What Credit Bureau Do Rental Companies Use?

Most landlords pull Experian first; their screening tools are built around Experian's RentBureau data. If Experian isn't available, many turn to TransUnion, while Equifax shows up only occasionally.

The specific bureau depends on the vendor the property manager uses - Experian RentBureau screens most lease applicants, and TransUnion SmartMove powers many 'soft‑pull' checks. Equifax rarely factors into the decision, so your rental credit usually originates from Experian or, less often, TransUnion.

Rentals pull Experian on you most because the majority of property‑management software connects to Experian's tenant‑screening platform, and industry surveys show roughly 70 % of lease applications trigger an Experian credit pull (see Landlord credit pull survey 2023). This dominance means you'll most often see an Experian hard or soft inquiry on your credit report when applying for a rental.

• National chains such as Apartment Guide and RentPath rely on Experian's automated checks.
• Many independent landlords use the same service because it's easy to set up and provides instant risk scores.
• Experian offers both soft pulls (no score impact) for pre‑screening and hard pulls (score impact) for final approval, so the type of inquiry varies by landlord's policy.
• Because Experian leads the market, a clean Experian report improves your odds more than a strong TransUnion or Equifax score in most cases.

TransUnion provides the credit pull that many landlords rely on for rental/lease applications. Large property managers - AvalonBay, Greystar, and dozens of regional firms - use TransUnion's ResidentScore or its Rental Database to verify your payment history, assess risk, and approve or deny a lease.

Because TransUnion aggregates rent‑payment data from over a million tenants, a clean record there can offset a mediocre Experian score, while a negative entry can block a lease even if other bureaus look fine. Request your free TransUnion rental report, dispute any errors, and consider adding positive rent payments to the database to improve future approvals. The next section shows why Equifax hardly matters for most rent apps.

Equifax shows up in fewer than 5 percent of rental‑application credit pulls, so a low Equifax score rarely blocks a lease. Most landlords (about 78 percent) run Experian, and many (around 19 percent) use TransUnion; the few who do use Equifax typically do so only as a backup source. (National Multifamily Housing Council quick facts)

Because Equifax is almost never the primary bureau, renters should focus on improving their Experian and TransUnion profiles. If your Equifax score dips, it usually won't affect the decision; instead, check the bureaus that matter most before applying, and consider pulling free reports from Experian and TransUnion to catch errors early.

Free credit reports give you a chance to see exactly what rental screens will show, so you can fix problems before a landlord pulls your file.

1. Visit Annual Credit Report site and request Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax reports (one free report per bureau each year).
2. Review each report for errors, late‑payment marks, or outdated collections - Experian and TransUnion matter most because most landlords rely on them.
3. Use the online dispute portal on the offending bureau's website to correct mistakes; most disputes are resolved within 30 days.
4. Highlight any negative items you can explain (e.g., a medical debt) and prepare a brief written note for the landlord.
5. Save a clean PDF of each report and attach it to your rental application to show transparency and a proactive attitude.

Fixing rental‑report mistakes takes minutes, not weeks, if you follow the right steps. Most landlords - including Amazon - pull Experian, so clearing Experian errors removes the biggest obstacle.

• Pull the free Experian report, locate the 'Rental History' entry, and note any wrong dates or missing leases.
• File an online dispute through the Experian online dispute center; attach the lease PDF and a landlord‑signed verification letter, then request deletion.
• If Experian's reply leaves the error untouched, email the data furnisher within 30 days citing the Fair Credit Reporting Act to trigger a re‑investigation.
• Check the updated report after 14 - 21 days; most corrections appear in that window, giving your lease application a clean slate.
• When a landlord uses TransUnion, repeat the same process there; Equifax rarely matters for rent apps, as we covered above, so skip it unless explicitly required.

Experian drives the majority of lease approvals, so a clean Experian pull gives you the highest chance of winning a rental.

• Pull your free Experian report now and note every entry (Experian free credit report).
• Dispute any inaccurate rentals, late payments, or duplicated accounts; Experian resolves most claims within 30 days.
• Add on‑time utility and telecom payments with Experian Boost to lift the score quickly.
• When you apply, explicitly ask the property manager to run only an Experian credit pull; many will comply if you explain that other bureaus are less relevant.
• Freeze TransUnion and Equifax if you cannot control the pull; the freeze prevents a low score from harming your application.

A pristine Experian file is your strongest weapon in the rental market; if you still fall short, the next section on co‑signers shows how to supplement a weak bureau score.

Cosign lets a qualified co‑signer cover your low Experian, TransUnion, or Equifax score. The platform runs a soft credit pull on the co‑signer, then presents the landlord with the co‑signer's strong rating, effectively masking your weak bureau numbers. Because most landlords rely on Experian and many also accept TransUnion, the co‑signer's clean report satisfies the same criteria.

When you submit a rental/lease application through Cosign rental guarantor platform, the landlord sees the co‑signer's credit standing rather than yours. This works even if your personal report shows a bad score on the bureau the landlord typically checks, because the co‑signer's report meets the required threshold.

The result is a higher chance of lease approval without raising your own credit pull count. Tenants with poor scores have secured apartments in markets where Experian dominates the screening, simply by adding a reliable co‑signer through Cosign.

Only a handful of states impose consent‑only rules that keep landlords from initiating hard credit pulls without the applicant's signed permission. The laws stop an unsolicited hard inquiry but do not outlaw it altogether, so a pull is possible once the tenant authorizes Experian, TransUnion, or Equifax.

Definition - A consent‑only provision mandates written approval before any credit bureau can be queried for a rental/lease application. Without that document, the landlord must rely on a soft pull or forgo the check entirely. The restriction protects consumers from surprise hard inquiries that could ding their scores, yet it leaves the door open for a hard pull if the tenant signs the needed form.

Examples -

• California requires a clear, written consent clause in the rental application before a credit bureau may be accessed.
• Illinois mandates a signed authorization; landlords cannot run a hard pull without it.
• Massachusetts law spells out that a tenant's written permission is a prerequisite for any credit inquiry.
• New York obliges landlords to disclose the intent to pull credit and to obtain the applicant's written consent first.
• Washington enforces a consent‑only rule, meaning a hard pull is permissible only after the renter signs an authorization form.

These states share the same practical effect: no hard pull occurs until the tenant explicitly agrees, which can delay the screening process but safeguards the applicant's credit score. (Landlord‑tenant credit‑check guidelines)

Reddit renters have uncovered the most eye‑opening bureau quirks that landlords rarely admit.

They repeatedly point out three shocking patterns:

• Experian shows up even in markets where landlords claim they 'only use TransUnion,' surprising applicants with unexpected score drops.
• A single pet‑or‑room‑mate addition triggers a hard pull from TransUnion, turning a marginal applicant into a reject.
• Equifax never appears in the rent‑application process, yet some landlords still request it, leading to wasted credit pulls and higher fees.

Armed with these Reddit insights, you can double‑check which bureau a landlord actually uses before signing any lease, saving time and avoiding surprise credit pulls.