What Credit Bureau Does Yardi Use?

Yardi pulls credit reports from Experian as its primary bureau, and only turns to Equifax or TransUnion when an Experian pull fails or a client requests a specific alternative, a detail that shapes the frequency and type of inquiries discussed in the next sections.

Yardi selects Experian as its primary credit bureau because Experian offers the broadest national coverage and the most detailed rental‑payment history, which lets Yardi generate accurate risk scores in seconds. The partnership's fast API integration also reduces processing time, a critical factor for property managers who need to approve applicants quickly.

Experian's data depth aligns with Yardi's goal of minimizing false negatives, while its soft‑pull capability protects applicants' credit scores during routine screenings. When Experian cannot return a result, Yardi automatically falls back to secondary sources, ensuring no applicant is left without a review. For a deeper look at the integration, see Experian's Yardi integration overview.

Yardi pulls your tenant credit from Experian, so the quickest way to see the exact score Yardi will view is to check it directly on Experian's portal.

1. Visit Experian's free credit score page and click 'Get Your Score'.
2. Sign up with your full name, Social Security number, and a current address; verification takes minutes.
3. Choose the free 'Credit Score & Report' option - no credit card required.
4. Once logged in, locate the 'Credit Score' section; the number displayed matches the figure Yardi accesses.
5. If you need a printable copy for a Yardi application, click 'Download PDF' and attach it to your tenant portal upload.

Now you know exactly what Yardi will see, letting you address any issues before the next credit pull.

Yardi runs a credit check when a prospect applies and then repeats the pull on a schedule most owners configure to once every 12 months for the life of the lease.

• Initial application pull (soft inquiry) through Experian
• Annual renewal check - default 12‑month interval
• Lease amendment or transfer triggers a new pull
• Missed‑payment alerts may cause an on‑demand re‑pull
• Property managers can request an extra check at any time

Yardi's standard credit pull is a soft inquiry, using Experian's consumer report to screen prospective tenants without denting their credit scores. This initial check appears only on the 'soft pulls' section of a credit report and does not affect eligibility for other credit products.

If a landlord requests a full‑service report or a vendor needs a definitive credit assessment for a lease‑to‑own arrangement, Yardi may upgrade to a hard inquiry. That hard pull registers on the applicant's credit file and can lower the score by a few points, so renters should confirm the type of pull before authorizing the request.

The below content will be converted to HTML following it's exact instructions:

• Tenant checks are soft inquiries that pull consumer credit through Experian's tenant‑screening product (Yardi can also be set to use Equifax or TransUnion) and never affect a personal credit score.
• Vendor checks query business‑credit sources such as Dun & Bradstreet or Experian Business, so they do not appear on an individual's credit report.
• Tenant pulls examine rent‑payment history, debt balances, and public records; vendor pulls assess company payment trends, liens, and credit limits.
• Tenant inquiries run at lease application and may be refreshed yearly; vendor inquiries happen when a new supplier is added or a contract is renewed.
• Tenant scores feed Yardi's tenant‑screening workflow, while vendor ratings are stored in the vendor‑management module for procurement decisions.

Yardi relies on Experian for its tenant‑screening pull, so a clean Experian report is the first line of defense.

Grab the free annual Experian file (free Experian credit report), then scan name, address, Social Security number, and every listed account. Flag balances that don't match, closed accounts still marked open, or old collections that should have dropped off.

Dispute any mismatch directly with Experian, watch for the 30‑day resolution, and confirm the corrected version appears before Yardi initiates its check, as we covered above.

• Scan your Experian score on Yardi's portal and verify no recent hard inquiries.
• Remove or dispute any recent late payments listed on the Experian report.
• Add a positive tradeline, such as a secured credit card or rental payment history, to raise payment‑history points.
• Provide a co‑signer or guarantor with a strong Experian score to mitigate low‑score risk.
• Keep your income‑to‑rent ratio below 35% based on the Experian data Yardi reviews.

Experian's official site for detailed score‑check steps.

Yardi denials disappear when you dispute the inaccurate entry on Experian - the bureau Yardi pulls first - then repeat the process with any backup bureau Yardi may use.

• Log into the Experian dispute portal and download the full report Yardi saw.
• Pinpoint the specific line (late payment, balance, or address error) that triggered the denial.
• Collect supporting documents: bank statements, rent receipts, or a corrected credit letter.
• Submit a dispute with the evidence; Experian must investigate within 30 days.
• After the entry updates, notify Yardi via its tenant‑portal or email so they re‑run the credit pull.
• If Yardi switches to a backup bureau (TransUnion or Equifax), repeat steps 1‑5 with that bureau's dispute system.

Act quickly; once the error clears, Yardi's next credit check reflects the corrected data and the denial lifts.

Yardi falls back to a secondary credit bureau (usually TransUnion or Equifax) whenever its primary source - Experian - does not deliver a complete, timely report. Triggers include an Experian error code, a 'no record found' result, or a credit score that falls outside the property's acceptance range; the system then automatically queries a backup bureau to fill the gap.

Typical scenarios:

• An applicant with only a few credit lines shows up as 'no file' in Experian, prompting Yardi to pull the same name from TransUnion.
• Experian's online service times out during peak hours; after a 48‑hour wait Yardi sends the request to Equifax.
• A regional property manager configures the system to require a secondary pull if Experian's score is below 620, giving the applicant another chance to qualify.

These switches happen behind the scenes, ensuring the screening process continues without manual intervention.