 24 months can be reported. The costs are $49.95 and $89.95, respectively.

The way historical reporting works is that you share your rent details with RentTrack. This includes a copy of your rental details and previous leases of up to two years. Then RentTrack verifies that payments were made on time and per lease terms. The final step is reporting to the credit bureaus.

Once your rental payment history has been reported, a positive rental tradeline is added to your credit report. RentTrack claims that the average credit score improves by at least 29 points.

Is RentTrack Secure and Is My Data Protected?

RentTrack takes security and data protection seriously. They employ the latest security technology and best practices. This includes these features:

  • They are a EI3PA-compliant certification holder. EI3PA stands for Experian’s Independent 3rd Party Assessment. It is a measure of a third party’s ability to protect Experian-provided data.
  • Identity verification due to KYC and AML regulations.
  • Secure best practices through the use of encryption and non-storage of sensitive data.
  • PCI compliance ensures your sensitive data is protected.

Are There Any Credit Monitoring Services Included?

Yes — there are two services included as part of your RentTrack monthly service. One is credit protection, which is a monitoring service. The credit protection service monitors the following areas:

  • Credit inquiries
  • Identity protection
  • Public record alerts

The monitoring service watches over your credit file 24/7. It will send the following notifications when it detects changes:

  • New credit inquiries
  • New public records
  • Late payments
  • New accounts
  • Score improvement
  • New addresses

In addition to credit monitoring, you can also check your credit score.

How Do I Get Started?

You can get started by signing up at RentTrack.com. Once your account is created, you’ll connect your bank and set your monthly rent due date. RentTrack will send your rent payment each month and report the payment to all three credit bureaus.

For anyone wanting to build their new credit or even repair damaged credit, RentTrack offers a great service.

While FICO Score 9 and VantageScore are used specifically for rental tradelines, which limits the number of creditors that may assess them, it’s still worth signing up. While not all creditors will utilize those two scores, some will. Additionally, you’ll already have the necessary credit in place when the time comes.

RentTrack Review
  • Pricing and Fees - 60
  • Ease of Use - 80
  • Customer Service - 90
  • Products and Services - 80
78

Filed Under: Credit, Review Tagged With: build credit, monitoring, rent payments, RentTrack, review
Editorial Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain, or other advertiser and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.

Comment Policy: We invite readers to respond with questions or comments. Comments may be held for moderation and are subject to approval. Comments are solely the opinions of their authors'. The responses in the comments below are not provided or commissioned by any advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any company. It is not anyone's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.

About Robert Farrington

Robert Farrington is America's Millennial Money Expert, and the founder of The College Investor, a personal finance site dedicated to helping millennials escape student loan debt to start investing and building wealth for the future. You can learn more about him here.

One of his favorite tools is Personal Capital, which enables him to manage his finances in just 15-minutes each month. Best of all - it's free!

He is also diversifying his investment portfolio by adding a little bit of real estate. But not rental homes, because he doesn't want a second job, it's diversified small investments in a mix of properties through Fundrise. Worth a look if you're looking for a low dollar way to invest in real estate.

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