How Can You See Your Rental History?

A rental history is a record of an individual’s past behavior as a tenant. It provides landlords with insights into a prospective renter’s reliability. This information helps them assess potential risks. Understanding this history and how to access it is valuable for anyone navigating the rental market.

What Constitutes Rental History

A rental history includes details about a tenant’s past conduct. Key details include payment history, documenting on-time payments, late payments, or bounced checks. Eviction records are also a standard component, detailing formal proceedings, reasons, and outcomes. Reports also list lease violations, such as unauthorized occupants, pet infractions, or property damage.

The report provides previous addresses, move-in and move-out dates, and contact information for past landlords. Outstanding balances or collections from prior tenancies, such as unpaid rent or damages, are also noted. This helps future landlords understand a tenant’s adherence to lease terms and property maintenance.

Obtaining Your Rental History Reports

Individuals can obtain their rental history primarily from tenant screening companies. Many landlords utilize these services, such as Experian RentBureau, TransUnion SmartMove, and CoreLogic SafeRent. You can request a copy of your report from these companies, often requiring personal identification like your full name, previous addresses, and dates of tenancy. Some services require a fee, typically ranging from $25 to $40, to access reports.

Another approach involves contacting previous landlords to request a rental ledger or reference letter. This can provide a detailed account of payment history and tenancy. While credit reports primarily focus on financial credit, some rental payment data might appear if landlords reported it to credit bureaus. You can obtain a free annual credit report from each of the three major credit bureaus through AnnualCreditReport.com.

Public court records also offer limited information, as eviction filings often become public. These records can be searched through local county clerk of court offices or their online portals. When requesting reports, be prepared to provide personal details such as your full name, date of birth, and social security number to verify identity.

Verifying and Addressing Inaccuracies

Once a rental history report is obtained, a thorough review is essential to verify its accuracy. Individuals should check all listed information, including personal details, addresses, tenancy dates, and payment history. It is important to confirm that any reported lease violations or eviction records are correct.

Common errors include misattributed evictions, incorrect dates, or payments mistakenly marked as late. If inaccuracies are identified, dispute these errors with the reporting agencies, much like disputing credit report errors. This process involves submitting a written dispute, often with supporting documentation such as payment receipts, lease agreements, or court documents.

Reporting companies are required to investigate disputes within 30 days and correct or remove any unverified information. Contacting former landlords to clarify or correct inaccurately reported information can be beneficial. Maintaining detailed records of all communications and supporting evidence is crucial throughout the dispute resolution process.