Millions of American adult renters could become eligible for a mortgage by incorporating on-time rental payments into their credit reports, according to a comprehensive analysis of over 600,000 U.S. renters performed by VantageScore with data provided by Esusu. Landlords typically report unpaid rent to collection agencies or sell the accounts to debt buyers. This often results in credit report rental data being restricted to “negative only” information, while positive rental information remains largely unreported. By contrast, most lenders report both negative and positive payments to the credit report, unlike landlords and collection agencies. Only an estimated 13% of renters currently benefit from positive rental reporting in their credit reports, depriving many creditworthy renters of the opportunity to build a positive credit history, obtain a credit score and qualify for loans.
In a comprehensive analysis, over half a million renters shared their authenticated, verified, on-time rental payment history with rental reporting platform Esusu. The VantageScore study analyzed the impact of this positive rental data on the renter’s VantageScore 4.0 credit score. Adding a history of on-time rental payments to the VantageScore 4.0 credit score improves predictive performance by 11%. Renters who achieved a VantageScore 4.0 of 620 or above by including positive rental data have similar future payment defaults to consumers who achieved a VantageScore 4.0 credit score of 620 without the inclusion of rental data.
Lenders looking to significantly grow their lending while ensuring both safety and soundness can participate in VantageScore’s new pilot program by contacting pilots@vantagescore.com.
Positive rental payments are highly predictive and allow VantageScore 4.0 to measure a borrower’s true ability to meet mortgage debt obligations,” said Dr. Andrada Pacheco, Chief Data Scientist at VantageScore. “This comprehensive research study confirms that potential homeowners with positive, on-time rental payment histories will benefit significantly from incorporating rental data into their credit reports.
Paying rent on time should be a bridge to ownership, not a barrier. By bringing positive rental behavior into the light of the credit system, we restore agency to millions whose reliability has never been seen,” said Wemimo Abbey and Samir Goel, Co-Founders and Co-CEOs of Esusu. “This partnership proves what we’ve always believed: credit invisibility is not fate; it’s a policy choice we have the power to change. This monumental change tells every American renter: your history matters, your consistency counts, and your future is worthy of being measured.
Additional key highlights from the study include:
- Positive Rental Data Unlocks Significant Predictive Performance for VantageScore Credit Models: Adding rental history to VantageScore 4.0 improves credit risk predictive performance by identifying up to +11% more defaults and delivering up to +3.7% additional predictive lift.
- Incrementally Qualified Rental Consumers Scored by VantageScore 4.0 Have Comparable Ongoing Payment Performance: Consumers who receive a VantageScore 4.0 of 620 or above by adding positive rental data on their credit files have similar repayment performance to the average consumer with the same VantageScore.
- Adding Positive Rent Reporting Data to Credit Files Extends Mortgage Eligibility: In total, nearly four million U.S. renters could receive a credit score of at least 620, making them mortgage-eligible under current Government-Sponsored Enterprise (GSE) guidelines.
About the Increasing Implementation of Rental Reporting
California, Colorado and New York enacted rent reporting programs earlier this
year. Missouri, New Hampshire, Nevada, Maine, New Jersey, Hawaii, Georgia,
Pennsylvania and Washington are also evaluating legislation to facilitate rent
reporting. Alongside these initiatives, several bipartisan federal bills have
been introduced to expand the use of alternative data in credit scoring.
VantageScore is the first tri-bureau credit score to incorporate rental payment data into its credit scoring models, providing a more predictive view of borrower creditworthiness and driving lender growth. In July 2025, the FHFA approved VantageScore for use on all Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac guaranteed mortgages. VantageScore’s superior predictive performance over traditional credit scores has been recognized by several independent analyses from leading banks and financial information companies.
For more information on VantageScore for mortgages, visit the VantageScore Mortgage Resource Center.
