What Credit Bureau Does Bilt Pull From?

Bilt's first look at your credit uses a soft pull on the TransUnion file, leaving your score untouched; the check simply confirms identity and fetches basic data, so no penalty occurs. Only after you submit a formal application for the Bilt credit line does the platform generate a hard inquiry. That hard pull appears on your TransUnion report within one to two days and stays for two years, nudging the score temporarily.

Because the soft stage precedes the hard one, many users confuse the process (the confusion is understandable). This ordering sets up the next point about why Bilt targets TransUnion first.

Bilt pulls your TransUnion report first because the company's rent‑payment feed is built directly into TransUnion's consumer database. That partnership gives Bilt instant access to the most up‑to‑date rent data, a wider lender‑reporting network, and a 1‑2‑day window for the inquiry to appear on your credit file.

When TransUnion can't verify the rent‑payment history - often due to a missing SSN or a frozen file - Bilt falls back to Experian. This secondary pull ensures the landlord still gets a credit decision, but it occurs only after the primary TransUnion check fails, as covered in the next section.

Bilt pulls Experian for every rent‑payment card application, not as a backup but as its standard source. The inquiry is typically soft, shows up on your credit report within one to two days, and remains for two years without affecting your score (hard pulls occur only if you request a higher credit limit). Because Experian is the sole bureau Bilt queries, there's no 'switch' scenario; if an Experian file is missing, Bilt asks you to provide additional identification rather than hopping to another bureau. (See Bilt's official FAQ for details.)

• Soft pull: no score impact, appears quickly, stays two years.
• Hard pull: triggered only for limit‑increase requests, brief score dip.
• Missing Experian file: Bilt requests supplemental ID, does not query TransUnion.
• Credit freeze on Experian: must be lifted temporarily; otherwise the application cannot be processed.

Bilt's credit‑card application triggers a hard inquiry that lands on Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion at once. The inquiry shows up within one‑to‑two days, remains on each report for two years, and typically stops affecting the score after roughly a year.

• Immediate appearance: Expect the hard pull to be visible on all three bureaus within 48 hours of approval.
• Score dip: A single inquiry can shave 5‑10 points temporarily; the effect fades as the inquiry ages.
• Two‑year lifespan: The record stays on the credit file for 24 months, though most scoring models ignore it after 12 months.
• Monitoring: Check each bureau's portal or use a free credit‑monitoring tool to confirm the entry (see Bilt's help center for verification steps).
• Mitigation tip: Hold off on other credit applications for at least 30 days to limit cumulative hard pulls and preserve your score.

Bilt pulls your TransUnion report first, so nudging that score ahead of the hard inquiry gives the best chance of approval.

1. Reduce revolving balances below 30 % of each limit.
   A $600 charge on a $2,500 card drops utilization to 24 % and typically adds 5 - 10 points.
2. Dispute stale negatives; a single erroneous late payment can be erased within 30 days, instantly lifting the score.
3. Add a credit‑builder loan or become an authorized user on a well‑managed account; one month of on‑time payments often yields a 3‑point bump (credit‑builder loan overview).
4. Keep the oldest credit lines open; closing a decade‑old card can shave 5 - 10 points from the average age factor.
5. Schedule Bilt's check after a positive event - like a recent limit increase - by waiting at least 30 days, allowing the boost to settle before the hard inquiry registers.

These moves target the primary TransUnion pull while preserving the occasional Experian or Equifax check discussed earlier.

Spot the Bilt pull by opening your TransUnion credit report and scrolling to the 'Hard Inquiries' section; the entry will read 'Bilt' and show the date the lender accessed your file. In the rare case Bilt reaches out to Experian, the same label appears on that report instead, as noted earlier in 'Bilt checks your TransUnion report‑1.'

The inquiry shows up within 1‑2 days of your application, is marked as a hard inquiry, and may dip your score by a few points for a short period. It remains on the report for 2 years, but its influence fades after the first 12 months.

To confirm the source, click the inquiry line for details; the pop‑up will list Bilt as the originating company. This visual cue sets the stage for the next step: understanding the Bilt pull timeline.

Bilt's hard inquiry appears on your TransUnion report within 1‑2 business days and remains for two years; the same schedule applies when Bilt uses Experian.

• Day 0: Bilt submits the request after you start the application.
• Day 1‑2: Inquiry shows up on the credit file; you can see it via your free annual credit report or a credit‑monitoring app.
• First 30 days: Score may dip 5‑10 points, a temporary effect that fades as the bureau ages the pull.
• Days 31‑90: Most of the impact disappears; the inquiry still sits on the report but no longer hurts the score.
• Months 3‑24: Inquiry stays visible, contributing to the 'hard inquiries' count but not affecting the calculation.
• Month 24: The hard inquiry drops off automatically; it no longer appears on any report.

Tracking these milestones lets you schedule rent applications, avoid stacking hard pulls, and verify that the inquiry disappears on schedule.

Bilt can still pull your TransUnion report even when you have a credit freeze, but you must temporarily lift the freeze or supply the bureau's PIN to allow the hard inquiry. If Bilt ever switches to Experian, the same unfreeze step applies.

Once the freeze is lifted, the inquiry appears in 1‑2 days, remains on your report for 2 years, and may slightly lower your score for a short period. If the pull fails because the freeze stayed active, simply unfreeze again before proceeding to the next step (Bilt's credit‑freeze guidance).

Pull your TransUnion report immediately after a Bilt denial. The report shows the hard inquiry Bilt placed, the score it saw, and any inaccuracies that may have caused the decline. The inquiry appears within 1‑2 days, may lower your score briefly, and stays on your credit file for 2 years.

For example, go to Free TransUnion credit report, locate the line titled 'Bilt' under hard inquiries, and note the reported score. If the entry shows a typo or an old address, submit a dispute through TransUnion's online portal. Paying down a revolving balance that the report flags as high utilization can lift your score before you re‑apply. If you have a credit freeze, temporarily lift it just for this pull to let Bilt's inquiry register.

Here are five Reddit users' most surprising Bilt pull experiences, each illustrating how the hard inquiry lands on your TransUnion or Experian report.

• A user with a 720 TransUnion score saw a Bilt hard inquiry appear within 1‑2 days, dropping the score by 15 points; the dip vanished after a month, but the inquiry will stay for 2 years. (Reddit thread on unexpected score dip)
• Another member froze their credit, temporarily lifted it for Bilt verification, and still received a TransUnion hard inquiry that posted instantly; the freeze remained intact after the lift. (Reddit discussion on credit freeze and Bilt)
• A third poster was surprised to find an Experian hard inquiry after Bilt fell back to a secondary bureau; the entry showed up after 2 days and will remain on the Experian report for 2 years. (Reddit story about Experian pull)
• One user reported a landlord denying their application because the Bilt hard inquiry was misinterpreted as a new credit line; the inquiry was actually from Bilt, not the landlord, and caused a temporary denial. (Reddit account of landlord denial)
• A final account described a duplicate Bilt hard inquiry on TransUnion after the app automatically retried a failed pull; two inquiries appeared within 24 hours, both counting toward the 2‑year record. (Reddit post on duplicate Bilt pulls)